Monday Trends and Indexes 09/24

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Trends and Indexes
Monday, September 24

Good Luck on day #267 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 Monday

-- Rockies went to San Diego and swept the Padres, which throws NL Wild Card chase into total chaos.

-- Who are the Mets rooting for to win Wild Card? Phillies in playoffs would send Cubs to play Mets; otherwise, the Wild Card team would visit Shea Stadium.

-- Milwaukee somehow lost Chris Capuano's last 17 starts.

-- Phillies took Cole Hamels out because of pitch count (he had been on DL) and it cost them in 5-3 loss to Nats.

-- AL playoff teams are set, just waiting to see who plays whom. Would love to see an LA-Cleveland ALCS.

-- Cowboys have scored 86 second half points in 3 games.

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Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up an NFL Sunday.............

13) Chargers slipped to 1-2 at Lambeau Sunday, on what was ex-coach Marty Schottenheimer's 64th birthday. Chargers were 14-2 all of last season, with Marty as coach. Whoops.

12) All four guys on FOX's pregame show picked Detroit to win outright at Philly Sunday; they lost 56-21. Whoops again.

11) Denver lost at home to Jaguars, their third straight shaky performance of season; you think Jake Plummer sits at home with a voodoo doll of Jay Cutler, poking pins in him all day?

10) Rex Grossman's contract is up after the season; if you sit and consider what he should do in 2008, only one destination comes to mind for him-- the Hamilton Tiger Cats. Very hard to believe Grossman starts another game for the Bears.

9) Bengals converted 11 of 18 on third down and sacked Matt Hasselbeck for a safety, but they turned ball over four times, committed ten penalties and lost second straight road game. Cincinnati hosts 3-0 Patriots next week; interesting contest.

8) Two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner was 15-20/258 in relief of Matt Leinart, as Arizona rallied from 23-6 4th quarter deficit to tie Baltimore, before Ravens won on last play of game, 26-23. Glad to see the former Iowa Barnstormer can still play.

7) Eagles' 56 points on throwback jersey day was their most they've scored in a game since 1953. Their jerseys should be thrown back by the way-- horrible, hideous, ugly.

6) Home team won all three Cardinal games, all by 3 points.

5) Rams are 0-3; their second half scoring outputs: 3-3-3. Yuk.

4) Someone explain to me while Jon Kitna is playing at end of a 56-21 loss. The guy got knocked goofy last week, and they risk him playing at the end of a disasterous day? Stupid.

3) Joey Harrington was 31-44/341 passing, but Falcons fell to 0-3, even though they outgained Carolina by 129 yards. Jake Delhomme hurt his elbow throwing, was replaced by Carr for the Panthers, who are lucky to have a decent backup QB.

2) Giants trailed 17-3 at half, but played awesome second half and beat Redskins 24-17. Washington QB Campbell's lack of running ability hurt Redskins late in game.

1) Phil Dawson's 40-yard FG off baseball infield was blocked on last play of game, as Raiders experienced flip side of their loss last week in Denver, beating Cleveland 26-24. Culpepper relieved injured McCown and directed the win.

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[pm530]

National Football League - Dunkel Index

NFL
Dunkel Index

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

Game 427-428: Tennessee at New Orleans
Dunkel Ratings: Tennessee 132.957; New Orleans 129.033
Dunkel Line: Tennessee by 4; 42
Vegas Line: New Orleans by 5; 45 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tennessee (+5); Under

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National Football League – Long Sheet

NFL
Long Sheet


Week 3

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Monday, September 24
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TENNESSEE (1 - 1) at NEW ORLEANS (0 - 2) - 9/24/2007, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
TENNESSEE is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TENNESSEE is 26-13 ATS (+11.7 Units) in non-conference games since 1992.
TENNESSEE is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
TENNESSEE is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 48-71 ATS (-30.1 Units) in home games since 1992.
NEW ORLEANS is 48-71 ATS (-30.1 Units) in home lined games since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.


