Tuesday Trends and Indexes 05/20

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Tuesday, May 20

Good Luck on day #141 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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Six-pack for Tuesday

----------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Jon Lester threw a no-hitter, first no-hitter by Boston lefty since Mel Parnell back in 1956.

-- You can sit in outfield bleachers for freakin' $2 in Oakland Coliseum when A's play Wednesday afternoon games.

-- Adam Dunn homered for the fifth straight game Monday; he had been 3 for 26 against Brad Penny.

-- Spurs won in New Orleans Monday night, ending second round with road teams 3-22. They play Lakers in west final.

-- NHL, which is enjoying improved TV ratings for first time in long while, gets marquee Detroit-Pittsburgh matchup for Stanley Cup finals, as Wings dispatched Dallas in 6 games.

-- Lester threw 130 pitches in his no-hitter, an awful lot. Will be interesting to see how he does from here on in.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Tuesday's List of 13: Running the bases in the NL.........

This week, we're looking at a pleasant surprise for each team as well as a disappointment. Tomorrow, the American League.

Diamondbacks— C Chris Snyder is hitting .267 with sliugging %age of .465, giving Snakes unexpected punch behind plate.

Eric Byrnes is hitting just .217, with a .284 on-base percentage.

Braves— Chipper Jones is going nuts, hitting .410 with 11 HRs at age 36.

Mark Teixeira, in final year of his contract, is hitting just .247, as he battles a bad back. Bad year to have a bad back.

Cubs— Carlos Marmol has been dominant out of bullpen, he's given up only 12 hits in 28 IP, with 40 strikeouts.

Jason Marquis has allowed 73 baserunners in 45.1 IP (2-3, 4.96)

Reds— Edinson Volquez is 6-1, 1.33, as lightbulb went on for him after his trade from Texas.

Ken Griffey is hitting .245 and struggles in outfield now; Reds are waiting for him to hit HR #600 before they trade him to AL.

Rockies— Aaron Cook is 6-2, 2.82 in best season of his career.

Troy Tulowitzki was hitting .152 before he got hurt, and is now out until the All-Star break; whole season has been trainwreck.

Marlins— Dan Uggla has gone homer-crazy, swatting 13 HRs with 31 RBI and a .311 batting average. Damn good for a 2B.

Not much has gone wrong for Fish this season; Andrew Miller is a prospect learning on job, though, he is 3-3, 6.18, giving up 59 hits in 43.2 IP. He's gotten better lately.

Astros— Lance Berkman has turned into Ted Williams for the first half of season, hitting 16 HRs, with 44 RBI and .399 BA

Rookie C Towles is hitting just .149 in his first 94 AB this year, as he tries to take catching job from veteran Brad Ausmus.

Dodgers— Rafael Furcal was hitting .366 with on-base %age of .448 and slugging %age of .597, before he got hurt.

Andruw Jones is hitting .167 with OB% of .275 and gets booed after every out at Dodger Stadium, which is unusual.

Brewers— Hall is hitting .199 and struggling with his move to 3B; Weeks is hitting .193 in what has been dreadful start for a team that was expected to contend in NL Central. Becoming a vegetarian hasn't helped Prince Fielder's power any.

Ryan Braun is hitting .295, with 13 homers, 35 RBI.

Metropolitans— Getting Ryan Church (.307, 9 HRs, 32 RBI) in trade from Washington has been absolute steal for the Mets.

Not only is Carlos Delgado struggling at bat (.230, SP of .368), he lost 3-run dinger Sunday night on hideous call by umpire.

Phillies— Brad Lidge has been solid as a closer (allowed one earned run in 19 IP) with ten saves.

Ryan Howard isn't hitting his weight (.191 with 65 strikeouts).

Pirates— Nate McLouth is hitting .306 with 12 homers, 36 RBI he'll be in the Bronx for the All-Star Game in July.

Adam LaRoche is hitting .207 at 1B; 34-year old Mientkiewicz has actually started games at 3B, for some unknown reason. He doesn't hit well enough to play first or third.

