Thursday Trends and Indexes 05/08

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Wednesday, May 7

Good Luck on day #129 of 2008!

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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[pm530]

Six-pack for Thursday

-- Wild ballgame in Detroit, with Tigers scoring twice in ninth to win 10-9, after they led 4-0 in third, 8-4 after five innings.

-- A's beat Orioles 6-5 in 10 innings on an Ellis HR, but they tied game in bottom of 8th when Hannahan executed perfect takeout slide at second base, preventing a double play.

-- Edison Volquez is 5-1, 1.06 after Reds blanked Cubs 9-0. It is inconceivable that the Rangers traded this guy, even for an OF (Hamilton) who is top of AL in RBI. Pitching wins.

-- Wainwright blanked slumping Rockies for seven innings, but Cardinal bullpen imploded in 8th, and Rockies got a 4-3 win they really needed.

-- Someone has to explain to me why Cardinals, Brewers are batting their pitchers 8th; I do not understand it. Now I can be a nitwit every so often, so maybe there's a reason for it.

-- Violent collision at first base in 8th inning of Phils-Arizona game, with Victorino's helmet smashing into Conor Jackson's face, knocking Jackson out of game, ruining his birthday.

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Thursday, May 8

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Hot Pitchers
-- Giants won last three Cain starts (1-0, 1.40).
-- Webb is 7-0, 2.87 this season.
-- Reyes beat Cincinnati 9-1 in his first start (one run in 5.1 IP).
-- Hendrickson is 5-0, 3.96 in his last six starts.
-- Backe is 3-0, 2.55 in three home starts; home team is 7-0 in his starts this season.

-- Byrd is 1-0, 2.05 in his last four starts, but Cleveland is 0-3 in his road starts this season. Mussina is 3-0, 2.50 in his last three starts.
-- Danks has 1.40 RA in his last four starts.
-- Red Sox won three of Beckett's last four starts.
-- Litsch is 2-0, 2.92 in his last couple starts.
-- Cabrera is 2-1, 2.62 in his last five starts. Hochevar is 2-0, 2.25 in his last couple of starts.
-- Gabbard is 1-0, 2.17 in four starts this season.

Cold Pitchers
-- Pirates are 3-0 in Maholm starts (2-0, 0.87).
-- Ledezma has thrown 18.1 IP in seven games this season; he's made 34 career starts, 33 with Detroit, one LY with Padres.
-- Cardinals lost three of last four Lohse starts (1-1, 5.87). de la Rosa allowed nine runs in four IP in his first '08 start.
-- Myers is 0-2, 7.41 in three road starts this season.
-- Villanueva is 0-3, 5.97 in his last five starts.
-- Lannan has a 1.37 RA in three road starts.

-- Slowey lost his only '08 start, allowing three runs in 3.1 IP.
-- Verlander is 1-5, 7.33 in seven starts this season.
-- Jackson is 0-3, 7.97 in his last four starts.
-- FHernandez is 0-2, 7.11 in his last two starts.

Hot Teams
-- Pirates won their last three home games.
-- Braves won twelve of last fourteen home games.
-- Marlins won four of their last five games.
-- Astros won their last eight home games.
-- Cardinals won eight of their last eleven games.
-- Phillies won seven of their last ten road games.

-- Red Sox won seven of their last nine games.
-- Indians won their last five road games.
-- Toronto won seven of their last nine at Rogers Centre.
-- Twins won six of their last seven games.
-- Rangers won six of their last eight games.

Cold Teams
-- Giants lost four of their last five games.
-- Padres lost sixteen of their last twenty games.
-- Brewers are 3-9 in their last twelve games.
-- Nationals lost 12 of last 14 road games.
-- Colorado is 4-13 in its last seventeen games.
-- Arizona lost five of its last seven games.