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National Football League - Short Sheet

NFL
Short Sheet

Week 3

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Monday, September 24th
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Tennessee at New Orleans, 8:30 ET ESPN
Tennessee: 12-3 ATS as an underdog
New Orleans: 22-9 Under off BB road games

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[pm530]

National Football League – Write up

NFL
Write-up

Week 3 - 2007 NFL season

Monday, September 24

Titans (1-1) @ Saints (0-2)—Tennessee won at Jacksonville, lost 22-20 to Colts, have to be impressed with that start, but now a non-division road game, vs. desperate Saint club that won 23-3 in LY’s Week 3 home opener, albeit in more emotional climate than this will be. NO off to 10-41/14-31 start, getting outscored 52-0 if you combine second half in Indy with first half in Tampa. Saints allowed 9.6 ypp vs. Manning (excusable) then 15.2 ypp vs. Garcia (shockingly hideous)-- doubt Young can exploit that weakness although his legs provide a whole new set of questions. Brees has already thrown 31 incompletions— way too many.

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[pm530]

National Football League - Tips & Trends

NFL


Monday, September 24

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Tips and Trends
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Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints (ESPN | 8:30 PM ET)

The Saints have not started the season 0-3 since 1997 and were a popular choice to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this season. They will be playing their first home game and still believe it's too early to write them off as serious contenders in the NFC. "By no means are we out of it," New Orleans QB Drew Brees said. "It sets you back, but it's nothing we can't overcome." EDGE: SAINTS
This will be the first meeting between former Texas QB Vince Young and former USC RB Reggie Bush since the 2006 Rose Bowl. Bush's Trojans lost the BCS title to Young's Longhorns, and both enjoyed a lot of success last year as rookies in the NFL. However, Bush has gotten off to a rough start to this season with just 65 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards in two games. Look for him to be highly motivated at home in the team's first of two Monday Night Football appearances this season. EDGE: SAINTS
New Orleans has scored just two offensive touchdowns this season, down dramatically from the team's NFL-best offense from a year ago. Brees has only one TD pass to go along with three interceptions. EDGE: TITANS
The Titans have won the last three meetings with the Saints along with their last two visits to the Superdome. EDGE: TITANS
Tennessee is 13-3 ATS in its last 16 games.
The OVER is 9-3-1 in Tennessee's last 13 games.

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National Football League – Hot & Cold Betting Trends

NFL


Monday, September 24

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Hot and Cold Betting Trends
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Monday's Hot and Cold Betting Trends

Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints -4, 45


Hot

Titans are 4-0 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
Titans are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a S.U. loss.
Titans are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
Titans are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as a road underdog.
Titans are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog of 3.5-10.0.
Titans are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games.
Titans are 11-1 ATS in their last 12 games as an underdog.
Titans are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games following a ATS win.
Titans are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
Titans are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games overall.

Over is 4-0 in Titans last 4 games on Field Turf.
Over is 4-1 in Titans last 5 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
Over is 4-1-1 in Titans last 6 games as a road underdog.
Over is 4-1-1 in Titans last 6 road games. Over is 4-1 in Saints last 5 games overall.


Cold

Saints are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite of 3.5-10.0.
Saints are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite.
Saints are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game.
Saints are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games.
Saints are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a SU loss of more than 14 points.
Saints are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

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National Football League – Preview

NFL

Monday, September 24

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NFL Preview
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Monday Night Football Preview

Vince Young will look to topple Reggie Bush's team once again when the Tennessee Titans battle with the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome on Monday Night Football.

Young's Titans were defeated 22-20 at home by the defending-champion Indianapolis Colts last week, but Tennessee did manage to outscore their opposition 14-6 in the second half to make the game close. Young went 17-of-27 for 184 yards passing in the loss, with one touchdown strike and no interceptions. LenDale White ran for 64 yards on 15 carries with a score, while Rob Bironas booted two field goals during the afternoon.

