Friday Trends and Indexes 05/09

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Friday, May 8

Good Luck on day #130 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]

Weekend Sports Preview

The NBA and NBA playoffs continue to highlight the action this weekend, while sports bettors also have plenty of MLB, AFL, NASCAR and Formula 1 excitement to keep them busy.

There’s only one game on the Friday night NBA schedule, as the Lakers travel to Utah for Game 3 of their series. Two games follow on Saturday, including Game 4 between Detroit and Orlando and Game 3 between Boston and Cleveland. There are two more games on Sunday, as New Orleans and San Antonio clash in Game 4, while the Lakers and Utah also meet up in Game 4.

On the ice this weekend the Eastern Conference final gets started on Friday night with Game 1 between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Game 2 of the Western Conference final between Dallas and Detroit follows on Saturday, with the Red Wings leading that series 1-0 after a 4-1 win in Game 1 on Thursday night. The Flyers and Penguins will face off in Game 2 of their series on Sunday.

There are a number of top-notch matchups around Major League Baseball this weekend. Starting in the National League you’ll see Arizona at the Cubs, Cincinnati at the Mets, St. Louis at Milwaukee and Houston at the Dodgers. The rest of the NL weekend schedule includes Philadelphia at San Francisco, Colorado at San Francisco, Florida at Washington and Atlanta at Pittsburgh.

In the American League the top matchups include Toronto at Cleveland, the Yankees at Detroit, the Angels at Tampa Bay and Boston at Minnesota, Also on tap in the AL is the White Sox at Seattle, Baltimore at Kansas City and Oakland at Texas.

The AFL kicks off Week 11 with a tripleheader on Friday night. Those three games include Orlando at Cleveland, New Orleans at Tampa Bay and San Jose at Arizona. Four more games follow on Saturday as Columbus takes on Kansas City, Grand Rapids faces Dallas, Colorado travels to Utah and New York meets up with Los Angeles.

On the track this weekend NASCAR heads to Darlington Raceway on Saturday night for the Dodge Challenger 500. Clint Bowyer won in Richmond last week, while Jeff Gordon is the defending champion of this race after claiming the checkered flag last season.

Formula 1 also returns to the track this weekend at Istanbul Park in the Turkish Grand Prix. The F1 drivers have been off for the last two weeks and last raced in Spain where Kimi Raikkonen took the checkered flag. His Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa won the Turkish Grand Prix last season and he also won it the year before.

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[pm530]

Six-pack for Friday

-- Rays blew 3-0 lead in 9th inning, but hung in there, won 8-3 in 13, as Navarro hit grand slam to break game open.

-- Kudos to 20-14 Florida, which beat Brewers 7-2 Thursday; Marlins are in first place, game ahead of the Phillies.

-- Twins are 17-16, leading AL Central; the 15-21 Tigers, just a depressing team to watch right now, are a mere 3.5 games out of first place.

-- When Carlos Gomez hit for cycle Wednesday, he was first Minnesota Twin to do that since Kirby Puckett in 1986.

-- There was a fracas in Seattle last night, as Richie Sexson charged the mound after Kason Gabbard when he was hit by a pitch, after Felix Hernandez had drilled a pair of Rangers.

-- Not to suggest Mariners are frustrated, but McLaren got tossed in the second inning Wednesday, then they get into this brawl the next night. They need some success soon.

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[pm530]

Friday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but........

13) Lute Olson is going to have whole new coaching staff next winter, as fallout from last winter’s mess at Arizona continues to claim victims. You know its pretty bad when assistants who are alumni jump ship, or are pushed.

12) New UMass coach, former Memphis assistant Kellogg hired former Pepperdine coach Vance Walberg as an assistant, so Minutemen are going to run same offense Memphis runs, with lesser players. It revolves around dribble penetration and kicking to open men for 3-pointers.

11) If this offense were to really catch on around the country, it could revolutionize the way defense is played; right now, if a player gets beat off dribble, a teammate is supposed to sag off his man to help, but if the guy I’m guarding makes 40% of his 3’s, I should never leave him to help defending against a two-point shot. We’ll see if this is how teams wind up defending this offense.

10) Larry Wayne (Chipper) Jones is hitting .419, with 10 HR, 29 RBI and a .471 OB% at age 36.