-- Tigers lost five of their last six games, allowing 42 runs.
-- Bronx is 3-5 on their current homestand.
-- Tampa Bay lost four of their last five games.
-- White Sox lost seven of their last eight games.
-- Royals lost nine of their last thirteen home games. Orioles lost five in row, seven of their last eight games.
-- Mariners lost seven of their last eight games.

Totals
-- Seven of last ten Pirate games went over the total.
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-- Over is 8-2 in last ten games at Coors Field.
-- All three Webb home starts went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Florida home games went over the total.
-- Five of seven Backe starts stayed under the total.

-- Five of seven Mussina starts stayed under the total.
-- Last four Danks starts stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-0-1 in last six Detroit home games.
-- Five of six Jackson starts stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last nine Royal games stayed under the total.
-- Last four FHernandez starts stayed under the total.

Umpires
-- SF-Pitt-- Last seven Estabrook games stayed under the total.
-- SD-Atl-- Last four Schrieber games stayed under the total.
-- StL-Col-- Favorite won last five Reilly games.
-- Phil-Az-- Five of last six Darling games went over the total.
-- Mil-Fla-- As far as I know, this is Beal's first big league game.
-- Wsh-Hst-- last six Campos games stayed under the total.

-- Clev-NY-- Eight of last ten Barry games went over the total.
-- Min-Chi-- Underdog is 6-0 in Eddings games this season.
-- Bos-Det-- Visitor won 14 of last 18 Hoye games.
-- TB-Tor-- Favorite won five of last six Nauert games.
-- Balt-KC-- Do not know who the umpire in this game is.
-- Tex-Sea-- Four of last five Fairchild games went over total.

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


Thursday, May 8

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Tips and Trends
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We will update when projected scores are available.


Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees [1:05 PM ET]

Indians: After getting shelled in his first 2 outings of the year, Paul Byrd has rebounded with 4 solid performances. In his last four starts, Byrd has only allowed 4 runs in 25 2/3 innings pitched. One of those games came against the Yankees, and even though he allowed 3 home runs, Byrd and the Indians got the win. In his career, Byrd is 2-4 with 4.64 ERA against New York.

The UNDER is 9-2 in Cleveland's last 11 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Yankees (-145, O/U 9.5): Mike Mussina has really turned it on of late, going a perfect 3-0 in his last 3 starts. Moose has only given up 5 runs and 2 walks in his last 18 innings pitched. Mussina pitched against Cleveland on April 28th, getting the victory after allowing just 2 runs over 5 innings of work. For his career, Mussina is 12-9 versus the Tribe with a 4.75 ERA.

Yankees are 21-7 in the last 28 meetings at New York.
The UNDER is 8-1-1 in New York's last 10 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



St. Louis Cardinals at Colorado Rockies [3:05 PM ET]

Cardinals: Kyle Lohse has been a valuable addition to the Cardinals rotation this season. After coming over from Philadelphia, Lohse is 3-1 with 3.79 ERA for the Redbirds in 2008. Lohse faced Colorado in the season opener, giving up 3 hits and no runs in a no-decision. One thing to be concerned about is that Lohse was tagged by the Cubs in his most recent outing, allowing 8 runs in 6 innings of work.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Rockies (-110, O/U 11): Jorge De La Rosa has only 1 start on the season and it wasn’t pretty. In just 4 innings against the Dodgers, De La Rosa gave up 9 runs on 9 hits. Obviously, the Rockies are hoping for a much better performance out him today but that may not happen. In 3 career starts versus the Cardinals, De La Rosa is 1-2 with a 7.11 ERA and 2.05 WHIP, while St. Louis hitters are batting a whopping .329 against him.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers [7:05 PM ET]

Red Sox (-135, O/U 8.5): As usual, Josh Beckett has been a horse on the mound for Boston, going at least 6 innings in 4 of his 5 starts. After walking 4 batters in his first outing of the season, Beckett has only walked 1 in each of his last 4 appearances. Beckett has started 1 game in his career against the Tigers, and he was lit up for 6 hits and 5 runs over 6 innings of work.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Key Injuries - NONE

