Wednesday Trends and Indexes 05/14

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Wednesday, May 14

Good Luck on day #135 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 Wednesday

-- It is May 14, and the Tampa Rays are in first place.

-- Home teams are now something like 17-1 in this round of the NBA playoffs. Celtics are 6-0 at home, 0-5 on road.

-- Mets made three roster moves Tuesday; apparently a 10-4 loss to Nationals Monday didn't sit too well in Flushing.

-- There are 12 football teams in SEC; with two coordinators each; of the 24 this season, 13 will be new hires. Wow.

-- Barry Bonds was indicted by a grand jury on 14 counts of lying, which sounds pretty serious. Next time you want to make fun of Mark McGwire for what he did before Congress, remember that he ain't getting indicted anytime soon.

-- Is there a good time to start panicking?

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Wednesday's List of 13: Running the bases in the AL.........

With baseball season roughly 25% over, we're giving quarterly grades to each major league team this week. Today, the AL......

Orioles-- 11-6 at home, 20-19 overall; much improved team, as nice nucleus is taking shape. Will be interesting to see if they go hard after Teixeira (Maryland native) this winter. Grade: B

Red Sox-- Ortiz is coming around, their main competition seems to be Tampa Bay, which is surreal. Terrific thing about Boston is how young guys like Pedroia, Ellsbury are playing. Grade: B

White Sox-- Starting pitchers have lot of miles on them; so the emergence of Danks, Floyd is huge. Swisher ain't hitting yet, but Quentin has been leading NL in on-base %age. Grade: C-

Indians-- No one in AL Central is doing much, so Tribe can be contender if they straighten out the bullpen. Allowed total of four runs in their last five games. Grade: B-

Detroit-- Wallowing at 16-23 with $138M payroll and problems at every turn; still, they're only 4.5 games out of first. Just 8-12 at home; no answers down on the farm. Grade: F

Kansas City-- New regime has things pointed upward; stadium is being redone, pitching isn't so bad, they have some young guys who are a cause for optimism. Grade: B

LA Angels-- They get Lackey back tonight; Escobar is out for year; middle relief has been no relief at all. Figgins, Kendrick are hurt- their AAA team was 20-2 at one point. Grade: B+

Minnesota-- Livan Hernandez has been huge help, since they have gotten zero out of Liriano; hanging in race, despite giving away Hunter and Santana. Grade: B

Bronx-- Over half their roster makes less than $600,000 a year, very weird payroll they have, way too top heavy, especially in a year where ARod, Posada are both hurt. Grade: D-

Oakland-- As long as the starting pitching holds out, they'll be in most every game; timely hitting carried them this far, but not a team with lot of speed or power. So far, so good. Grade: A

Seattle-- Tremendous disappointment; they spent lot of cash on Bedard, who seems to be damaged goods. You watch them on dish, and their frustration is very obvious. Grade: F

Tampa Bay-- Everything they've done has been magical; they won last six games, have won 11 in row at home, are getting a superior performance from bullpen and clutch hits. Grade: A+

Texas-- Pitching has been lot better last 10 days or so, but the Millwood injury is a problem. Not sure how much they hope to get out of Sidney Ponson. Grade: C+

Toronto-- Dumped Thomas, Johnson, both of whom hook up with first-place teams; Vernon Wells broke his thumb, as the cloud over this team gets darker and darker. Grade: F

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Wednesday, May 14

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Hot Pitchers
-- Redding is 2-0, 2.77 in two road starts.
-- Lilly is 3-1, 2.36 in his last four starts.
-- Moehler won his first '08 start, shutting LA out in five IP. .

-- Feldman has 2.19 RA in his last two starts.
-- Sabathia has 1.98 RA in his last four starts.
-- Cabrera is 3-1, 2.28 in his last six starts. Lester is 1-0, 2.79 in his last three starts.
-- Shields threw complete game shutouts in his last two home starts. Mussina is 4-0, 3.13 in his last four starts.
-- Twins are 4-1 with Bonser when they score 2+ runs.
-- Contreras is 2-1, 2.49 in his last three starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Braves are 0-4 in Glavine road starts, scoring ten runs. Myers is 0-2, 7.13 in his last four starts.
-- Nolasco is 1-3, 5.81 in his last five starts. Arroyo is 0-3, 10.80 in his last three starts.
-- Vargas is making first '08 start; he is 43-38, 4.95 in 110 starts in big leagues-- he was 11-6, 5.06 for Brewers last season.
-- Lowe is 0-2, 9.98 in his last three starts. Parra is 0-2, 6.59 in his last six starts.
-- Peavy is 1-2, 4.01 in his last four starts.
-- Maholm is 0-3, 10.80 in three road starts; home team is 7-0 in his starts this season. Cardinals lost three of last four starts by Wellemeyer. .
-- Owings is 0-1, 7.94 in his last three starts. de la Rosa has 10.24 RA in two starts.
-- Misch is 0-0, 7.20 in two starts this season.

