Friday Trends and Indexes 05/16

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Trends and Indexes
Friday, May 16

Good Luck on day #137 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 NHL playoffs motor on this weekend, while MLB, AFL and a newcomer - the WNBA - all fight for the rest of the spotlight.

It’s a light weekend for the NBA, as they actually take the day off on Saturday. Before that there are two games on Friday, as Game 6 takes place between Boston and Cleveland as well as the Lakers and Utah. On Sunday the Cavaliers and Celtics will square off in Game 7 if necessary.

It’s also a slow weekend on the NHL schedule as the Stanley Cup final could finally be decided. There are no NHL games on the schedule for Friday, while on Saturday Dallas and Detroit will clash in Game 5 of their series. On Sunday Philadelphia and Pittsburgh square off in Game 5 after the Flyers avoided a series sweep with a 4-2 win on Thursday night.

On the diamond this weekend it’s the first installment this season of interleague play. National League teams that receive the benefit of using a DH include Washington at Baltimore, the Mets at the Yankees, Milwaukee at Boston, Houston at Texas, the Dodgers at the Angels and San Diego at Seattle.

The American League teams who made sure their pitcher took part in batting practice this week include Toronto at Philadelphia, Cleveland at Cincinnati, Kansas City at Florida, Oakland at Atlanta, Tampa Bay at St. Louis, Minnesota at Colorado, Detroit at Arizona and the White Sox at San Francisco. The lone NL-only matchup on the weekend schedule is Pittsburgh at the Cubs.

Week 12 in the AFL kicks off on Friday night when Tampa Bay visits Grand Rapids. Four more games follow on Saturday, including Columbus at Philadelphia, Cleveland at Colorado, Arizona at Dallas and Utah at San Jose. A Sunday doubleheader finishes off the weekend with Orlando at Kansas City and Georgia at New York.

The WNBA season tips off on Saturday with six games on the schedule. The defending champion Phoenix Mercury start the season at home versus Los Angeles, while also on tap is Houston at Detroit, Atlanta at Connecticut, Washington at Indiana, San Antonio at Sacramento and Chicago at Seattle. On Sunday there are two games on the schedule as Connecticut takes on New York and Detroit visits Minnesota.

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[pm530]

Six-pack for Friday

-- Giants led Houston 6-0 with Lincecum on mound but lost, the kind of win that can give Astros a jolt of confidence.

-- Cleveland starting pitchers have now allowed one run in their last 50 innings, which is why they're in first place.

-- The 20-19 Mets are listless, and thats being nice. If I told you in March that Ryan Church would be their best player, would you have sent me for a drug test?

-- Lance Berkman is hitting an amazing .476 at home.

-- Detroit is 16-25; biggest disappointment so far in 2008.

-- Eric Chavez actually played in a AAA game Thursday; he was 0-4 as DH in Sacramento's loss to Salt Lake City. Funny he should return on 1-year anniversary of Rocco Baldelli's last appearance in a major league game.

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[pm530]

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

Coming tomorrow: My plan to realign the major leagues........

13) The season is only 25% old, but the standings listed above are shocking; the Rays are in first place-- a team that has been so bad that 70-92 is their best-ever season has been atop the standings the last three days.

You watch their games, and this isn't a fluke- they pitch well, they catch the ball, they have guys who run like hell, and the hitting figures to improve-- no player is having an outrageous season at the plate. Even if they don't hold off the Red Sox in the AL East, they figure to contend for the Wild Card. Wow.

If Tampa Bay makes the playoffs, they shouldn't give Manager of Year to Joe Maddon; they should name the award after him.

12) When Paul Goydos finished second last week at Players' Championship, he became first golfer ever to earn a check for $1M+, in a tournament he didn't win.

11) Who decided the Hornets' uniforms should be same color as a school bus? Spurs, by the way, have never won a playoff series if they trailed 3-2; they have another chance to snap that streak when they play at New Orleans in Game 7.

10) 51 major leaguers are earning more $$$ than Chipper Jones this season, which doesn't seem right.