Tennessee, though, did manage to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 13-10 in Week 1, despite the fact that Young completed just 11-of-18 pass attempts for 78 yards and one interception. The key to that victory for the Titans was their running game - Chris Brown picked up 175 rushing yards in the contest, White ran for 66 yards, and Young scrambled for a score. Bironas then accounted for the Titans' other points in the victory.

So the Titans will now be looking to push their record back over the .500 mark by defeating the winless Saints down in New Orleans on Monday night (kickoff is 8:30pm ET on ESPN). New Orleans surprised with a division title last season, but Drew Brees and company have been beaten by a combined score of 72-24 in their first two games.

In Week 1 the Saints were trounced 41-10 on the road by the Colts, in game in which they were actually tied 10-10 at halftime. Brees struggled by going 28-of-41 for just 192 yards passing in that contest, with no TD passes and two interceptions. Bush ran for just 38 yards on 12 carries, and Deuce McAllister added only 38 yards on his 10 carries.

Week 2 didn't go much better for New Orleans - they were held scoreless in the first half and eventually lost 31-14 on the road to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs got two scores from each of Joey Galloway and Carnell Williams in that victory. Meanwhile, Brees went 26-of-44 for 260 yards passing, with one touchdown strike and one interception. Bush rushed for 27 yards, and McAllister managed to gain only 49 yards.

So New Orleans will be looking to get their offense - and in particular their running game - back on track against Tennessee in the Monday matchup. The oddsmakers like the Saints' chances in their home opener, as they're 4.5-point faves with a total of 45.5.

The last time these two franchises met on the gridiron was back in September 2003, when the Titans pulled out a 27-12 home win over the Saints. Tennessee had been listed as a 4.5-point favorite in that contest, and managed to cover the spread. The combined score was good news for UNDER bettors, as it fell below the 44-point total.

Here are the official injury reports for both the Titans and the Saints for Monday . . .

Tennessee Injuries
David Givens WR P-U-P List (knee)
Adam Jones CB Out For Season (suspension)
Casey Cramer TE Out Week 3 (hamstring)
Cortland Finnegan CB Questionable Week 3 (hamstring)
Craig Hentrich P Questionable Week 3 (back)
Kevin Mawae C Probable Week 3 (knee)

New Orleans Injuries
Jay Bellamy S Out Week 3 (ankle)
Kendrick Clancy DT Questionable Week 3 (toe)
Josh Bullocks S Probable Week 3 (knee)

Both the Titans and the Saints have a bye in Week 4. The two teams then return to action in Week 5, with Tennessee hosting Atlanta, and New Orleans hosting Carolina.

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[pm530]

Baseball - Dunkel Index

MLB
Dunkel Index

St. Louis at Milwaukee
The Cardinals showed they still have some fight last night as they staged a three-run rally in the ninth to beat Houston (4-3). They'll look to play spoiler today against the Brewers, who blew a three-run lead to Atlanta on Sunday and dropped 3 1/2 games back in the Central. Milwaukee is likely to find tough going against Adam Wainwright, who has gone eight straight starts without allowing more than two runs. The Brewers have lost three straight with Dave Bush on the mound, while he has allowed 13 earned runs over his last 11 innings. The Cards look like a good underdog pick (+132) according to Dunkel, which has St. Louis favored by 2. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+132). Here are all of today's games.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

Game 901-902: Washington at NY Mets
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Chico) 14.533; NY Mets (Pelfrey) 15.003
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-210); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-210); Over

Game 903-904: St. Louis at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Wainwright) 17.631; Milwaukee (Bush) 15.823
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 2; 10
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-140); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+132); Over

Game 905-906: San Diego at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Young) 14.983; San Francisco (Zito) 14.705
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: San Diego (-135); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-135); Over

Game 907-908: Minnesota at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Silva) 15.315; Detroit (Robertson) 16.424
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-148); 10
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-148); Under

Game 909-910: Toronto at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Burnett) 16.134; NY Yankees (Pettitte) 16.636
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 911-912: Kansas City at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Meche) 16.405; Baltimore (Cabrera) 14.406
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 2; 10
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-114); 9
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-114); Over

Game 913-914: LA Angels at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Santana) 15.160; Texas (Galarraga) 14.701
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

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[pm530]

Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Monday, September 24

Hot Pitchers
-- Pelfrey is 3-0, 3.31 in his last three starts.
-- Wainwright has a 2.03 RA in his last seven starts.