9) Koby Clemens, son of noted steroid user Debbie Clemens, has switched from 3B to catcher as he tries to climb the ranks in the Astros’ farm system.

8) Shawn Chacon has made seven starts for Houston with a 3.80 RA, averaging over six innings a start, but he still has seven no-decisions to show for his trouble. By the way, Chacon makes me feel old; he was born on my 17th birthday.

7) Friday Night Blight: Reds are 0-5 on Fridays this season, scoring total of seven runs.

6) Victor Zambrano, once traded straight-up for Scott Kazmir, is 0-5, 10.50 with the Rockies’ AAA team in Colorado Springs, as he tries to come back from arm injuries.

5) Chris Lofton played his final season of hoop at Tennessee after having cancer surgery in spring of ’07; he was cut from a team that played internationally in summer of ’07. His family, Bruce Pearl kept the cancer talk quiet. Hard to keep a secret like that these days. Gutty kid.

4) Akron lost nine football scholarships, Washington State and Idaho eight each as Academic Progress Rate stats were announced; with teams having maximum of 85 scholarship players, losing 8 or 9 is a big deal.

3) Think back to the 1983 NFL Draft; Dan Marino goes 27th, the sixth QB taken, Darrell Green goes 28th; two Hall of Famers at the end of the first round. Some fine scouting went on that winter.

2) September 13, Ohio State-USC looms as a very high-profile non-conference football game

1) New York sports talk nitwits continue to speculate that A's will trade Joe Blanton to Bronx, just as they did with Hudson, Mulder, Zito, Haren…….here’s a hint: all four of them wound up in the NL, where they don’t compete against the A’s. Just for the record, Oakland is 4.5 games ahead of the Bronx in the Wild Card chase; obviously its early, but I doubt they’ll be selling their pitchers off if they contend, and right now, they look a lot like contenders.

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[pm530]

Arena Football League – Long Sheet

AFL
Long Sheet


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

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Friday, May 9
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ORLANDO (7 - 3) at CLEVELAND (5 - 4) - 5/9/2008, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 1-0 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 1-0 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW ORLEANS (7 - 3) at TAMPA BAY (3 - 6) - 5/9/2008, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 2-1 against the spread versus NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 2-1 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN JOSE (5 - 5) at ARIZONA (4 - 5) - 5/9/2008, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 5-0 against the spread versus ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 6-0 straight up against ARIZONA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Saturday, May 10
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COLUMBUS (2 - 7) at KANSAS CITY (1 - 8) - 5/10/2008, 6:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 2-0 against the spread versus COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
KANSAS CITY is 2-0 straight up against COLUMBUS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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GRAND RAPIDS (3 - 6) at DALLAS (8 - 1) - 5/10/2008, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 1-0 against the spread versus GRAND RAPIDS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 1-0 straight up against GRAND RAPIDS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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COLORADO (4 - 5) at UTAH (1 - 9) - 5/10/2008, 9:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
UTAH is 2-0 against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 2-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW YORK (5 - 4) at LOS ANGELES (4 - 6) - 5/10/2008, 10:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 1-0 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK is 1-0 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Monday, May 12
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PHILADELPHIA (9 - 1) at GEORGIA (4 - 5) - 5/12/2008, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
GEORGIA is 2-1 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
GEORGIA is 2-1 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[pm530]

Arena Football League – Write up

AFL
Write-up


Week 11 Arena Football analysis....every game discussed......

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Friday, May 9
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Orlando (7-3) @ Cleveland (5-4)—Gladiators took advantage of Philly playing on three days’ rest last week to hand Soul its first loss, 61-49; Cleveland is 3-1 at home, with only loss 69-66 to Colorado. Over is 7-2 in their games this season. Predators won seven of last eight games, losing only to rival Tampa; they won their last three road games, by 3-19-3 points.

New Orleans (7-3) @ Tampa Bay (3-6)—Storm (+8) got drilled 76-55 on Bourbon Street in Week 3, turning ball over eight times, loss that started them on current 1-7 skid, with only win vs. rival Predators. Tampa lost its last three home games, by 1-19-5 points. Three of their four home games went over. Voodoo split last four games after 5-1 start; they’re just 2-3 on foreign soil.