9) White Sox' win over Angels Thursday gave them a 328-327 edge in all-time series between the two clubs, who were both in AL West in the early days of divisional play.

8) Shawn Chacon has pitched well for Astros, averaging over six innings a start in his eight starts, but is still 0-0; go figure.

7) Reds scored three or less runs in seven of Johnny Cueto's first eight starts, scoring 14 runs in his four home starts.

6) I never knew the baseballs used in majors and minor leagues are different; why should this be?

5) Players are starting to complain about maple bats breaking lengthwise, creating dangerous jagged edges flying around the field and dugout areas.

4) Not sure if I mentioned this before, but four umpires are out right now with neck/head injuries, sustained from getting hit by too many foul balls. One umpire, Larry Poncino, had to quit umpiring because of his injuries. Umpires' union is looking into the Hans devices that NASCAR drivers use to protect them.

3) You're telling me that Walsh dude and Roger Goodell talked for 3.5 hours Tuesday and Goodell didn't learn anything new? Maybe he knew more than he let on last September.

2) If I ran the Bronx Bombers, Joba Chamberlain would already have been in Scranton, stretching out to become a starter; the five starting pitchers are the most important part of a team, so you put your best guys there. The problem with lot of teams in New York is that no one has the patience to bite the bullet with the big picture in mind. This is a perfect example of that.

1) Think Don Zimmer had fun this week? He is an advisor for the first-place Tampa Bay Rays- think he enjoyed sticking it to the Steinbrenner clan? Rays looked like a superior team taking three of four from Bronx, although absence of ARod/Posada is obviously a mitigating factor.

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[pm530]

Arena Football League – Long Sheet

AFL
Long Sheet


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Friday, May 16
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TAMPA BAY (4 - 6) at GRAND RAPIDS (3 - 7) - 5/16/2008, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
GRAND RAPIDS is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) after 2 or more consecutive straight up losses over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 2-0 against the spread versus GRAND RAPIDS over the last 3 seasons
TAMPA BAY is 2-0 straight up against GRAND RAPIDS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Saturday, May 17
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COLUMBUS (2 - 8) at PHILADELPHIA (9 - 2) - 5/17/2008, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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CLEVELAND (6 - 4) at COLORADO (4 - 6) - 5/17/2008, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 2-0 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
COLORADO is 3-0 straight up against CLEVELAND 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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ARIZONA (4 - 6) at DALLAS (9 - 1) - 5/17/2008, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 26-13 ATS (+11.7 Units) in road games off a division game since 1996.
ARIZONA is 13-3 ATS (+9.7 Units) in road games where the total is between 100 and 104.5 points since 1996.
DALLAS is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) as a favorite of 10 or more points since 1996.
DALLAS is 8-20 ATS (-14.0 Units) in home games when playing on a Saturday since 1996.
DALLAS is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) in home games in non-conference games since 1996.
DALLAS is 5-19 ATS (-15.9 Units) in home games after 2 or more consecutive straight up wins since 1996.
DALLAS is 3-15 ATS (-13.5 Units) in home games where the total is between 100 and 104.5 points since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 1-0 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 1-0 straight up against ARIZONA 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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UTAH (2 - 9) at SAN JOSE (6 - 5) - 5/17/2008, 10:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN JOSE is 4-1 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
SAN JOSE is 4-1 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
4 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Sunday, May 18
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ORLANDO (7 - 4) at KANSAS CITY (2 - 8) - 5/18/2008, 2:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS CITY is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in home games in weeks 10 through 13 over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 1-1 against the spread versus ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 2-0 straight up against KANSAS CITY over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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GEORGIA (5 - 5) at NEW YORK (6 - 4) - 5/18/2008, 3:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) in home games against National Conference, Southern Division Opponents since 1996.