Cardinals— Ryan Ludwick has run amok in Cardinal outfield, hitting 11 homers with 29 RBI and .336 BA.

Jason Isringhausen has allowed 32 baserunners in 18 IP and 16 of the 32 runners scored; not good if the closer's ERA is 8.00.

Padres— When it is May 20 and closer has appeared in only 13 games, you know its been a terrible year. Brian Giles at least has his batting average over .300.

Lot of suspects in this lineup, in what has been a dismal start, but Kahlil Greene's .217 BA tends to stand out.

Giants— Tim Linceum (5-1, 1.92) looks like a little kid, but he is a dynamo on the mound.

Barry Zito is living a well-paid nightmare; Giants are 0-9 when he starts this season.

Nationals— Tim Redding is only Nationals' starter giving up less than a hit per IP. Nationals are only team in NL East under .500- they have very weird collection of players.

Elijah Dukes started Opening Night in LF, got hurt in the third inning of first game, is 1-24 for season; Paul LoDuca is 10-50, but did hit something hard enough to break his hand.

Tomorrow: American League

----------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Tuesday, May 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hot Pitchers
-- Owings has 2.07 RA in his last two starts. Marlins won last four Hendrickson home starts.
-- Maine is 4-0, 2.49 in his last four starts.
-- Hamels is 2-0, 3.07 in his last four starts.
-- Dempster is 1-0, 1.26 in his last two starts.
-- Cook is 6-1, 3.00 in his last eight starts.
-- Cardinals won four of last five Pineiro starts.
-- Billingsley is 3-1, 2.88 in his last four starts.

-- Cabrera is 4-1, 2.50 in his last seven starts. Mussina won his last five starts, with a 2.76 RA.
-- Masterson allowed one run in six IP in his first major league start, a game Red Sox later lost to Angels. Meche has 1.38 RA in his last two road starts.
-- McGowan has 1.86 RA in three home starts. Lackey allowed one run in seven IP in his first start off DL.
-- Contreras is 2-0, 1.29 in his last two starts. Sabathia is 3-2 in his last five starts, with a 1.49 RA.
-- Kazmir hasn't allowed a run in his last two starts (12 IP).

Cold Pitchers
-- Parra is 0-1, 6.89 in his last nine starts. Maholm is 0-2, 7.94 in his last three starts, but Pirates are 4-0 in his home outings.
-- Glavine has 7.27 RA in his last three starts. Campilo is making first start for Braves in this twinbill. Vargas lost his first start of season 5-3 to Nationals (allowed two runs in 6.1 IP).
-- Bergmann is 1-1, 6.23 in three starts this season.
-- Sampson is 1-1, 7.40 in his last four starts.
-- Lincecum is 1-1, 4.15 in his last four starts.
-- Maddux is 1-4, 5.40 in his last six starts.
-- Belisle is 1-2, 8.16 in three starts this season.

-- Verlander is 0-4, 6.20 in his last four starts. Silva is 0-2, 7.72 in his last three starts.
-- Minnesota lost both Perkins starts (0-1, 3.75). Mathis makes his first start for the Rangers- ninth Texas starter this season.
-- Smith is 0-3, 3.65 in his last four starts; A's scored five runs in the four games.

Hot Teams
-- Pirates won seven of last eight home games.
-- Arizona won five of its last six games.
-- Braves won nine of last ten home games. Mets won three in a row on foreign soil.
-- Astros are 8-2 in last ten home games. Cubs won five of their last ix games.
-- Colorado won last three games, allowing seven runs.
-- Reds won seven of last eight games, but are 1-8 in last nine games on the road.

-- Mariners won three of their last four games.
-- Orioles won four of their last five games.
-- Red Sox won their last seven home games. Royals won six of last eight games.
-- Blue Jays won six of their last seven games.
-- White Sox won last five games, outscoring foes 28-13.
-- Rangers are 9-4 in last thirteen games, but lost last two.
-- Rays won nine of their last twelve games.