San Jose (5-5) @ Arizona (4-5)—Rattlers (+14) lost 63-43 at San Jose in Week 3, turning ball over six times (-3); they’ve split four home games, losing to LA (65-33), New Orleans (60-36), beating Georgia, New York. Champ SaberCats are 3-3 on road (1-5 vs. spread) winning by 8 at Grand Rapids, 8 at Kansas City, 21 at Utah. Under is 4-1-1 in last six San Jose games.

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Saturday, May 10
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Columbus (2-7) @ Kansas City (1-8)—Brigade went to previously-winless Utah last week and lost 67-50; they’re 1-4 at home (3-1-1 vs spread) losing at home by 2-40-8-7 points. Columbus lost last three games, by 18-21-3 points; they had Dallas 33-20 at the half last week, lost 48-45 despite a +3 turnover ratio, tough loss to overcome. Three of their four road games stayed under total.

Grand Rapids (3-6) @ Dallas (8-1)—Desperadoes struggled since the bye, losing at Philly, then rallying from 33-20 halftime deficit to nip 2-7 Columbus 48-45; they’ve turned ball over seven times in those two games, so that has to stop. Dallas is 4-0 at home, winning by 10-11-7-11 points (2-1-1 vs. spread). Rampage lost four of last five games, getting crushed 63-28 last week in Denver.

Utah (1-9) @ Colorado (4-5)—Utah hasn’t had its bye yet, so they must be little tired, but they did get first win last week, 67-50 vs. 1-8 KC; Blaze is 0-5 on road (2-3 as road dog) losing by 3-8-8-17-14 points. Crush is 3-2 in last five games after 1-4 start; they’re 3-2 on road, winning by 3-13-35 points, 2-3 vs. spread when favored. Over is 5-1-1 in last six Colorado games.

New York (5-4) @ Los Angeles (4-6)—Dragons come off their bye with long trip; Avengers haven’t had their bye yet, are 3-2 at home, with wins by 17-17-7 points. LA is 4-2 vs. spread when favored; five of their last six games went over total. Dragons won, covered last four games, allowing just 41 peg, but three of those four were at home; they’re 1-3 on road, losing by 12-21-29 points. Having Garcia at QB helps a lot.

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Monday, May 12
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Philadelphia (9-1) @ Georgia (4-5)—Soul lost first game last week playing on very short week; now they get 10 days to prepare for Georgia club that won three of last four home games and is 3-2 SU after 1-3 start. Four of last five Force games went over total. Philly has scored 55+ points in every game this season; they are 4-1 on road, winning by 11-37-1-21 points. Last three Force losses are by 5-3-5 points. m

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[pm530]

AFL


Trend Sheet

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Friday, May 9
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7:00 PM ORLANDO vs. CLEVELAND
Orlando is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Orlando is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Cleveland is 5-11-2 ATS in its last 18 games
Cleveland is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games



7:30 PM NEW ORLEANS vs. TAMPA BAY
New Orleans is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
New Orleans is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing New Orleans
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing New Orleans



10:00 PM SAN JOSE vs. ARIZONA
San Jose is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games
San Jose is 5-0-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Jose
Arizona is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Jose

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Saturday, May 10
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6:00 PM COLUMBUS vs. KANSAS CITY
Columbus is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Columbus is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Kansas City is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games
Kansas City is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home



8:00 PM GRAND RAPIDS vs. DALLAS
Grand Rapids is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Grand Rapids's last 5 games
Dallas is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Dallas is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home



9:00 PM COLORADO vs. UTAH
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Colorado is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games
Utah is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games
Utah is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home



10:30 PM NEW YORK vs. LOS ANGELES
New York is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New York
Los Angeles is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York

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Monday, May 12
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8:00 PM PHILADELPHIA vs. GEORGIA
Philadelphia is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Philadelphia is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games
Georgia is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games
Georgia is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games at home

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Friday, May 9

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Hot Pitchers
-- Lilly has 2.84 RA in his last three starts, but Cubs are 0-4 with Lilly if they score less than eight runs.
-- Nationals won four of Redding's last five starts.
-- Colorado won Cook's last six starts (5-0, 2.57). Peavy has 0.87 RA in his four home starts.
-- Dodgers are 3-0 in Lowe home starts (2-0, 1.89).