-- Silva is 0-2, 10.80 in his last couple starts.
-- A's are 1-6 with Blanton if they score less than six runs.
-- Verlander is 0-3, 7.23 in his last three starts. Hochevar is 2-2, 4.94 in four starts this season.
-- Halladay is 1-4, 3.92 in his last five starts.
-- Lackey is making first start of season after being hurt.


Hot Teams
-- Phillies won six of their last eight home games.
-- Cubs are 14-4 in their last eighteen home games.
-- Reds won four of their last five home games.
-- Pirates won eight of their last nine games
-- Mets won nine of their last thirteen home games.
-- Marlins won seven of their last nine games, lost last two.
-- Astros won nine of last eleven games.

-- Orioles won four of their last five games.
-- Indians won five of their last six games.
-- Tampa won its last 11 home games, six in row overall, allowed seven runs in its last five games.
-- Rangers won eleven of their last fourteen games.
-- Twins won ten of last twelve home games.
-- Angels won six of their last eight home games.

Cold Teams
-- Braves lost eight of their last nine road games.
-- Nationals lost six of their last eight games.
-- Brewers are 6-12 in their last eighteen games. Dodgers lost their last five games, outscored 37-10.
-- Cardinals lost six of their last seven games.
-- Padres lost 19 of their last 26 games.
-- Arizona is 5-8 in its last 13 games. Rockies lost nine of their last eleven road games.
-- Giants are 4-7 in their last eleven games.

-- Red Sox lost four of their last five games.
-- Bronx is 6-11 in its last seventeen games.
-- Tigers lost eight of their last ten games. Royals are 6-12 in their last 18 home games.
-- Mariners lost twelve of their last fourteen games.
-- Toronto lost ten of last fourteen road games.
-- White Sox lost nine of their last eleven road games.


Totals
-- Under is 8-1-2 in last eleven Atlanta road games.
-- Over is 9-3-2 in Mets' last fourteen games.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in Florida's last five road games.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Cub games.
-- Under is 12-4 in last sixteen games at Miller Park.
-- Over is 12-3 in last fifteen Pittsburgh road games.
-- Seven of last eight Colorado road games stayed under total.
-- Under is 8-3-1 in last twelve Houston road games.

-- Five of last seven Oriole home games stayed under the total.
-- Ten of last eleven Cleveland games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Bronx road games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 10-3 in last thirteen Texas home games.
-- Under is 7-3 in last ten Kansas City home games.
-- Over is 3-1 in Bonser's last four home starts.
-- Nine of last 12 White Sox' road games stayed under total.


Umpires
-- Atl-Phil-- Favorite won six of last seven Marquez games; last three games went over the total.
-- Fla-Cin-- Favorite won last six Vanover games.
-- Wsh-NY-- Favorite won last three Demuth games.
-- LA-Mil-- Under is 5-2-1 in Hoye games this season.
-- SD-Chi-- Under is 7-2 in last nine Wendelstedt games.
-- Pitt-StL-- Last five Cooper games stayed under the total.
-- Colo-Az-- Four of last five Johnson games stayed under.
-- Hst-SF-- Underdog is 5-2 in last seven Davis games.

-- Sea-Tex-- Under is 6-4 in last ten Timmons games.
-- Bos-Balt-- Eight of nine Bell games stayed under the total.
-- A's-Clev-- Three of last four Marsh games went over total.
-- NY-TB-- Home side won six of last seven Drake games, with last three staying under the total.
-- Det-KC-- Underdog is 5-1 in last six Montague games.
-- Tor-Min-- Four of last five Runge games went over total.
-- Chi-LAA-- Underdog won five of last six TWelke games.