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

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Monday, May 19
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LOS ANGELES (4 - 7) at CHICAGO (8 - 2) - 5/19/2008, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LOS ANGELES is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in road games against American Conference, Central Division Opponents over the last 3 seasons.
LOS ANGELES is 9-19 ATS (-11.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 18-8 ATS (+9.2 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) in home games against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in home games against American Conference, Western Division Opponents over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) after 2 or more consecutive straight up wins over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 15-6 ATS (+8.4 Units) as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 3-1 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 3-1 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
3 of 4 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


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Friday, May 16
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Friday's Arena Football game

Tampa Bay (4-6) @ Grand Rapids (3-7)-- Storm is 1-4-1 against spread when favored; they lost three of last four road games. Rampage lost five of last six games; they're 2-3 at home, with wins vs lightweights LA, KC, but losing to San Jose, Chicago, Orlando. Over is 3-1-1 in their home games, but under is 5-2 in last seven Tampa Bay games.

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[pm530]

Arena Football League – Additional

AFL


Trend Sheet

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Friday, May 16


7:00 PM TAMPA BAY vs. GRAND RAPIDS
Tampa Bay is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Grand Rapids
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Grand Rapids's last 6 games


Saturday, May 17


7:00 PM COLUMBUS vs. PHILADELPHIA
Columbus is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Columbus is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Philadelphia is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Columbus
Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Columbus


8:00 PM ARIZONA vs. DALLAS
Arizona is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Arizona is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Dallas is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games
Dallas is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games


8:00 PM CLEVELAND vs. COLORADO
Cleveland is 0-3-2 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Colorado
Cleveland is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Colorado
olorado is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Colorado is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games at home


10:30 PM UTAH vs. SAN JOSE
Utah is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Utah is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
San Jose is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Utah
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Utah


Sunday, May 18


2:00 PM ORLANDO vs. KANSAS CITY
Orlando is 2-5-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Orlando's last 10 games on the road
Kansas City is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Kansas City is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home


3:00 PM GEORGIA vs. NEW YORK
Georgia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York
Georgia is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games
New York is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home


Monday, May 19


8:00 PM LOS ANGELES vs. CHICAGO
Los Angeles is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Los Angeles is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Chicago is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Los Angeles

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Friday, May 16

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Don't forget; in interleague play, there is a DH in games played in American League parks; no DH in games played in NL parks.

Hot Pitchers
-- Gorzelanny is 2-0, 1.46 in his last couple starts.
-- Purcey allowed one run in 4.1 IP (86 PT) in his only start, at home against Tigers, a game Jays later lost 8-4.
-- Hill is 0-0, 2.66 in his last three starts. Olsen is 2-0, 2.95 in his three starts for the Orioles.
-- Suppan has 3.00 RA in his last two starts; Brewers are 5-1 in Suppan starts when they score 3+ runs. Matsuzaka is 2-0, 1.42 in his last three starts; Boston is 8-0 in his starts this season.
-- Mets won last five Santana starts (4-0, 2.97). Rasner is 2-0 in his two starts, allowing two runs in six IP in both games.
-- Jurrjens is 3-0, 1.96 at home this season.
-- Miller is 2-0, 1.38 in his last two starts.
-- Looper is 1-0, 1.38 in his last two home starts. Rays won last five Sonnanstine starts (4-0, 3.41), scoring 31 runs.
-- Arizona won four of five Haren home starts.
-- Angels are 4-0 at home with Saunders (3-0, 2.79).
-- Giants won all five Sanchez home starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Gallagher allowed four runs in 4.1 IP in first '08 start.
-- Moyer is 1-3, 5.13 in his last six starts.
-- Cueto is 1-4, 8.07 in his last six starts. Sowers allowed three runs in 5.1 IP in his only start, allowing all three in sixth inning.
-- Tomko has 5.87 RA in three road starts.
-- Eveland is 0-2, 4.42 in his last three starts.
-- Chacon is 0-0, 3.09 in five road starts. Ponson has 5.79 RA in three home starts for Texas.
-- Twins are 0-4 in Blackburn road starts (0-1, 5.96).
-- Colorado lost last six Jimenez starts (0-2, 7.45).
-- Tigers are 0-4 with Bonderman if they score less than 6 runs.
-- Kuroda is 0-2, 4.87 in his last seven starts.
-- Young is 1-2, 7.20 in four road starts. Batista is 1-2, 7.47 in his last four starts.
-- White Sox lost last three Floyd road starts (0-2, 5.74).