Cold Teams
-- Brewers lost their last nine road games.
-- Phillies are 4-7 in their last 11 games. Nationals are 6-8 in last fourteen games, but won last two.
-- Marlins lost five of their last six games.
-- Giants lost seven of their last eight games.
-- Cardinals lost five of last seven road games. San Diego lost five of its last six games.
-- Dodgers lost four of their last five home games.

-- Tigers lost six of their last seven games.
-- Bronx lost five of its last six games.
-- Indians lost their last four road games.
-- Angels lost their last four road games.
-- Twins lost five of their last seven games..
-- Oakland lost six of its last seven games.

Totals
-- Four of last five Milwaukee games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Arizona games stayed under total.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Atlanta home games.
-- Four of last five Washington games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 8-1-2 in Cubs' last ten away games.
-- Under is 8-2 in last ten Colorado games.
-- Six of last eight St Louis games went over the total.
-- Five of last six Cincinnati road games went over total.

-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Detroit home games.
-- Under is 7-3 in last ten Baltimore road games.
-- Five of last seven Fenway games went over the total.
-- Under is 7-2 in Angels' last nine road games.
-- Five of last six White Sox home games stayed under total.
-- Four of last five Minnesota road games stayed under total.
-- Seven of last eleven Tampa Bay games stayed under the total.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


Tuesday, May 20

We will update when projected scores are available.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tips and Trends
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees [YES | 7:05 PM ET]

Orioles: Daniel Cabrera has been one of the most underrated pitchers in MLB this season with a 4-1 record and 3.58 ERA. The Orioles have been money with Cabrera on the mound, going 7-1-1 in his nine starts. Cabrera has had problems versus the Yankees in the past but he shut them down in his one outing against New York this season, giving up just two runs in 6.0 innings pitched. Cabrera gave up 10 runs in his first two starts of the season but since then he's hasn't given up more than three runs in any of his appearances.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Yankees (-150, O/U 9): Over the last month of the season, Mike Mussina has been one of the best pitchers in baseball. Moose has won his last five outings, giving up just nine runs in 29.1 innings. As expected, games where Mussina has been on the mound have been low scoring. Seven of Mussina's nine starts on the year have gone under the total. Moose – who began his career with the Orioles – has had success against his former team, going 10-6 in 23 career starts versus Baltimore.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Cleveland Indians at Chicago White Sox [8:11 PM ET]

Indians (-120, O/U 8): C.C. Sabathia has righted the ship after a horrendous start to the season, where he gave up 27 runs in 14 innings pitched. Sabathia has turned it around in his last five starts, going 3-2 and giving up just six runs in 30.1 innings of work. Sabathia is coming off his most impressive performance of the year, pitching a complete game shutout against the A's. Sabathia has absolutely owned the White Sox in his career, going 14-3 with a 3.66 ERA in 24 starts.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

White Sox: When Jose Contreras has been on this year, he's really been on. Contreras has four starts this season where he's given up just one run in a total of 27.2 innings pitched. Not surprisingly, the White Sox are a perfect 4-0 in those games. Contreras has been solid against the Indians throughout his career, going 4-2 with a 3.30 ERA. The under has been profitable with Contreras on the mound, cashing in six of his eight starts.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



St. Louis Cardinals at San Diego Padres [10:05 PM ET]

Cardinals: Joel Pineiro has been up and down in 2008. He has four starts where he's given up three runs or less but on the other end he's given up at least four runs three times this season. Pineiro has recorded no-decisions in his last three appearances, giving up an uninspiring 10 runs in 14.1 innings of work. Pineiro has dominated the Padres over the years, going 3-0 with a 3.21 ERA.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Padres (-125, O/U 8): The last month of the season has been a nightmare for Greg Maddux. Over that span he's 1-4 while giving up 22 runs in 36.1 innings pitched. Overall, the Padres have lost five of the last six games Maddux has started. The veteran has been great against the Cardinals in his career and he has a large body of work to go by. In 56 starts, Maddux is 26-20 with a 2.72 ERA and 12 complete games versus San Diego.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Gameday