-- Bronx won nine of last ten Pettitte starts. Toronto won six of Burnett's last eight starts.
-- Meche is 2-0, 2.63 in his last couple starts.
-- Santana has 1.96 RA in his last three starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Chico has a 7.71 RA in his last three starts.
-- Brewers lost last three Bush starts (0-1, 11.64).
-- Young has a 6.40 RA in his last six starts. Giants lost six of Zito's last eight starts.

-- Tigers lost five of last seven Robertson starts. Silva has 6.84 RA in his last five starts.
-- Orioles lost last six Cabrera starts (0-5, 9.30).
-- Galarraga is making first start; he was 11-8, 4.14 in 26 starts in minors, mostly in AA; he allowed four hits in four big league IP


Totals
-- Under is 9-3 in last dozen games at Shea Stadium.
-- Under is 7-2 in last nine Milwaukee games.
-- Over is 14-4 in Padres' last eighteen road games.

-- Under is 9-4 in last thirteen Minnesota games.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight Bronx home games.
-- Over is 7-3-1 in last eleven Oriole home games.
-- Under is 16-4-1 in last twenty-one Texas games.


Hot Teams
-- Mets won last three games, scoring 23 runs.

-- Tigers are 11-4 in their last fifteen home games.
-- Bronx won six of its last seven games.
-- Angels are 5-2 in last seven games, but they clinched West on Sunday, could give many regulars tonight off.


Cold Teams
-- Nationals lost four of their last five games.
-- Brewers lost four of their last five games. Cardinals lost their last nine road games.
-- San Diego lost last three games, scoring total of six runs. San Francisco is 3-6 in last nine games, but beat Reds last two days.

-- Minnesota lost six of its last nine road games.
-- Blue Jays lost five of their last six road games.
-- Orioles lost five of their last seven games. Royals lost six of their last eight road games.
-- Rangers lost ten of their last thirteen games.

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[pm530]

Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


Monday, September 24

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Tips and Trends
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Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees (1:05 PM ET)

Toronto’s A.J. Burnett has compiled a 3-2 record and 3.20 ERA in six career starts versus New York. The right-hander tallied a dominating 2-1 home victory over the Yankees two starts back, allowing just a single run and four hits over eight innings. EDGE: BLUE JAYS
Burnett has a losing 3-5 record and 4.24 ERA in 12 road starts this season. He’s allowed just 58 hits away from the Rogers Centre in 74 1/3 innings, but 13 of those have been home runs. SLIGHT EDGE: YANKEES
New York left-hander Andy Pettitte is a solid 16-8 with a 4.10 ERA in 32 career outings versus Toronto. He’s an even 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts against the Blue Jays in 2007, giving up not a single home run over 20 innings. EDGE: YANKEES
Pettitte has been truly incredible since the All-Star break, posting a 10-2 record and 3.23 ERA in 14 starts. The left-hander is 2-1 with a 4.44 ERA in four starts this month, but has given up 34 hits in 24 1/3 innings. EDGE: YANKEES


Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles (7:05 PM ET)

Kansas City right-hander Gil Meche is 4-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 14 career starts versus Baltimore. The right-hander is 0-1 against the Orioles this season, but carries a superb 0.68 ERA in two starts. EDGE: ROYALS
Meche has a losing 4-6 record and 3.94 ERA in 13 starts since the All-Star break. The Royals have picked up consecutive victories with Meche on the mound in his last two starts, with the right-hander allowing just three earned runs and nine hits over 13 2/3 innings. SLIGHT EDGE: ORIOLES
Baltimore’s Daniel Cabrera is a perfect 3-0 with a 2.89 ERA in five career starts versus Kansas City. The right-hander hasn’t allowed a home run against the Royals in 28 innings. BIG EDGE: ORIOLES
The Orioles have lost six straight games with Cabrera on the hill, with the right-hander issuing 18 walks over this current span. He’s given up 14 earned runs and 17 hits over his last 9 1/3 innings. BIG EDGE: ROYALS


Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers (7:05 PM ET)

Minnesota starter Carlos Silva has a winning 4-3 record and 4.92 ERA in 11 career outings versus Detroit. The veteran right-hander is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in his lone start against the Tigers this season, giving up three runs and 10 hits over six innings. SLIGHT EDGE: TWINS
Silva is a terrible 3-10 with a 5.64 ERA in his 15 starts away from the Metrodome. Opposing hitters are batting .315 against him on the road compared to just .265 at home. EDGE: TIGERS
Detroit’s Nate Robertson is 5-3 with a 4.48 ERA in 15 home starts this season. The Tigers have won three of his last four starts at Comerica Park, with the offense providing 33 runs of offense. EDGE: TIGERS
Robertson is an even 7-7 with a 3.89 ERA in 18 career outings versus Minnesota. SLIGHT EDGE: TIGERS


St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers (8:05 PM ET)

St. Louis right-hander Adam Wainwright is 1-0 with an incredible 0.56 ERA in eight career appearances versus Milwaukee. He’s allowed just one run and six hits over 16 innings of work against the Brewers. EDGE: CARDINALS
Wainwright has been the Cardinals best pitcher since the All-Star break, compiling a 6-4 record and 2.36 ERA over 13 starts. Opposing hitters are batting just .240 against him in the second half compared to .291 in the first half. EDGE: CARDINALS
Milwaukee’s Dave Bush is a winless 0-3 with a miserable 9.00 ERA in three career starts versus St. Louis. He was handed an 8-0 home loss against the Cardinals on August 16, giving up three earned runs and seven hits over seven innings. EDGE: CARDINALS
Bush has a winning 7-6 record and 4.30 ERA in 15 home outings this season. The Brewers have won three of his last four home starts. EDGE: BREWERS


San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants (10:15 PM ET)

San Diego’s Chris Young is an even 5-5 with a 4.11 ERA in 15 road starts this season. The Padres have lost his last four starts away from Petco Park, getting outscored 25-9 in the process. EDGE: GIANTS
After losing six straight games with Young on the hill, the Padres have picked up victories over his last two starts. The All-Star right-hander has allowed six earned runs and 11 hits over his last 13 innings. EDGE: PADRES
Giants left-hander Barry Zito is a winless 0-2 with a 3.16 ERA in six career outings versus the Padres. He’s actually allowed just 26 hits in 31 1/3 innings against them. SLIGHT EDGE: PADRES
San Francisco has lost eight of Zito’s last 10 starts overall, including four straight. The left-hander has struggled with his control lately, issuing 10 walks over his last 16 innings. EDGE: PADRES

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[pm530]

Baseball – Betting Notes

MLB


Monday, September 24

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MLB Betting Notes
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Monday’s MLB betting notes

Boston still bruised
The Boston Red Sox will continue to play without key contributors Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis this week due to nagging injuries.
Ramirez remains sidelined with a strained oblique muscle. The Red Sox left fielder hasn’t played since late August, an absence which has cost Boston one of its few power bats.
Youkilis is still recovering after being struck in the hand with a pitch last weekend. “Oh, he won’t play (today),” manager Terry Francona told reporters of Youkilis’ status this weekend. “There’s still some swelling in the joints, and that (generates) pain.”
The Red Sox were able to clinch a playoff spot without the two players on Saturday, but are still in a battle for their first American League East title since 1995. Boston is only 2 ½ games up on the hot New York Yankees, who have won the last nine division championships.
Slugging designated hitter David Ortiz is also playing with pain, which is also hurting the middle of Boston's order. Over the past week Boston has been the AL’s worst hitting team, batting just .223.