Tigers: It hasn’t just been a disappointing start for the Tigers in general this season, but also for their ace Justin Verlander. Verlander is 1-5 with a lofty 6.28 ERA in 2008. In his last 2 outings against the Twins and Angels, Verlander gave up 10 runs and 6 walks in 12 2/3 innings pitched. He’s started 2 games in his career against the Red Sox, going 1-1 with an ERA of 4.61.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Key Injuries – NONE

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[pm530]

MLB


Thursday, May 8

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Baseball Today
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SCOREBOARD

Thursday, May 8
Philadelphia at Arizona (3:40 p.m.). Brandon Webb (7-0, 2.49 ERA) looks to become the majors’ first eight-game winner when the Diamondbacks face Brett Myers (2-2, 4.70) and the Phillies.


STARS

Wednesday

— Carlos Gomez, Twins, became the first Minnesota player to hit for the cycle since Kirby Puckett 22 years ago in a 13-1 victory.

— Mark Ellis, Athletics, hit the first game-ending home run of his career, lifting Oakland to a 6-5 victory in 10 innings against Baltimore.

— John Maine, Mets, became the first New York starter to pitch more than seven innings this season, allowing one run in 8 1-3 in a 12-1 victory over Los Angeles.

— Joey Votto, Reds, became the 23rd player in franchise history to hit three homers in a game, and the first since Aaron Boone on May 8, 2003, as Cincinnati beat Chicago 9-0.

— Carlos Lee, Astros, singled in the winning run in the ninth inning of Houston’s 4-3 victory over Washington. It was the second straight day Lee drove in the go-ahead runs.

— Chris Iannetta, Rockies, tripled home two runs off St. Louis closer Jason Isringhausen to cap a four-run eighth-inning rally, and Colorado won 4-3.

— Shaun Marcum, Blue Jays, came within an out of his first career shutout, striking out nine in 8 2-3 innings as Toronto beat Tampa Bay 6-2.

CYCLE

Carlos Gomez became the first Twins player since Kirby Puckett 22 years ago to hit for the cycle. Gomez, acquired from the Mets in the Johan Santana trade, homered off Mark Buehrle (1-4) on the game’s third pitch. He added an RBI triple in the fifth, doubled in a run in the sixth and completed the cycle with an infield single to lead off a six-run ninth. He’s the eighth Twins player to hit for the cycle.

GOPHERITIS

Jon Lieber became only the second pitcher in Cubs history to give up four homers in an inning, during a 9-0 loss at Cincinnati. Joey Votto, who went deep three times, started a four-homer second inning off Lieber, who was making his first start of the season. Adam Dunn and Paul Bako also had solo shots, and Jerry Hairston Jr.’s two-run homer completed the history-matching rally. Phil Norton is the only other Cubs pitchers to allow four homers in an inning.

ACES

Zack Greinke gave up five hits and three runs in seven innings, striking out eight and walking two to lead the Royals to a 9-4 victory over the Angels. His ERA, the second-lowest in the league entering the game, rose to 1.80. He fell a bit farther behind Cleveland’s Cliff Lee, who pitched seven shutout innings against the Yankees and lowered his major league-leading ERA to 0.81. The Indians won 3-0.

PERFECT

Phillies closer Brad Lidge earned his seventh save in seven chances in a 5-4 victory against Arizona. He has not allowed a run this season in eight innings.

PRETTY IN PINK

White Sox OF Nick Swisher, along with pitcher John Danks and backup catcher Toby Hall, dyed their facial hair hot pink in an effort to raise awareness for breast cancer and pay tribute to Mothers Day. A group of children from Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation, a national support group for those affected by pediatric cancer, watched as Swisher, Hall and Danks took the pink plunge while seated on top of the White Sox’s dugout. The players also made a donation on behalf of their teammates.