MLB


Tuesday, May 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gameday
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday MLB Gameday

Daniel Cabrera and the Baltimore Orioles will be looking to knock Mike Mussina and the New York Yankees for a loss Tuesday night. Here's a preview in your MLB Gameday …

Baltimore Orioles at New York Yankees, 7:05pm ET
Daniel Cabrera (4-1, 3.58 ERA) vs. Mike Mussina (6-3, 3.99 ERA)

Cabrera has won two games in a row and four of his past six starts. The righthander held the Red Sox to three earned runs on 10 hits over seven innings last Wednesday to secure his fourth victory of the season. Back on April 18 against the Yankees Cabrera surrendered just two earned runs on six hits over six innings to earn himself the win.

Mussina has won five starts in a row, and he hasn't given up more than three runs in an outing since April 17 versus the Red Sox. The veteran righthander last pitched on May 14 versus the Rays, holding the opposition to just one earned run on five hits over his 6 1-3 innings of work. Mussina has not faced his former Baltimore teammates this year.

Los Angeles Angels at Toronto Blue Jays, 7:07pm ET
John Lackey (0-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. Dustin McGowan (2-3, 4.38 ERA)

Lackey finally made his season debut on May 14 against the White Sox, and he looked as sharp as ever. The righthander missed the first month and a half of the season recovering from a strained triceps, but he held Chicago to one earned run on six hits over seven strong innings of work. Lackey walked one and struck out four in that outing.

McGowan was pounded by the Indians back on May 10 - he surrendered nine earned runs on nine hits over 3 2-3 innings to take his third loss of the season. However, the righthander bounced back versus the Twins last time out, holding the opposition to two earned runs on two hits over five innings. McGowan earned a no-decision in that game.


Arizona Diamondbacks at Florida Marlins, 7:10pm ET
Micah Owings (5-1, 3.81 ERA) vs. Mark Hendrickson (5-2, 3.91 ERA)

Owings got back into the win column for the Diamondbacks in his last start (on May 14), holding the Rockies scoreless on five hits over six innings of work. The righthander had gone 0-1 with two no-decisions over his previous three outings after picking up a win in each of his first four starts. Owings has allowed three or fewer runs in six of eight starts.

Hendrickson earned the win in four of his first five starts this season, but since then he's gone just 1-1 with two no-decisions. The lefthander is coming off a loss to the Reds in which he allowed four earned runs on eight hits (and five walks) in just five innings of work. Hendrickson's last victory came back on May 2 in a home start versus the Padres.


San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies, 8:35pm ET
Tim Lincecum (5-1, 1.92 ERA) vs. Aaron Cook (6-2, 2.82 ERA)

Lincecum continues to be the star of the Giants' pitching staff, as he's allowed three or fewer earned runs in each of his nine outings so far this season. The righthander is coming off a victory over the Astros (six innings pitched, three earned runs), but his only defeat came on April 29 versus the Rockies (seven innings pitched, three earned runs).

Cook got the victory in that April 29 contest against San Francisco - he surrendered just two unearned runs on 10 hits over seven innings in that outing, fanning three. The righthander had a personal six-game winning streak snapped against the D-Backs last time out, as he gave up five earned runs on 10 hits over five innings to take the defeat.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Long Sheet

NBA
Long Sheet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, May 20
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DETROIT (67 - 26) at BOSTON (74 - 22) - 5/20/2008, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 4-13 ATS (-10.3 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 1-11 ATS (-11.1 Units) in the conference finals over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 58-37 ATS (+17.3 Units) in all games this season.
BOSTON is 47-30 ATS (+14.0 Units) as a favorite this season.
BOSTON is 30-18 ATS (+10.2 Units) in home games this season.
DETROIT is 54-39 ATS (+11.1 Units) in all games this season.
DETROIT is 55-39 ATS (+12.1 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in a road game where the total is between 170 and 179.5 points this season.
DETROIT is 26-16 ATS (+8.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BOSTON is 38-66 ATS (-34.6 Units) in home games versus good defensive teams - allowing <=91 points/game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 6-4 against the spread versus DETROIT over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 8-2 straight up against BOSTON over the last 3 seasons
8 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Short Sheet