Hot Teams
-- Cubs won six of their last seven home games. Pirates are 8-2 in their last ten games.
-- Phillies won seven of last ten home games. Toronto won its last four games, allowing ten runs.
-- Nationals won three of last four games. Orioles are 12-5 in last 17 home games.
-- Reds won five of their last six home games. Indians won eight of last 10 games; their starting pitchers allowed one run in 50 IP.
-- Royals won last four games, allowing six runs.
-- Braves won their last seven home games.
-- Astros are 11-2 in last 13 games; they won yesterday in game they trailed 6-0 after three innings. Rangers won six of their last eight home games.
-- Rays won seven of their last eight games.
-- Arizona won its last four home games.
-- Streaky Dodgers won seven of last nine road games.

Cold Teams
-- Brewers lost their last six road games. Red Sox lost last four games, allowing 27 runs.
-- Mets are 4-6 in their last ten games. Bronx lost six of its last nine games.
-- A's just got swept in Cleveland, scoring two runs.
-- Cardinals lost seven of their last nine games.
-- Twins lost last three games, scoring total of 10 runs. Rockies lost their last five games, allowing 28 runs.
-- Tigers lost ten of their last twelve games.
-- Angels lost six of their last eight games.
-- Padres lost 12 of their last 15 road games. Mariners lost five of their last six home games.
-- Giants lost three of their last four games. White Sox are 4-9 in their last thirteen games.


Totals
-- Over is 13-4 in last seventeen Pittsburgh road games.
-- Three of Phillies' last four games stayed under total.
-- Over is 5-1-2 in last eight Washington games.
-- Four of last five Suppan starts stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Santan starts went over the totql.
-- Twelve of last thirteen Cleveland games stayed under total.
-- Three of last four Royal games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 7-1-2 in last ten Atlanta games.
-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five Houston games.
-- Six of last seven Tampa Bay games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 3-1 in Blackburn's road starts.
-- Over is 5-2 in last seven games at Coors Field.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in Bonderman starts.
-- Three of last four Dodger games went over the total.
-- Under is 5-2 in last seven San Diego road games.
-- 11 of last 14 White Sox' road games stayed under total.

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Additional

MLB


Friday, May 16

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Trend Sheet
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2:20 PM PITTSBURGH vs. CHI CUBS
Pittsburgh is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh


7:05 PM MILWAUKEE vs. BOSTON
Milwaukee is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Boston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games


7:05 PM NY METS vs. NY YANKEES
NY Mets are 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 11 of NY Mets's last 16 games when playing NY Yankees
NY Yankees are 18-7 SU in their last 25 games when playing at home against NY Mets
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Mets


7:05 PM TORONTO vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Toronto's last 9 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Philadelphia's last 9 games when playing Toronto


7:05 PM WASHINGTON vs. BALTIMORE
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games on the road
Baltimore is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Baltimore's last 10 games when playing at home against Washington


7:10 PM CLEVELAND vs. CINCINNATI
Cleveland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Cleveland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Cincinnati is 4-0-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Cincinnati is 4-1-1 SU in its last 6 games


7:10 PM KANSAS CITY vs. FLORIDA
Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Kansas City is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Florida is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Florida is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games


7:35 PM OAKLAND vs. ATLANTA
Oakland is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Oakland is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Atlanta is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Atlanta's last 14 games at home


8:05 PM HOUSTON vs. TEXAS
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Texas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games when playing Texas
Texas is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Houston
Texas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Houston


8:15 PM TAMPA BAY vs. ST. LOUIS
Tampa Bay is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
St. Louis is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games at home


9:05 PM MINNESOTA vs. COLORADO
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Minnesota is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Colorado's last 12 games at home
Colorado is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games


9:40 PM DETROIT vs. ARIZONA
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games when playing Detroit


10:05 PM LA DODGERS vs. LA ANGELS
LA Dodgers are 7-2 SU in their last 9 games on the road
LA Dodgers are 1-7 SU in their last 8 games when playing LA Angels
LA Angels are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing LA Dodgers
LA Angels are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers


10:10 PM SAN DIEGO vs. SEATTLE
San Diego is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games
San Diego is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Seattle is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against San Diego
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing at home against San Diego


10:15 PM CHI WHITE SOX vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Chi White Sox are 4-9 SU in their last 13 games on the road
San Francisco is 3-7-1 SU in its last 11 games

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


Friday, May 16

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


Pittsburgh Pirates at Chicago Cubs [WGN | 2:20 PM ET]

Pirates: Tom Gorzelanny had his troubles early on in the season, but he's righted the ship of late. In his last 3 starts, Gorzelanny has only given up 5 runs in 17 1/3 innings pitched, going 2-1 over that span. Gorzelanny has already faced the Cubs twice this season, and he hasn't gotten out of the third inning in either start. In 5 innings pitched against Chicago this year, Gorzelanny has given up a disastrous 14 hits, eight walks and 12 runs. Five of the 7 games that Gorzelanny has started this year have gone OVER the total.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Cubs (-150): Sean Gallagher didn't pitch well in his lone start this season, giving up 4 runs in 4 1/3 innings of work against Arizona, although the Cubs ended up winning the game. Gallagher will only be making the second start of his young career Friday. Overall, Gallagher has given up an unimpressive 10 hits and 6 runs in 8 1/3 innings pitched this year.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



New York Mets at New York Yankees [7:05 PM ET]

Mets (-140, O/U 8): The Mets will pitch their ace in the opening game of the Subway Series. Johan Santana is 4-2 with a 3.10 ERA this season, and he's allowed 3 runs or less in 7 of 8 starts. As usual, Santana has been a strikeout machine, with 52 K's in 52 1/3 innings of work. Santana is familiar with the Yankees from his time in Minnesota. He dominated the Bombers in his one starts against them last year, allowing just two runs over 7 innings in a 6-2 Twins win.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Yankees: Darrell Rasner has been a breath of fresh air for the Yankees in 2008. While more highly touted young pitchers, Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes, have struggled, Rasner won both of his prior starts this season. In 12 innings of work, Rasner has only given up 4 runs. He's also shown good command of his pitches, walking just 1 batter and striking out 4

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Cleveland Indians at Cincinnati Reds [7:10 PM ET]

Indians: After going a miserable 1-6 in last season, Jeremy Sowers won his first start of 2008, picking up a victory over the Yankees on April 26. Sowers lasted only 5 1/3 innings but allowed just 3 runs. Sowers have been awful against the Reds, going 0-2 with a 9.60 ERA in 3 career starts. Cincy hitters batted a healthy .317 against Sowers in those 3 games as well.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Reds (-120, O/U 9.5): Young phenom Johnny Cueto gets his first taste of interleague play on Friday night. The highly touted Cueto has had to endure some growing pains early on in his career, going 2-4 with a 5.91 ERA in 8 starts. Cueto has pitched better at home but overall the Reds have lost 6 of his 8 starts. Despite his high ERA, the UNDER has cashed 6 times when Cueto takes the mound.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Los Angeles Dodgers at Los Angeles Angels [10:05 PM ET]

Dodgers: Hiroki Kuroda has pitched slightly better away from home this season, going 1-2 with a 2.81 ERA. In fact, all of his decisions have come on the road. Kuroda got a no-decision in his last road start at Florida on May 1st, as he gave up 3 runs and 5 hits in 7 innings of a 5-3 victory. His previous 2 road starts both resulted in losses.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Angels (-130, O/U 8.5): Joe Saunders will try to bounce back from his first loss of the season when he returns home to face the Dodgers. Saunders was the tough-luck loser at Tampa Bay last time out on Saturday, as the Angels could not muster a run in a 2-0 loss. He allowed just 1 run and 4 hits in 6 innings of work, walking 4 batters and striking out 3. The Angels had won each of his previous 7 starts.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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[pm530]

MLB


Friday, May 16

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Baseball Today
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SCOREBOARD

Friday, May 16

New York Mets at New York Yankees (7:05 p.m. EDT). Interleague play starts with Johan Santana on the mound for the Mets in the first game of the Subway Series. The two-time Cy Young winner’s start was pushed back a day so he could pitch at Yankee Stadium against Darrell Rasner.