Countdown delayed
New York Yankees veteran arm Roger Clemens was originally schedule to pitch Monday, but will now be bumped to Tuesday due to a tender left hamstring.
Replacing The Rocket will be Clemens’ good friend Andy Pettitte, who is 14-8 with a 3.79 ERA this season and has recorded wins in eight of his last 10 starts. Monday's game closes out the Yankees’ series with the Toronto Blue Jays before New York goes to Florida to face the Tampa Bay Devils Rays.
''We hope (Clemens) can pitch on Tuesday; we think he will,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre told reporters on Sunday. ''We're putting him back in his slot, which has been behind Andy all year.''
Clemens has recently battled numerous injuries. He was pulled from his Sept. 3 start with discomfort in his throwing arm and also has had troubles with blisters on his feet, which he says is contributing to his other ailments.
''I felt really good yesterday,'' Clemens told reporters. ''It feels a little different today because I've had a lot people digging at it and doing things to it.''
Since joining New York earlier in the season, Clemens is 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA. He showed toughness in his most recent start, a six-inning effort Sept. 16 against the Red Sox in which he allowed one unearned run on two hits.

Heaven help their bats
The Los Angeles Angels admit that the playoff race has got them playing a bit frazzled in the final weeks of the season. Heading into Sunday, Los Angeles is only one game away from clinching the AL West.
The Angels bats have gone flat since getting this close. They were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in their 3-2 loss to Seattle on Saturday. Some players told the Los Angeles Daily News that they were pressing at the plate, leading to the team’s troubles.
Los Angeles hasn’t clinched a division title or playoff spot at home since 1986.
"It would be nice to get it done here and maybe we're pressing a little bit," catcher Jeff Mathis told reporters. "We just got to relax and we'll be fine. Sometimes, you have to tip your cap to the other team. Seattle is a very good team and they don't want to watch us celebrate.”
Los Angeles has scored three or fewer runs in seven of its last 10 games despite an AL-best .310 batting average over the past week. The Angels begin a season-closing six-game road trip on Monday in Texas.

Holliday on unwanted holiday
The Colorado Rockies owe a lot of their success to outfielder Matt Holliday, who is having a career year. However, the Rockies might be without their best bat this week due to Holliday’s tender oblique
"Obviously, I want to be out there, but it doesn't make sense if I can't help the team or if I go out there and really blow it out," Holliday told the Denver Post. "It's been something I have been dealing with for a while and it just got a little bit worse."
The All-Star is hitting .337 this season with 36 home runs. Colorado has won seven games in a row heading into Sunday and is 2 ½ game behind San Diego in the NL wild-card race.

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[pm530]

Baseball Today - September 24

SCOREBOARD
Monday, Sept. 24
St. Louis at Milwaukee (8:05 p.m. EDT). The Brewers try to gain ground on Chicago in the NL Central.

STARS
Sunday

-- David Wright, Mets, singled home the go-ahead run in the 11th inning to lift the New York Mets over Florida 7-6.

-- Garrett Atkins, Rockies, hit an inside-the-park home run and Colorado beat San Diego 7-3.

-- Jose Molina, Yankees, had three hits, three RBIs and made a key tag at the plate to help the New York Yankees defeat Toronto 7-5.

-- Marcus Thames, Tigers, homered twice to power Detroit past Kansas City 7-2.

AL CENTRAL CHAMPS

Jake Westbrook struck out a career-high nine and Grady Sizemore had four hits as the Indians, fourth-place finishers a year ago, clinched their first AL Central title since 2001 with a 6-2 win over Oakland. The Indians moved into first place on Aug. 15, stayed there by going 27-9 and running away from defending AL champion Detroit, and now have a chance to finish with the best record in the majors.

AL WEST CHAMPS

John Lackey and the Los Angeles Angels gave their fans another reason to wave those rally monkeys. The Angels clinched their third AL West title in four years Sunday, with Lackey leading them to a 7-4 victory over Seattle. After losing two in a row to the Mariners, the Angels clinched in their final home game of the season.