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[pm530]

MLB


Wednesday, May 14

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Trend Sheet
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2:05 PM SEATTLE vs. TEXAS
Seattle is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Seattle is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Texas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas's last 5 games when playing at home against Seattle


3:05 PM BOSTON vs. BALTIMORE
Boston is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Baltimore
Baltimore is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Baltimore's last 7 games at home


7:05 PM ATLANTA vs. PHILADELPHIA
Atlanta is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing Philadelphia
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home


7:05 PM OAKLAND vs. CLEVELAND
Oakland is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oakland's last 6 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Cleveland's last 11 games


7:10 PM FLORIDA vs. CINCINNATI
Florida is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
Florida is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Florida
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games when playing at home against Florida


7:10 PM NY YANKEES vs. TAMPA BAY
NY Yankees are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of NY Yankees's last 7 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Yankees


7:10 PM WASHINGTON vs. NY METS
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing NY Mets
NY Mets are 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of NY Mets's last 7 games


8:05 PM LA DODGERS vs. MILWAUKEE
LA Dodgers are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Milwaukee's last 9 games at home


8:05 PM SAN DIEGO vs. CHI CUBS
San Diego is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Diego's last 8 games
Chi Cubs are 5-13 SU in their last 18 games when playing at home against San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games when playing at home against San Diego


8:10 PM DETROIT vs. KANSAS CITY
Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Detroit's last 11 games when playing Kansas City
Kansas City is 4-15 SU in its last 19 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit


8:10 PM TORONTO vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Toronto's last 14 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Toronto
Minnesota is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games at home


8:15 PM PITTSBURGH vs. ST. LOUIS
Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of St. Louis's last 15 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh


9:40 PM COLORADO vs. ARIZONA
Colorado is 6-16 SU in its last 22 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado
Arizona is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Colorado


10:05 PM CHI WHITE SOX vs. LA ANGELS
Chi White Sox are 10-4 SU in their last 14 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi White Sox's last 8 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of LA Angels's last 15 games when playing Chi White Sox
LA Angels are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games at home


10:15 PM HOUSTON vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Francisco
San Francisco is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


Wednesday, May 14


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


Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies [ESPN | 7:05 PM ET]

Braves: Atlanta can't be thrilled to see Tom Glavine take the mound. The Braves have lost five of Glavine's six starts on the season, while Glavine himself is 0-1 with five no-decisions. Despite the Braves lack of success when Glavine takes the hill, he's only given up more than two runs on one occasion this year. The veteran has seen a lot of the Phillies over his career, going 28-17 with a 3.68 ERA in 64 starts.

Braves are 5-17 in their last 22 road games.
The UNDER is 17-5 in Atlanta's last 22 games as an underdog.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Phillies (-145, O/U 10): Brett Myers has been inconsistent in 2008 but he has fared much better at home. In four starts at Citizens Bank Park, Myers is 2-0 with a respectable 3.00 ERA. Myers has been a horse for the Phillies, pitching into the fifth inning in every start this season. However, he's been susceptible to the long ball, giving up 12 home runs in 49.0 innings pitched. Myers has 17 career starts versus the Braves, compiling a 4-6 record, although Atlanta hitters are only batting .210 against him.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays [7:10 PM ET]

Yankees: Mike Mussina is one of the hottest pitchers in baseball right now. Moose has won his last four decisions, allowing just eight runs over 23.0 innings. In his four-game winning streak, Mussina only walked two batters, while striking out 13. Mussina has displayed tremendous control all year, walking a total of just five batters in 2008. Moose has dominated the Rays, going 17-5 with a 3.44 ERA in 30 career starts.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Rays (-140, O/U 8.5): James Shields has been a beast over the last month, going 3-1, with two of those wins being complete game shutouts against the Red Sox and Angels. Shields mixed in a poor outing versus Boston in between his two gems, but he's pitching as well as he has at any point in his career right now. Shields must be cringing at the thought of facing the Yankees. He's 0-5 in his career against the Bombers with a robust 7.83 ERA.