BETTER, BUT NOT GOOD

Barry Zito returned to the Giants rotation after a brief banishment to the bullpen and had his best start of the season. It still wasn’t good enough for a win. In five innings, he allowed three hits, two runs and two walks with five strikeouts. But he fell to 0-7 as the Pirates won 3-1.

NOTHING MAJOR

Braves closer Rafael Soriano can resume his throwing program after tests on his sore right elbow revealed no major injuries. Soriano had an MRI exam and a bone imaging scan. He was placed on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis on April 9. There is no timetable for his return.

OUTTA HERE

Atlanta manager Bobby Cox was ejected by third-base umpire Wally Bell for arguing about a run-scoring balk on Braves starter Tim Hudson. It was Cox’s 137th career ejection, extending his major league record, and his second this season. The Braves beat the Padres 5-2.

SETBACK

Cardinals starter Mark Mulder has a mild rotator cuff strain in his left shoulder, causing St. Louis to stop his rehabilitation assignment. Mulder, coming back from two shoulder operations, plans to rest for a week to 10 days before being reevaluated. Mulder made five starts during his rehab assignment. He was 2-2 with a 6.66 ERA.

FALSE STARTS

Milwaukee starter Dave Bush (0-4) gave up six runs in six innings in the Brewers’ 6-2 loss to the Marlins. Ben Sheets remains the only Milwaukee starter to win since April 5.

WASTED

Adam Wainwright allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, but the Cardinals’ bullpen gave up four runs in the eighth inning to Colorado and the Rockies won 4-3.

STREAKS

The Tigers snapped their five-game losing streak, and Boston’s five-game winning streak, when they rallied with two runs in the ninth of Jonathan Papelbon for a 10-9 victory. …. Before beating Tampa Bay 6-2, Toronto had gone 20 games without scoring more than five runs. No AL had a streak that long since the 2002 Detroit Tigers went 24 games.

COMFY AT COMERICA

Boston’s Kevin Youkilis hit two homers in a 10-9 loss to Detroit. He has seven homers at Comerica Park in his career, five more than he has at any venue as a visitor. The only other time he hit two homers in a game was—naturally— in Detroit on Aug. 8, 2004.

SPEAKING

“A win like this is huge for us because it’s just one of those friendly reminders that we are a good enough team to come back. It’s a nice reminder for us to just see that.”—Colorado outfielder Ryan Spilborghs after the Rockies’ rallied with four runs in the eighth to beat St. Louis 4-3.


SEASONS

May 8

1906—Philadelphia manager Connie Mack needed a substitute outfielder in the sixth inning of a game against Boston and called on pitcher Chief Bender to fill in. Bender hit two home runs, both inside the park.

1907—Boston’s Big Jeff Pfeffer threw a no-hitter to give the Braves a 6-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in Boston.

1929—Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants pitched a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first by a left-hander in the majors in 13 seasons.

1935—In the first game of a doubleheader, Ernie Lombardi of the Cincinnati Reds hit four doubles in consecutive innings (sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth) off four different Phillies pitchers. Lombardi also singled as the Reds beat Philadelphia 15-4.

1966—Frank Robinson became the only player to hit a home run out of Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. Robinson hit a 451-foot—541 feet total—shot on a fly over the left-field wall off Cleveland right-hander Luis Tiant. The Orioles won 8-3.

1966—The St. Louis Cardinals closed old Busch Stadium with a 10-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

1968—Jim “Catfish” Hunter of the Oakland A’s pitched a perfect game to beat the Minnesota Twins 4-0.

1984—Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett had four singles in his first major league game as the Twins beat the California Angels 5-0.

1994—The Colorado Silver Bullets, the first women’s team to play a pro men’s team, lost 19-0 to the Northern League All-Stars. Leon Durham hit two homers and Oil Can Boyd started for the All-Stars. The Silver Bullets had two hits, struck out 16 times and made six errors.