-- Sabathia has 2.21 RA in his last three starts, but Cleveland is 1-5 in his last six outings. Halladay has 2.25 RA in his last two starts; Jays are 3-0 when they give him four or more runs.
-- Shields is 1-0, 3.00 in his only two home starts this season.
-- Meche has 1.98 RA in his last couple starts.
-- Smith has 2.14 RA in his last three starts.
-- Lester is 1-0, 0.64 in his last couple starts.
-- Contreras is 2-2, 3.21 in his last four starts. Silva is 2-1, 2.57 in three home starts this season.

Cold Pitchers
-- Haren is 0-1, 7.59 in two road starts.
-- Snell is 0-2, 6.05 in his last four starts.
-- Belisle is 1-2, 8.16 in three starts this season. Mets lost last three Pelfrey starts (0-2, 8.22).
-- Braves are 0-3 in Glavine road starts, scoring seven runs.
-- Nolasco is 0-3, 7.08 in his last four starts.
-- Parra is 0-2, 6.85 in his last five starts. Wellemeyer has a 5.21 RA in his three road starts.
-- Hamels is 1-2, 5.06 in his last three starts. Misch allowed four runs in four IP in his first start, at Philadelphia.
-- Moehler has made 186 big league starts; this will be his first since 2006.

-- Rogers has 6.99 RA in seven starts this season. Igawa was 2-3, 6.25 in 12 starts LY, putting 113 baserunners on in 67.2 IP.
-- Garland has 6.69 RA in his last six starts.
-- Trachsel is 0-4, 9.43 in his last five starts.
-- Feldman is 0-2, 5.71 in three starts this season.
-- Bonser is 1-2, 6.26 in his last four starts.

Hot Teams
-- Arizona is 8-3 in its last eleven road games.
-- Braves won their last six games, scoring 33 runs. Pirates won their last four home games.
-- Mets won six of their last eight home games.
-- Marlins won their last four games, allowing seven runs.
-- Cardinals are 8-4 in their last dozen games.
-- Phillies won five of their last seven games.
-- Astros won five of last six games, but are 1-4 in their last five games on foreign soil. Dodgers won five of last six at home.

-- Red Sox won eight of their last ten games.
-- Angels are 9-3 in their last dozen road games. Rays won their last six home games.
-- Twins won six of their last eight games.
-- Oakland won last four games, allowing nine runs. Rangers won seven of their last nine games.

Cold Teams
-- Cubs lost five of their last seven games.
-- Cincinnati lost its last five road games.
-- Washington is 3-12 in its last fifteen road games.
-- Brewers are 3-10 in their last thirteen games, losing last six in a row, outscored 37-16. .
-- Colorado is 5-13 in its last eighteen games. Padres lost 17 of their last 21 games.
-- Giants lost five of their last six games.

-- Bronx is 5-8 in its last thirteen games. Tigers lost six of their last seven games, allowing 47 runs.
-- Indians are 1-5 in last six home series openers. Toronto lost seven of last nine road games.
-- Royals lost ten of their last fourteen home games. Orioles lost five of their last six games.
-- Mariners lost eight of their last nine games. White Sox lost seven of their last nine games.

Totals
-- Under is 3-0-1 in last four Cub games.
-- Eight of last eleven Pirate games went over the total.
-- Over is 5-2-2 in Mets' last nine games.
-- Seven of last nine Florida road games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 8-3 in last eleven games at Miller Park.
-- Last four Colorado road games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 7-3-1 in Phillies' last eleven road games.
-- Five of last seven Houston games went over the total.

-- Under is 6-0-1 in last seven Detroit home games.
-- Last six Cleveland games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Angel road games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Oakland road games.
-- Eight of last ten Royal games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in Boston's last seven road games.
-- White Sox' last eight road games stayed under the total.

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[pm530]

MLB


Friday, May 9

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Trend Sheet
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2:20 PM ARIZONA vs. CHI CUBS
Arizona is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Arizona is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games when playing at home against Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Chi Cubs's last 21 games when playing at home against Arizona


7:05 PM ATLANTA vs. PITTSBURGH
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Pittsburgh's last 11 games when playing at home against Atlanta


7:05 PM NY YANKEES vs. DETROIT
NY Yankees are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of NY Yankees's last 19 games on the road
Detroit is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home


7:05 PM TORONTO vs. CLEVELAND
Toronto is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cleveland's last 8 games at home


7:10 PM CINCINNATI vs. NY METS
Cincinnati is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Cincinnati is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cincinnati