Rays are 12-1 in their last 13 home games.
The UNDER is 9-1 in Tampa Bay's last 10 home games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs [8:05 PM ET]

Padres: Padres ace Jake Peavy takes the mound along with his 4-2 record and 2.47 ERA. Peavy has been tough in all of his outings this year, giving up more than three runs just once in eight starts. Peavy is 2-0 on the road this season but he's a bit more hittable away from home. His ERA jumps to 4.58 and teams are hitting .302 against Peavy in three road starts. Peavy has been a headache for the Cubs, sporting a 2-0 record and 2.10 ERA in five career starts.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Cubs (-115): After a horrendous start to the season, Ted Lilly has righted the ship recently. He's 3-1 in his last four starts, after going 0-3 in his first four appearances. In Lilly's last 26.0 innings, Lilly he's only given up seven runs, while recording 25 strikeouts. Lilly is money versus San Diego over his career, going 3-0 with a 2.19 ERA and 0.93 WHIP.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks [9:40 PM ET]

Rockies: After getting blasted in his first start of the season, Jorge De La Rosa bounced back with a strong outing against the Cardinals. De La Rosa got the win over St. Louis after allowing just two runs in 5.2 innings of work. In De La Rosa's two starts this year, teams are averaging a combined 15 runs per game, with each contest easily going over the total.

Rockies are 2-9 in their last 11 road games.
Rockies are 2-8 in their last 10 games as an underdog.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Diamondbacks (-155, O/U 10): The emergence Micah Owings has given Arizona arguably the top pitching staff in MLB. However, despite his 4-1 record, Owings hasn't pitched well of late. The Diamondbacks have lost the last three games Owings has started after he's given up 15 runs in 17.2 innings of work. By comparison, in Owings first 26.0 innings pitched this season, he only gave up seven runs.

Diamondbacks are 26-11 in their last 37 home games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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[pm530]

MLB


Wednesday, May 14

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Baseball Today
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SCOREBOARD

Wednesday, May 14

Atlanta at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m.) Tom Glavine of the Braves and Brett Myers of the Phillies hook up as the NL East rivals meet in the second of a three-game series. Glavine (0-1, 4.03 ERA) is winless in six starts this year and Myers (2-3, 5.33 ERA) allowed six earned runs and nine hits over five innings in an 8-3 loss at Arizona on Thursday.

STARS

Tuesday

— Matt Cain, Giants, hit a solo home run and earned his first victory in three starts to lead San Francisco past Houston 4-2.

— Jered Weaver, Angels, allowed one hit over seven innings and combined with two relievers to three-hit Chicago in a 2-0 win.

— Ramon Vazquez, Rangers, hurt the Seattle Mariners for the second straight night driving in the go-ahead run in a 5-2 win. Vazquez went deep in the 10th inning Monday night to give the Rangers a 13-12 victory over the Mariners in the opener of the three-game series.

— Ryan Church, Mets, homered, doubled and drove in four runs against his former team as New York beat Washington 6-3.

— Matt Stairs, Blue Jays, homered and scored twice for Toronto’s struggling offense in a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

IT’S BEEN A WHILE

Shawn Estes pitched 5 1-3 innings for his 100th career victory—and first since 2005—and San Diego’s bullpen secured the 4-3 win at Chicago with 3 2-3 innings of hitless relief. Estes only made one start in 2006 for the Padres and missed the 2007 season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

THROWING ZEROS

Cleveland starting pitchers continue to rack up scoreless innings. Paul Byrd threw 7 1-3 shutout innings in the Indians’ 4-0 win over Oakland. The right-hander extended the Indians’ scoreless streak to 34 innings by their starting staff. The last run allowed by a Cleveland starter came Friday night in the fifth inning against Toronto by C.C. Sabathia—the only run yielded by an Indians starter in the last 39 innings.

CLOSING TIME, AGAIN

Two days after being yanked from the closer’s role, Eric Gagne pitched a scoreless ninth inning to save the Milwaukee Brewers’ 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night. Milwaukee’s closer situation has been up in the air since Saturday, when Gagne said after another rough outing that he didn’t deserve to pitch the ninth anymore. He changed his mind before Monday’s game, saying he wanted another shot at closing.

SLUMP BUSTER

Luke Scott was mired in a 7-for-55 skid before getting three hits with a homer against Josh Beckett in Baltimore’s 5-4 win over the Red Sox. It was Scott’s second home run; the other came April 8. He finished 3-for-4, his first three-hit game since April 6.

KING ALBERT

Albert Pujols homered and walked twice in St. Louis’ 8-4 loss to Pittsburgh in 10 innings, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. He has also reached base in all 40 games, the majors’ longest streak at the start of the season since Derek Jeter’s 53-game run in 1999 for the Yankees.