1998—Mark McGwire became the fastest player to hit 400 home runs when he connected in the third inning of the St. Louis Cardinals’ game against the New York Mets. McGwire, the 26th player to reach the milestone, hit 400 homers in 4,726 at-bats. The previous best was 4,854 by Babe Ruth.

2001—Randy Johnson became the third pitcher to strike out 20 in nine innings, but didn’t finish the game as the Arizona Diamondbacks went on beat Cincinnati 4-3 in 11 innings. Johnson, the first left-hander to strike out 20, missed out on the chance to join Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood as the record-holders for a nine-inning game because Arizona could not finish off the Reds in regulation.

2003—Aaron Boone hit three solo homers, leading the way as the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 8-6.

Today’s birthdays: Adrian Gonzalez 26; John Maine 27.

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Long Sheet

NBA
Long Sheet

Note: When the long sheet is updated, we will re-post.

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Thursday, May 8
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CLEVELAND (49 - 40) at BOSTON (71 - 19) - 5/8/2008, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 8-3 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 8-4 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW ORLEANS (62 - 27) at SAN ANTONIO (60 - 29) - 5/8/2008, 9:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 54-40 ATS (+10.0 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 97-68 ATS (+22.2 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 51-29 ATS (+19.1 Units) in home games after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 67-44 ATS (+18.6 Units) in home games after scoring 85 points or less since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 31-17 ATS (+12.3 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 55-33 ATS (+18.7 Units) in all games this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 45-31 ATS (+10.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 48-33 ATS (+11.7 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 28-15 ATS (+11.5 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 15-7 ATS (+7.3 Units) after a division game this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) after allowing 85 points or less over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 25-15 ATS (+8.5 Units) after a win by 10 points or more this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 29-19 ATS (+8.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 7-7 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 9-5 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Short Sheet

NBA
Short Sheet

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Thursday, May 8th
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Eastern Conference
Second Round
Game Two
Celtics Lead, 1-0
Cleveland at Boston, 7:05 ET

Cleveland:
2-11 ATS off BB ATS wins
24-15 Under off SU loss

Boston:
26-13 ATS off home win
11-2 Under at home after allowing 85 or less

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Western Conference
Second Round
Game Three
Hornets Lead, 2-0
New Orleans at San Antonio, 9:35 ET

New Orleans:
2-17 ATS Away off DD division win
22-9 Over playing with 2 days rest

San Antonio:
26-10 ATS at home off DD loss
63-41 ATS off 3+ ATS losses

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Thursday, May 8

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NBA Games

Lebron was 2-18 in Game 1, with 10 turnovers, and Cavs lost at Boston by only four points; is it good omen for them? They'll need to get lot more out of him, and also from West, a former Boston sub. Celtics turned ball over 23 times in Game 1, got to line eight less time than Cavs, but held Cleveland to 30.7% on its field goal attempts.

Hornets pounded Spurs in pair of games in Big Easy, winning by 19-18 points, outscoring Spurs by total of 116-74 in second half of the two games, both of which San Antonio led at half. Stojakovic picked up scoring from West in Game 2; Hornets hit 14-27 from arc in first two games. Proud champs will defend the home court, but they allowed Hornets to shoot 50-48% in two games, a bad sign if you're looking for a turnaround.

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[pm530]

NBA


Thursday, May 8

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Trend Sheet
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7:00 PM CLEVELAND vs. BOSTON
Cleveland is 6-1-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Boston
Cleveland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 10-1 ATS in its last 11 games at home
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home


9:30 PM NEW ORLEANS vs. SAN ANTONIO
New Orleans is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
New Orleans is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
San Antonio is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans
San Antonio is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games when playing New Orleans

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Tips & Trends

NBA


Thursday, May 8

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Tips and Trends
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We will update when projected scores are available.


Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics [ESPN | 7 PM ET]

Cavs: The bad news from Game 1 is that Cleveland shot less than 31 percent from the field, including a horrid 2-for-18 performance from star LeBron James. The good news is that the Cavs still almost won the game despite the worst shooting game of James' career, as his driving layup with 8.9 seconds left would have tied it. James must find a way to limit his turnovers after he committed 10 in the series opener against the Celtics. “I have to give a lot of credit to their defense,” James said. “They are a very good shrink-the-floor team. I missed a lot of shots that I can usually make.”

Cavs are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
The UNDER is 10-3 in Cleveland's last 13 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Celtics (-9, O/U 177): Boston's strategy of putting the ball in James' hands when heading up the court worked to perfection in Game 1, as he often found himself trying to give up the ball to his teammates. “That’s Rajon (Rondo)’s job every game,” Celtics forward Paul Pierce said. “So I expect us to definitely go ahead and do that against their ballhandlers, because I feel like we have an advantage there." Boston is confident that the Cavs will miss their perimeter shots more often than make them, and that's exactly what happened in Game 1.

Celtics are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 home games.
The UNDER is 7-2 in Boston's last 9 Thursday games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



New Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs [ESPN | 9:30 PM ET]

Hornets: New Orleans has been able to win each of the first 2 games of this series by getting off to great starts after halftime. That could prove to be a challenge on the road without the home crowd support. The Hornets have outscored the Spurs by 30 points so far in the third quarter through the first 2 games. “I told the guys that all we’ve done is we’ve won the 2 games at home like we’re supposed to,” New Orleans head coach Byron Scott said. “The series gets tougher going into San Antonio. We’ve got to be ready to play.”

Hornets are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games.
The OVER is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings at San Antonio.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Spurs (-6.5, O/U 183): It's true that San Antonio has never won a playoff series when down 0-2, so the next 2 games present a big challenge for the defending NBA champs. The Spurs have not lost at home in the postseason since Game 4 of last year's Western Conference semifinals, winning 9 straight there since then. One of the keys will be holding the Hornets under 100 points, as San Antonio is 0-4 against them when they reach the century mark.

Favorite is 9-4 ATS in the last 13 meetings.
Spurs are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 Thursday games.
The OVER is 7-2-1 in San Antonio's last 10 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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[pm530]

National Hockey League – Long Sheet

NHL
Long Sheet


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Thursday, May 8
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DALLAS (53-33-0-8, 114 pts.) at DETROIT (62-23-0-7, 131 pts.) - 5/8/2008, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 55-58 ATS (-32.9 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest since 1996.
DETROIT is 31-9 ATS (+31.0 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
DETROIT is 32-10 ATS (+9.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 21-14 ATS (+37.6 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
DALLAS is 26-13 ATS (+10.1 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
DALLAS is 26-18 ATS (+45.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DALLAS is 18-10 ATS (+28.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 8-4 (+3.2 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 8-4-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
7 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.0 Units)

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[pm530]

National Hockey League - Short Sheet

NHL
Short Sheet

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Thursday, May 8th

Western Conference Playoffs
Finals
Game One
Series Tied, 0-0
Dallas at Detroit, 8:05 ET

Dallas:
4-8 SU against Detroit
9-15 SU at Detroit

Detroit:
16-3 SU off a road win by 2+ goals
46-15 SU off a win or tie



Friday, May 9th

Eastern Conference Playoffs
Finals
Game One
Series Tied, 0-0
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 7:05 ET

Philadelphia:
12-21 SU off a road win by 2+ goals
4-8 SU at Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh:
13-2 SU at home revenging a road loss
28-12 SU as a home favorite of -200 or less

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[pm530]

National Hockey League – Write up

NHL
Write-up


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2008 NHL playoffs

Thursday, May 8

Red Wings won seven of last nine against Dallas, four of last five in this building (4-1/5-3 this season). Under is 6-3-1 in last ten series games. Detroit swept Colorado after beating Preds in six games, while Stars won both their series in six games. Red Wings are 5-0 at home in playoffs, allowing total of eight goals.