STARS

Thursday

-Brandon Webb, Diamondbacks, gave up three runs and six hits over 7 1-3 innings to win his major league-leading ninth game in an 8-5 victory over the Rockies.

-Aaron Laffey, Indians, gave up an unearned run over seven innings in a 4-2 win over the Athletics. Laffey gave up five hits and a walk filling in for Jake Westbrook.

-Gary Bennett, Dodgers, homered, doubled and drove in four runs in a 7-2 win over Milwaukee.

-Jason Bergmann, Nationals, gave up three hits and a pair of walks in seven innings of a 1-0 win over the Mets. Recalled from Triple-A Columbus before the game, Bergmann struck out nine.

-Jose Guillen, Royals, homered and drove in three runs in an 8-4 win over the Tigers.

-Ryan Dempster, Cubs, gave up six hits and a walk pitching into the ninth inning in a 4-0 win over the Padres. He struck out 12 before giving way to Kerry Wood for the final two outs.

-Lance Berkman, Astros, hit his major league-leading 15th homer into McCovey Cove to help Houston rally from a 6-0 deficit in an 8-7 victory over the Giants.


DRESSED TO THE NINES

Diamondbacks ace Brandon Webb sure looks spiffy just about every time he takes the mound. The right-hander beat Colorado on Thursday night and has won his first nine starts, the most since San Diego's Andy Hawkins won his first 10 in 1985, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Webb has won 11 straight starts dating to last September.


PAYING OFF

Scott Kazmir sparkled in his first start since agreeing to a $28.5 million extension, allowing three singles in six scoreless innings of Tampa Bay's 5-2 win over the Yankees. The 24-year-old left-hander agreed Wednesday to a three-year extension through 2011, a deal with a club option that could raise the contract's value to $39.5 million over four seasons.


SPLISH-SPLASH

Lance Berkman landed his major league-leading 15th home run into McCovey Cove, breaking a ninth-inning tie and helping the Astros rally past the Giants 8-7. Berkman also hit a two-run single and is riding a 14-game hitting streak. He went 7-for-15 (.467) with three homers and seven RBIs during the series.


ROYAL WHIPPING

If only Kansas City could play the Tigers all season. Jose Guillen homered and drove in three runs to back Gil Meche, and the Royals beat the Tigers 8-4 to complete a three-game sweep. Kansas City is 6-0 this season against Detroit, which has lost four straight and 10 of 12 to plummet into last place in the AL Central.


STREAK SNAPPED

An unearned run against Aaron Laffey caused by his own throwing error ended the scoreless streak by Cleveland starters at 44 1-3 innings. Not that it mattered - the Indians still beat the Athletics 4-2. The streak was the longest by Cleveland starters since Bob Lemon, Gene Bearden, Sam Zoldak and Satchel Paige strung together 47 scoreless innings in August 1948 - all had complete-game shutouts. It was the longest run by a major league team in one season since a 54-inning streak by Baltimore from Sept. 1-7, 1974, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.


WELCOME BACK

Jason Bergmann, recalled from Triple-A Columbus before the game, gave up three hits and struck out nine in the Nationals' 1-0 win over the Mets. Bergmann (1-1) had made two previous starts for Washington this season, the most recent on April 9, and came in with a 10.45 ERA. He outpitched Mike Pelfrey, who carried a no-hit bid into the seventh for New York.


SPEAKING

"That's a question I ask, 'How we can sweep this team twice with the type of offense that they have?' That's baseball. You see some stuff you're never going to believe, but we did it.'' -Jose Guillen, whose homer helped Kansas City beat Detroit 8-4 on Thursday and move the Royals to 6-0 against the Tigers this season.


SEASONS

May 16

1933—Cecil Travis of the Washington Senators made his major league debut with five hits in a 12-inning, 11-10 win over the Chicago White Sox.