TOUGH BREAK

Jeff Keppinger’s broken left kneecap took all the luster away from the Cincinnati Reds’ second straight win over a first-place team. Keppinger, the team’s leading hitter, fouled a pitch off his leg in the second inning of the Reds’ 5-3 win over Florida and X-rays revealed the injury. The shortstop drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0 and played defense in the third and fourth innings before departing. He was scheduled to have an MRI on Wednesday.

QUICK STRIKES

Alfonso Soriano hit his 45th leadoff homer in Chicago’s 4-3 loss to San Diego, passing Brady Anderson for third-most in major league history.

MILESTONE WIN

Randy Johnson went five shaky innings for his 287th career victory, tying Bert Blyleven for 26th place on the all-time list, as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Colorado 8-4. The Big Unit (3-1) gave up four runs and nine hits, striking out four and walking none.

BREAKING THROUGH

Brad Lidge earned his 10th save in Philadelphia’s 5-4 win over Atlanta, but he allowed his first earned run of the season. He hadn’t given up an earned run in 17 2-3 innings before Brian McCann hit an RBI double with two outs in the ninth.

STATS

The Red Sox are 1-8 on the road against AL East foes. … The Jays scored just four runs in the four-game series against the Indians and became the first team in nearly 20 years not to score a run in the first nine innings of both games of a doubleheader. … Texas’ Eddie Guardado pitched the ninth for his first save since Aug. 12, 2006, for the Cincinnati Reds. … Mark Grudzielanek went 3-for-3 off Detroit starter Nate Robertson and is 8-for-9 in his career against the pitcher. … Yankees closer Mariano Rivera allowed his first run of the season in New York’s 2-1 11 innings loss to Tampa Bay. … The White Sox, who lead the AL with 45 home runs, are 0-10 when they don’t hit one.

STREAKING

Jose Guillen was booed after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts to drop his average to .165 on May 5. Guillen has put together a five-game hitting streak since, going 10-for-18, with five doubles, to raise his average to .216.

SPEAKING

“The way it’s been going, you never know. Maybe a bird was going to fly out or something.”—Milwaukee’s Eric Gagne’s after shortstop J.J. Hardy caught Juan Pierre’s popup to secure the Brewers’ 5-3 win over Los Angeles and the closer’s 10th save in 15 tries. Gagne had been removed as the closer before Sunday’s game, but was back in the role two days later.

SEASONS

May 14

1913—Washington’s Walter Johnson gave up a run in the fourth inning against the St. Louis Browns to end his streak of 56 scoreless innings. The Senators won 10-5.

1914—Jim Scott of the Chicago White Sox pitched nine innings of no-hit ball against the Washington Senators, but lost 1-0 after giving up two hits in the 10th inning.

1920—Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators recorded his 300th victory with a 9-8 win over the Detroit Tigers.

1927—Chicago pitcher Guy Bush went the distance for the Cubs in a 7-2 18-inning win over Boston. Charlie Robertson of the Braves almost matched the feat, leaving with one out in the 18th.

1950—Pittsburgh first baseman Johnny Hopp hit two home runs and four singles in six at-bats, leading the Pirates to a 16-9 victory over the Cubs in the second game of a doubleheader at Chicago.

1965—Carl Yastrzemski of Boston hit for the cycle and added another home run for five RBIs in a 12-8 10-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers.

1967—Mickey Mantle’s 500th home run, off Stu Miller, lifted the New York Yankees to a 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

1972—In his first game with the New York Mets, Willie Mays hit a fifth inning home run off Don Carrithers for the difference in a 5-4 triumph over the San Francisco Giants.

1977—Jim Colborn of the Kansas City Royals no-hit the Texas Rangers for a 6-0 victory.

1988—Jose Oquendo became the first non-pitcher in 20 seasons to get a decision, taking the loss in the 19th inning when Ken Griffey’s two-out, two-run double led the Atlanta Braves over the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5.

1989—Benny Distefano became the first left-handed catcher in a major league game in nine years when he caught the ninth inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 5-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Mike Squires caught two games with the Chicago White Sox in 1980 and Dale Long caught two games for the Chicago Cubs in 1958.

1993—Jay Gainer of the Colorado Rockies hit a home run on the first major league pitch he saw. The first baseman became the fifth National Leaguer and 12th major leaguer to accomplish this feat. The Cincinnati Reds beat the Rockies 13-5.