Friday, May 9

Penguins are 9-1 in playoffs this season, 5-0 at home, allowing total of nine goals; they were just 3-5 vs Philly this year, with home team winning last five meetings, and 11 of last 13 series games going over total. Flyers whacked Montreal in five, after upsetting Washington in seven; they're 4-3 on playoff road.

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[pm530]

NHL


Thursday, May 8

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Trend Sheet
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MAY 8, 7:35 PM DALLAS vs. DETROIT
Dallas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Dallas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Detroit is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Dallas
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Dallas

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[pm530]

National Hockey League – Notes

NHL


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NHL Notes
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NHL set for conference finals

The Penguins will take on the Flyers in the Eastern Conference final, while the Stars will do battle with the Red Wings in the West. Here's a look at each of those playoff series:

Dallas Stars at Detroit Red Wings (Starts Thursday)

The Stars finished off the Sharks in their second-round series on Sunday night - but the win certainly didn't come easily for them. It took four overtime periods for Dallas to secure the win in that contest, with Brenden Morrow eventually potting the game-winning goal. That gave the Stars a 4-2 series victory, and a date with the Red Wings in the conference final. Antti Miettinen also scored for Dallas on Sunday, while Marty Turco stopped 61 of 62 San Jose shots. Mike Ribeiro leads the Stars in postseason scoring with three goals and 11 assists for 14 points, while Morrow has a team-leading seven goals. Turco is 8-4 so far in the playoffs, with a sizzling 1.73 GAA in those games.

The Red Wings had no trouble getting past the Avalanche in their second-round series, as they swept their longtime playoff rival in four games. Detroit capped off the set with a convincing 8-2 win last Thursday night, with postseason scoring hero Johan Franzen potting three more goals in the contest. Henrik Zetterberg had two goals and two assists in that game, while Chris Osgood stopped 29 of 31 Colorado shots. Franzen now leads the team with 11 goals and 14 points in 10 playoff games, while Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk each have 13 points in the postseason. Osgood has stolen the starting netminding gig from Dominik Hasek, and he is 6-0 with a 1.52 GAA during the playoffs.

Vegas oddsmakers opened the Red Wings at 8/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup this spring, and after dispatching the Avs in four games those odds have been boosted to 4/5. The Stars opened at 18/1 odds to win the Cup, and that line has since gone to 3/1.

Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins (Starts Friday)

The Flyers lost Game 1 of their second-round series with the Canadiens, but they then stormed back with four straight victories to take the best-of-seven set 4-1. Philadelphia finished off Montreal with a 6-4 victory in Game 5 on Saturday night, with Scottie Upshall scoring the game-winning goal late in the third period. R.J. Umberger scored twice for Philly in that contest, while Mike Richards, Scott Hartnell, and Mike Knuble added singles. Martin Biron stopped 31 of 35 Montreal shots on the night. Daniel Briere was held pointless on Saturday, but he leads the team with 14 points in 12 playoff contests. Umberger has a team-high nine goals, and Biron is 8-4 with a GAA of 2.72.

The Penguins finished off the Rangers with a 3-2 overtime victory on Sunday afternoon, with Marian Hossa scoring the series-clinching goal. Hossa actually picked up two goals in that contest, with Evgeni Malkin tallying the other Pittsburgh marker. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 20 of 22 New York shots in the win. The Penguins had won seven straight postseason games before losing Game 4 of their second-round set to the Rangers on Thursday night, but Sunday's win gave them a 4-1 series victory. Malkin and Crosby have each picked up 14 points in nine playoff games for the Penguins, with Malkin scoring a team-high six goals. Fleury is now 8-1 with a 1.76 GAA in the playoffs.

The Flyers were huge 85/1 underdogs to win this year's Stanley Cup on the opening line, but knocking out both the Capitals and the Canadiens has moved those odds to 9/2. The Penguins opened with 14/1 championship odds in Vegas, and are now at 9/5.

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