7:10 PM LA ANGELS vs. TAMPA BAY
LA Angels are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels's last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 3-13 SU in their last 16 games when playing LA Angels
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home


7:35 PM FLORIDA vs. WASHINGTON
Florida is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Florida's last 6 games on the road
Washington is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Florida
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Washington's last 23 games when playing at home against Florida


8:05 PM OAKLAND vs. TEXAS
Oakland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oakland's last 6 games
Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Texas's last 15 games when playing at home against Oakland


8:05 PM ST. LOUIS vs. MILWAUKEE
St. Louis is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 8 of St. Louis's last 12 games when playing Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games at home


8:10 PM BALTIMORE vs. KANSAS CITY
Baltimore is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Baltimore is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Kansas City is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Baltimore
Kansas City is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Baltimore


8:10 PM BOSTON vs. MINNESOTA
Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Boston is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Minnesota's last 8 games when playing Boston
Minnesota is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Boston


10:05 PM COLORADO vs. SAN DIEGO
Colorado is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games
Colorado is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing San Diego
San Diego is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Colorado
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Diego's last 13 games when playing at home against Colorado


10:10 PM CHI WHITE SOX vs. SEATTLE
Chi White Sox are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games on the road
Seattle is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi White Sox
Seattle is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox


10:15 PM PHILADELPHIA vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Philadelphia is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games
Philadelphia is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games when playing San Francisco
San Francisco is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games when playing at home against Philadelphia


10:40 PM HOUSTON vs. LA DODGERS
Houston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 7 games on the road
LA Dodgers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Houston
LA Dodgers are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Houston

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


Friday, May 9

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


Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs [WGN | 2:20 PM ET]

Diamondbacks: Dan Haren has been a great addition to the Diamondbacks rotation, going 4-1 with a 3.12 ERA on the year. Control has been the name of the game for Haren, who has only given up 8 walks over 43 1/3 innings. Despite his impressive numbers, 5 of the 7 games Haren has started this year have gone OVER the total.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Cubs (-120): Ted Lilly has struggled overall in 2008, but he's pitched better of late, winning 2 of his last 3 starts, and the loss was a 2-0 defeat to the Nationals. In his last 19 innings pitched, Lilly has given up a total of 6 runs. In his previous 17.5 innings of work, Lilly was blasted for 19 runs. Lilly is 0-2 in his career against Arizona, although he does have a respectable 3.38 ERA.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers [7:05 PM ET]

Yankees: Kei Igawa makes his first start of the season after going 2-3 with a 6.25 ERA in 2007. With Phil Hughes on the DL and Ian Kennedy sent back down to the minors, the Yankees are hoping Igawa can add some much-needed stability to their pitching staff. This will be Igawa's first career appearance against the Tigers.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Tigers (-135, O/U 10): Kenny Rogers hasn't been great this season, but Detroit has won 3 of his last 4 starts. One of those wins came against the Yankees thanks to Rogers allowing only two runs in 6 innings pitched. The problem for Rogers this season has been control. He has the same number of walks (19) as he does strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings of work.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers [8:05 PM ET]

Cardinals: Todd Wellemeyer has been solid for the Cardinals this year. He's 3-1 on the season, and the Red Birds have won 4 of Wellemeyer's 7 starts. Wellemeyer has been much tougher at home, where he's 3-1. He had 3 relief appearances against Milwaukee in 2005, but this will be the first time he's faced the Brew Crew as a starter.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD .

Key Injuries - NONE

Brewers (-125, O/U 9): Big things were expected of Manny Para this season, but so far he's been a disappointment, sporting a record of 1-2 and 5.86 ERA. Para's outings have been short ones. The longest he's lasted is 5 1/3 innings, which is a major reason why 3 of his 6 starts have resulted in no-decisions. Para hasn't won a game since April 5th against the Giants, a 5-4 victory in his first start.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres [10:05 PM ET]