METS RECORD

Mets outfielder Moises Alou extended his hitting streak to 27 games Sunday in New York's 7-6 win over Florida in 11 innings, setting a franchise record and giving him the longest in the major leagues this season. At 41, Alou is the oldest player to have a hitting streak extend past 21 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. His previous best was a 23-game streak in 2001, when he was with Houston.

90 WINS

The New York Yankees overcame a 3-0 deficit to beat Toronto 7-5 on Sunday and reach 90 wins for the seventh straight season, the third-longest streak in major league history behind the 1947-58 Yankees and 1904-12 Chicago Cubs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Yankees won for the 14th time in 17 games and moved within one of Boston in the loss column.

IMPRESSIVE

Justin Verlander earned his 18th win in Detroit's 7-2 victory over Kansas City on Sunday and has 35 wins in his first two full seasons, the most for a Tigers pitcher since Frank Lary also had 35 from 1955-56.

LAST DANCE AT RFK

Chad Cordero struck out Jayson Werth with the tying runs on base to give Washington a 5-3 win over Philadelphia on Sunday in the last major league game at RFK Stadium. The ballpark hosted the Senators from 1962-71, and has been the Nationals' home since they moved from Montreal and brought the sport back to the nation's capital in 2005.

SPEAKING

"Somewhere among the snow and the craziness of the schedule and the injuries, this team became a family." -- Cleveland pitcher Paul Byrd, after his team beat Oakland 6-2 on Sunday to clinch the AL Central title. The Indians won in dramatic fashion all season, with 43 come-from-behind wins, including 13 in their final at-bat at home.

SEASONS
Sept. 24

1940 -- Jimmie Foxx of the Red Sox hit his 500th career home run off Philadelphia's George Caster in the first game of a doubleheader at Shibe Park. Foxx's homer came in the sixth inning after Ted Williams homered. Joe Cronin followed with a homer and, later in the inning, Jim Tabor also homered. The four homers in the inning were a first in the AL.

1969 -- The New York Mets clinched the NL East Division title, with Gary Gentry pitching a four-hitter in a 6-0 victory over St. Louis.

1974 -- Detroit's Al Kaline doubled down the right-field line off Dave McNally of Baltimore for his 3,000th career hit. The Orioles beat the Tigers 5-4 at Memorial Stadium.

1984 -- Rick Sutcliffe threw a two-hitter and led the Chicago Cubs to their first league title since 1945 with a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh.

1988 -- Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays, one strike away from a no-hitter, gave up a bad-hop single to Julio Franco. Stieb settled for a 1-0 one-hit victory over Cleveland.

1992 -- Dave Winfield of the Toronto Blue Jays, at 40, became the oldest player to drive in 100 runs. Winfield drove in four runs with a homer and a two-run double in an 8-2 win over Baltimore.

1993 -- The Colorado Rockies set a NL record for victories by an expansion team with their 65th win of the season. Colorado beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-2, surpassing the 64 wins the Houston Colt .45s had in 1962.

1998 -- Boston's Tom Gordon set a major league record for most consecutive saves with his 42nd to preserve the Red Sox' 9-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

2004 -- The Atlanta Braves clinched their 13th consecutive division title, winning the NL East with an 8-7 victory over the Florida Marlins. The Braves' record streak of division championships began with the 1991 NL West title and excludes the 1994 strike-shortened season.

2006 -- Trevor Hoffman became baseball's career saves leader on, earning No. 479 to pass Lee Smith and help NL West-leading San Diego beat Pittsburgh 2-1. It was his NL-leading 43rd save in 48 chances. Smith piled up 478 saves from 1980-1997.

2006 -- David Ortiz hit his 53rd homer and 32nd on the road in Boston's 13-4 loss to Toronto. The blast tied Babe Ruth for most home runs on the road in AL history.

Today's birthdays: Jeff Karstens 25; Ben Broussard 31; John McDonald 33; Kevin Millar 36; Jamie Burke 36.

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