1939—The Cleveland Indians beat the Philadelphia Athletics 8-3 in 10 innings in the first American League night game, held at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park.

1953—The White Sox loaded the bases against the Yankees in the ninth inning, but Vern Stephens, who had 10 grand slams in his career, was lifted for a pinch hitter. Pitcher Tommy Byrne, the substitute batter, then hit a homer off Ewell Blackwell for a 5-3 win.

1965—Jim Palmer, 19, won his first major league game and hit his first homer, off Jim Bouton. The Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees 7-5.

1972—Rick Monday hit three consecutive homers to lead the Chicago Cubs to an 8-1 win at Philadelphia. Greg Luzinski’s 500-foot home run hit the Liberty Bell monument at Veteran Stadium for the Phillies’ only run.

1981—Craig Reynolds of Houston hit three triples to lead the Astros to a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

1997—The Montreal Expos overcame an early nine-run deficit and rallied past the San Francisco Giants 14-13 on David Segui’s RBI single in the ninth inning. The Giants took an 11-2 lead after three innings. Montreal came back with four runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and three more in the sixth for a 12-11 lead. Glenallen Hill’s RBI single capped a two-run seventh that put the Giants ahead 13-12.

2000—The Los Angeles Dodgers went into the Wrigley Field crowd after a fan ran off with Chad Kreuter’s cap in the ninth inning of Los Angeles’ 6-5 victory. The game was delayed for nine minutes while some Dodgers and fans fought.

2006—The New York Yankees, down 9-0 in the second inning, matched the biggest comeback in Yankees history when Jorge Posada hit a game-winning, two-run homer with two outs in the ninth for a 14-13 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Today’s birthdays: Jensen Lewis 24; Eugenio Velez 26; Doug Brocail 41.

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Long Sheet

NBA
Long Sheet


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Friday, May 16
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Note: When the long sheet is updated, we will re-post.


BOSTON (73 - 21) at CLEVELAND (51 - 42) - 5/16/2008, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 11-4 against the spread versus BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
CLEVELAND is 10-6 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 16 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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LA LAKERS (64 - 27) at UTAH (60 - 33) - 5/16/2008, 10:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 8-6 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 10-6 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
10 of 16 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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Friday, May 16th
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Eastern Conference
Second Round
Game Six
Boston Leads, 3-2
Boston at Cleveland, 8:05 ET

Boston:
36-16 ATS as road underdog
27-14 ATS off home win

Cleveland:
27-18 Under at home
3-12 ATS off BB ATS wins

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Western Conference
Second Round
Game Six
Lakers Lead, 3-2
LA Lakers at Utah, 10:35 ET

LA Lakers:
15-26 ATS off BB ATS wins
27-15 Under off an Over

Utah:
30-13 ATS as home favorite
18-7 ATS revenging road loss

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Friday, May 16

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NBA Games

Celtics are 0-5 on road in playoffs (7-0 at home); they lost first two games at Quicken Arena by 24-11 points, but now can put Cavaliers away with their first road win of spring. Gibson is out (shoulder) for Cleveland, one of their better outside shooters- they were 3-16 from arc in Game 5; also will need more scoring inside from Ilgauskus, who had only six in Game 5. Rondo had 20 points in Game 5; can he be as productive on road?

Home team is 20-1 in this round of playoffs, 5-0 in this series, with Lakers losing first two games here, by 5-8ot points. Utah is trying to stay alive here; Lakers took 20+ foul shots, just in second half of Game 5, going 34-42 for game (Jazz was 24-28 at charity stripe). Laker bench was just 3-17 in Game 5-- Utah had shot to pull game out, but couldn't get critical stops at end.

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Additional

NBA


Friday, May 16

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Trend Sheet
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8:00 PM BOSTON vs. CLEVELAND
Boston is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Boston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Cleveland is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against Boston
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston


10:30 PM UTAH vs. LA LAKERS
Utah is 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games when playing LA Lakers
Utah is 3-8 SU in their last 11 games when playing LA Lakers
LA Lakers are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games
LA Lakers are 11-2 SU in their last 13 games

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