Rockies: Aaron Cook has been the stopper for team this season, but he won't have to end a skid this time around. The Rockies have won his last 6 starts, and he has allowed 3 runs or less each time out to pick up all 5 of his wins during that stretch. Three of those starts have come on the road, and the UNDER has cashed in his last 4 overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Padres (-150, O/U 6.5): San Diego ace Jake Peavy (4-1, 2.22 ERA) is coming off his first win in 4 starts, earning a 7-2 victory at Florida last time out on Saturday. The Padres have lost in his last 2 home starts by identical 2-1 scores. One of those losses was the epic 22-inning battle with Colorado back on April 17th in which he pitched 8 scoreless innings with 3 walks and 11 strikeouts. Peavy is just 4-4 lifetime against the Rockies with a 4.05 ERA in 14 starts.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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[pm530]

MLB


Friday, May 9

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Baseball Today
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SCOREBOARD

Friday, May 9

Los Angeles Angeles at Tampa Bay. Former Angels closer Troy Percival has been a key to the Rays’ fast start,
converting his first seven save opportunities and not allowing a run in his first 11 innings


STARS

Thursday

— Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks, improved to 8-0 with his 13th career complete game in an 8-3 victory over Philadelphia.

— Jermaine Dye, White Sox, homered for the third straight game in a 6-2 win over the Twins.

— Matt Holliday, Rockies, had four singles and scored three times in a 9-3 victory over St. Louis.

— Daniel Cabrera, Orioles, threw a three-hitter to remain perfect in four decisions against Kansas City with a 4-1 victory.

— Dioner Navarro, Rays, hit a grand slam in the 13th to help Tampa Bay beat Toronto 8-3.

— Matt Treanor, Marlins, hit a three-run homer to give himself a career-high in RBIs with one swing and help Florida beat Milwaukee 7-2.

ROLLING

Brandon Webb became the first pitcher to win his first eight starts since Jon Garland of the White Sox in 2005 and the first in the NL since Pedro Martinez for Montreal in 1997. He tossed his 13th career complete game in Arizona’s 8-3 victory over Philadelphia.

IMPERFECT

The Blue Jays rallied for three runs in the ninth inning against Rays closer Troy Percival, who came into the game without allowing a run and perfect in seven save opportunities. Despite Percival’s first blown save, Tampa Bay beat the Blue Jays 8-3 in 13 innings.

ONE-RUN RELIEF

The Braves finally won a one-run game when Matt Diaz hit a bases-loaded single in the ninth inning to beat San Diego 5-4 and extend Atlanta’s winning streak to six. Atlanta was the first team since the 2000 Houston Astros to lose its first nine one-run games. The Braves were the only team in the major leagues without a one-run victory.

SUPER SUBS

Reserve outfielders Willie Harris and Rob Mackowiak started and homered to help the Nationals beat Houston 8-3.

OWNING KC

Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera improved to 4-0 against Kansas City, tossing a three-hitter with seven strikeouts in a 4-1 victory. Cabrera’s lifetime ERA is 4.89, but against the Royals, it’s 2.25.

BIG SERIES

Ryan Ludwick hit two solo home runs in St. Louis’ 9-3 loss to Colorado. He went 9-for-13 in the four-game series with three doubles, three home runs and six RBIs. Ludwick entered Coors Field with a .308 average and departed at .363.

MILESTONE

Josh Beckett recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in Boston’s 5-1 victory over Detroit.

GOING YARD

Kevin Youkilis hit his third homer in two days at Detroit as the Red Sox beat the Tigers 5-1. Youkilis finished with four homers in the series and now has eight at Comerica Park. He has no more than two at any other road venue.

ROUGH STUFF

Richie Sexson charged the mound and flung his helmet at Rangers pitcher Kason Gabbard after the left-hander threw a pitch eye-high to the Mariners’ first baseman in the fourth inning. Both benches cleared, but no punches were thrown. Sexson was ejected.

STREAKS

The Brewers lost their season-high sixth straight game, 7-2 to the Marlins. … The Nationals beat the Astros 8-3 to snap Houston’s five-game winning streak. … The Braves extended their winning streak to a season-high six straight with a 5-4 victory over San Diego.

SPEAKING

“Amen! Hallelujah!”—Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones, after the Braves beat San Diego 5-4 for their first one-run victory of the season. Atlanta was the first team since the 2000 Houston Astros to lose its first nine one-run games.


SEASONS

May 9

1901—Earl Moore of the Cleveland Indians pitched nine hitless innings against the Chicago White Sox before giving up two hits in the 10th to lose 4-2.

1937—Ernie Lombardi of the Cincinnati Reds went 6-for-6 in a 21-10 rout of the Phillies in Philadelphia.