1996—Dwight Gooden pitched a no-hitter as the New York Yankees beat the Seattle Mariners 2-0. Gooden struck out five and walked six.

Today’s birthdays: Roy Halladay 31; Tony Perez 66.

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Long Sheet

NBA
Long Sheet


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Wednesday, May 14
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Note: When the long sheet is updated, we will re-post.


CLEVELAND (51 - 41) at BOSTON (72 - 21) - 5/14/2008, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 10-4 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 10-5 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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UTAH (60 - 32) at LA LAKERS (63 - 27) - 5/14/2008, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
UTAH is 30-49 ATS (-23.9 Units) as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9 points since 1996.
UTAH is 41-54 ATS (-18.4 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
UTAH is 7-16 ATS (-10.6 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
LA LAKERS are 53-35 ATS (+14.5 Units) in all games this season.
LA LAKERS are 28-13 ATS (+13.7 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 this season.
LA LAKERS are 38-28 ATS (+7.2 Units) as a favorite this season.
LA LAKERS are 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) against Northwest division opponents this season.
LA LAKERS are 34-11 ATS (+21.9 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
LA LAKERS are 21-4 ATS (+16.6 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
UTAH is 49-41 ATS (+3.9 Units) in all games this season.
UTAH is 30-16 ATS (+12.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
UTAH is 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
UTAH is 25-14 ATS (+9.6 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
UTAH is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 8-5 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 9-6 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Short Sheet

NBA
Short Sheet

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Wednesday, May 14th
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Eastern Conference
Second Round
Game Five
Series Tied, 2-2
Cleveland at Boston, 8:05 ET

Cleveland:
5-17 ATS Away off DD win
2-12 ATS off BB ATS wins

Boston:
15-5 ATS playing with double revenge
15-4 ATS after scoring 80 points or less

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Western Conference
Second Round
Game Five
Series Tied, 2-2
LA Lakers at Utah, 10:35 ET

Utah:
30-49 ATS as a road underdog of 6.5 to 9
16-29 ATS AWAY off a home win

LA Lakers:
17-8 ATS against Northwest division
24-13 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Wednesday, May 14

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NBA Games

Home team is 17-1 in this round of playoffs; Celtics are 6-0 at home, 0-5 on road, so they're glad to be back in Beantown, as their six playoff wins are by 23-19-25-34-4-16 points. Lebron is still in shooting slump, but Cavs held Boston to 11 points in 4th quarter Monday to square series. In their four losses this spring, Cavaliers scored 72-87-72-73 points- in their six playoff wins, they scored an average of 101.7 ppg.

After taking 46-43-37 foul shots in first three series games, the Lakers were just 14-25 at charity stripe in Game 4, while Utah was 37-45 (took 30-16-28 in first three games). Kobe's back is a big issue here-- Lakers are 1-5 in their playoff history when he has taken 33+ shots. Back at Staples, LA will get more calls; it also needs contributions from role players, less ball-hogging from Bryant.

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[pm530]

NBA


Wednesday, May 14

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Trend Sheet
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8:00 PM CLEVELAND vs. BOSTON
Cleveland is 6-2-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Boston
Cleveland is 8-14-1 ATS in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland
Boston is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing Cleveland


10:30 PM UTAH vs. LA LAKERS
Utah is 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games when playing LA Lakers
Utah is 3-7 SU in their last 10 games when playing LA Lakers
LA Lakers are 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 games
LA Lakers are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Tips & Trends

NBA


Wednesday, May 14

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


Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics [TNT | 8 PM ET]

Cavs: LeBron James went off against the Pistons in Game 5 of last year's Eastern Conference Finals, knowing a win would give Cleveland the opportunity to clinch the series back home in Game 6. That's the identical situation here, and Boston head coach Doc Rivers believes the criticism of James' play so far in this series is not deserved. “You think LeBron is struggling?” Rivers said. “We don’t think he’s struggling. He’s still making a lot of plays. We are forcing him to take tough shots. Other than Game 1, I think he’s having a terrific series.”

Cavs are 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
Underdog is 7-3-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
The UNDER is 7-1 in Cleveland's last 8 games vs. Atlantic Division.
The UNDER is 7-2 in Cleveland's last 9 games as an underdog.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Celtics (-8.5, O/U 176.5): Boston's frustrations on the road could eventually catch up to them at home, where the team has been absolutely dominant in the playoffs outside of Game 1 of this series. Ironically, that was also the worst game for James, who made just 2-of-18 shots from the field. “We’re disappointed right now, but that’s to be expected," Celtics forward Paul Pierce said. "That’s what the playoffs are all about.” Insiders believe this kind of attitude could hurt them despite beating opponents by more than 20 points per game in the playoffs so far.

Celtics are 11-1 ATS in their last 12 home games.
Celtics are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 Wednesday games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers [TNT | 10:30 PM ET]

Jazz: Utah's overtime victory in Game 4 seems to have given this team new life, and the players know they can't fall behind big early in Game 5. Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan also acknowledged that they will be very cautious in dealing with LA's Kobe Bryant and his back injury. "You should sit there and have to worry about that," Sloan said. "That’s not a pleasant feeling." Insiders believe Sloan will not be fooled by Bryant "playing injured" and knows to take him seriously as long as he's on the court after dealing with Michael Jordan in the past.

The OVER is 22-8 in Utah's last 30 games vs. Pacific Division.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Lakers (-8.5, O/U 213.5): LA did not pass the ball nearly as well on the road in Games 3 & 4, and it resulted in 2 losses. The Jazz had 53 assists to 34 for the Lakers in those games, and Bryant's ability to dish the ball to open teammates could be the difference in Game 5. A back injury has limited Bryant's scoring - he scored a series-low 33 points in Game 4 - but he still was able to tally 10 assists. If his back continues to bother him, he will need to trust his teammates to hit open shots, which should be much easier on their home court.

Lakers are 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Lakers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a favorite.

Key Injuries - G Kobe Bryant (28.3 ppg; back spasms) is expected to play.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Gameday

NBA
Gameday


Wednesday, May 14

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Gameday
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Wednesday NBA Playoff Gameday

Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz will be looking to pick up another victory when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. Here is your playoff gameday …

Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics, 8:00pm ET

The Cavaliers dropped the first two games of this second-round set in Boston, but they've since roared back with two straight victories in their own building to tie up the seven-game series. Cleveland pulled out an 88-77 win over the Celtics in Game 4 on Monday night, with LeBron James pouring in a team-high 21 points in the victory (to go along with six rebounds and 13 assists). Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson were each good for 14 points in the contest, Anderson Varejao had 12 points, and Ben Wallace had seven boards. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo all scored 15 points in a losing cause for Boston, while Paul Pierce contributed 13 points to the attack.

The oddsmakers are siding with the Celtics at home in Game 5 - Boston was listed as an 8.5-point favorite on the contest's opening line. The total was opened at 177 points.


Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30pm ET

The Jazz were also tagged with road losses in the first two games of their second-round set, but they've bounced back with consecutive home victories to knot up their best-of-seven series as well. Utah began their comeback with a 104-99 win over the Lakers last Friday night, and they stayed hot with a 123-115 overtime victory in Game 4 on Sunday. Williams led the way with 29 points and 14 assists in the win for the Jazz. Mehmet Okur tossed in 18 points and grabbed 11 boards in the contest, while Carlos Boozer scored 14 points and picked up 12 rebounds. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers' attack with 33 points and 10 assists, while Lamar Odom contributed 26 points and 13 rebounds in the defeat.

The oddsmakers like Los Angeles' chances of shaking off their skid and coming up with a Game 5 win - they were opened as 8-point favorites. The total opened at 214 points.

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[pm530]

National Hockey League – Long Sheet

NHL
Long Sheet


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Wednesday, May 14
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Note: When the long sheet is updated, we will re-post.


DETROIT (65-23-0-7, 137 pts.) at DALLAS (53-36-0-8, 114 pts.) - 5/14/2008, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 11-4 (+6.2 Units) against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 11-4-0 straight up against DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.8 Units)

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[pm530]

National Hockey League - Short Sheet

NHL
Short Sheet

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Wednesday, May 14th
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Western Conference Playoffs
Conference Finals
Game Four
Detroit Leads, 3-0
Detroit at Dallas, 8:05 ET

Detroit:
17-3 SU Away off road win by 2+ goals
25-4 SU off a road win scoring 4+ goals

Dallas:
21-9 Over after allowing 5+ goals
10-1 Over after having lost 5 or 6 of their last 7

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