1961—Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles hit consecutive grand slams in the first and second innings of a 13-5 rout of Minnesota.

1973—Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds hit three home runs off Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton for the second time in his career, in a 9-7 victory. Bench drove in seven runs.

1984—The Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers battled for 8 hours and 6 minutes in the longest game ever. After playing 17 innings the previous day, the teams met again before a regularly scheduled game, making the total 34 innings for two days. Harold Baines homered off Chuck Porter with one out in the bottom of the 25th for a 7-6 victory. Tom Seaver won both games for the White Sox.

1987—Baltimore’s Eddie Murray became the first major leaguer to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in consecutive games as the Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox 15-6 at Comiskey Park.

1999—Marshall McDougall hit six consecutive homers and knocked in 16 runs — both NCAA records—in Florida State’s 26-2 rout of Maryland. The second baseman opened with an RBI single, then hit six straight homers. After his base hit, McDougall had a solo homer in the second inning, a three-run shot in the fourth, a solo homer in the sixth, a three-run shot in the seventh, a grand slam in the eighth and a three-run shot in the ninth.

2006—Tampa Bay prospect Delmon Young was suspended for 50 games without pay by the International League for throwing a bat that hit a replacement umpire in the chest. IL president Randy Mobley said he believed the suspension was the longest in the league’s 123-year history. The suspension is retroactive to April 27, the day after Young tossed his bat in a Triple-A game while playing for Durham.

Today’s birthdays: Prince Fielder 24; Brandon Webb 29; Aaron Harang 30; Tony Gwynn 48.

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Short Sheet

NBA
Short Sheet

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Friday, May 9
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Western Conference
Second Round
Game Three
Lakers Lead, 2-0
LA Lakers at Utah, 9:05 ET

LA Lakers:
15-1 ATS Away if total is 210 or higher
13-5 ATS as road underdog

Utah:
1-5 ATS vs. Lakers
25-15 Under off ATS loss

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Friday, May 9

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NBA Games

Lakers shot 73-89 from foul line in first two series games, while Jazz was 35-46; will things be different in Salt Lake City, where Jazz won two of three against Houston in first round? Jazz had 41 offensive rebounds in first two games- they shot just 37.9% from floor in Game 1, then 44.6% in Game 2, but they lost game because Lakers shot 57.4% from floor in Game 2. Lamar Odom had 19 points, 16 rebounds in Game 2, damn good role player.

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[pm530]

NBA


Friday, May 9

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Trend Sheet
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9:00 PM LA LAKERS vs. UTAH
LA Lakers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games
LA Lakers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games
Utah is 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games when playing LA Lakers
Utah is 1-7 SU in their last 8 games when playing LA Lakers

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Tips & Trends

NBA


Friday, May 9

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


Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz [ESPN | 9 PM ET]

Lakers: LA remains the only team not to lose a game in the playoffs, going a perfect 6-0 SU & ATS. The Lakers ended Utah's 19-game franchise-record-tying home winning streak earlier this season, and they were tied for the second-best road record during the regular season with Orlando at 27-14. “We’ve got to control the pace,” LA star Kobe Bryant said. “We are a pretty good road team; noise doesn’t seem to bother us too much. We just look at it for what it is, which is noise. We do a good job of focusing on the game and executing and we are really looking forward to it.”

Lakers are 8-0 SU & ATS in their last 8 games overall.
The OVER is 10-3 in LA's last 13 Friday games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Jazz (-4, O/U 215.5): Unlike Denver, Utah beat LA once during the regular season at home back on November 30th. The Jazz won in 120-96 rout behind 35 points from point guard Deron Williams, who started to heat up in the second half of Game 2. Williams scored 22 of his 25 points after halftime and needs to do a better job taking advantage of a key mismatch against former Utah guard Derek Fisher. The Jazz faithful will likely give Fisher a hard time again after he departed for the Lakers following last season. However, Fisher knows Williams well as a former teammate, which has helped him collect 9 steals in the first 2 games. “When he (Deron Williams) fakes, I don’t go for it because I don’t react that fast, so I end up still in front of him,” Fisher said.

Jazz are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite.
The OVER is 21-7 in Utah's last 28 games vs. Pacific Division.
The OVER is 8-3 in Utah's last 11 games as a favorite.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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