NBA
Short Sheet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, May 20th
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eastern Conference Finals
Game One
Series Tied, 0-0
Detroit at Boston, 8:35 ET


Detroit:
1-11 ATS in Conference Finals
10-2 Under if total is 179.5 or less

Boston:
8-2 Under vs. Detroit
28-14 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Tuesday, May 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NBA Games

Celtics are 8-0 at home in playoffs, winning three of their four home games in Cleveland series by seven or less points- they are 5-3 vs spread at home in playoffs. Detroit had lot longer to prepare for this, as Boston just played Sunday afternoon; the Pistons won their last series in five games. Detroit is 3-2 on the road in playoffs, 1-1 vs spread as underdog. Six of Pistons' last nine games stayed under the total. During season, Celtics won two of three vs Detroit, splitting a pair in Beantown.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Tips & Trends

NBA


Tuesday, May 20

We will update when projected scores are available.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tips and Trends
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics [ESPN | 8:30 PM ET]

Pistons: Detroit figures to have a big advantage in terms of rest heading into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals since they wrapped up a series-round series victory against Orlando exactly a week ago. That extra rest allowed point guard Chauncey Billups to heal his injured hamstring. The Pistons are appearing in their sixth straight conference finals, which is nothing new for them. “It’s one of those things we feel we’re supposed to do,” Detroit guard Rip Hamilton said. “When the first round goes by, we feel we’re supposed to win. When the second round goes by, we feel we’re supposed to win. That’s our confidence. We feel we’ve got to make it there and that we’ve got to get back to the Finals.”

Road team is 7-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings.
Pistons are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
The UNDER is 10-2 in Detroit's last 12 road games.

Key Injuries - G Chauncey Billups (17 ppg; hamstring) is probable.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Celtics (-4.5, O/U 174): Boston is coming off a second consecutive playoff series that went the distance, and the critics are coming out in full force. While the Celtics may have some flaws, the players certainly remain confident and realize they need to win on the road at some point. However, they won't need to worry about that until Saturday in Game 3. “You expect the series to get tougher and tougher,” Boston star Paul Pierce said after scoring 41 points in Sunday's Game 7 series clincher over Cleveland. “Who knows? It may go seven again. We don’t want it to, but, hey, Detroit has been at the top for the last four or five years. They have something that we want, and it’s going to be an even tougher series."

Celtics are 11-3 SU & ATS in their last 14 home games.
The UNDER is 16-7 in Boston's last 23 games vs. Central Division.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pm530]

WNBA


Tuesday, May 20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Sheet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8:00 PM PHOENIX vs. SAN ANTONIO
Phoenix is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Phoenix is 18-4 SU in its last 22 games
San Antonio is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Phoenix
San Antonio is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Phoenix


10:30 PM SACRAMENTO vs. SEATTLE
Sacramento is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Sacramento's last 9 games
Seattle is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Seattle is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Udog]

MLB


Tuesday, May 20


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Sheet
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1:10 PM NY METS vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of NY Mets's last 11 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of NY Mets's last 10 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Atlanta's last 13 games
Atlanta is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home


7:05 PM BALTIMORE vs. NY YANKEES
Baltimore is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
NY Yankees are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing Baltimore
NY Yankees are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games at home


7:05 PM KANSAS CITY vs. BOSTON
Kansas City is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Kansas City's last 7 games when playing Boston
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home


7:05 PM MILWAUKEE vs. PITTSBURGH
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Milwaukee


7:05 PM SEATTLE vs. DETROIT
Seattle is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 7 games on the road
Detroit is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Detroit's last 7 games


7:07 PM LA ANGELS vs. TORONTO
LA Angels are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Angels's last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 17-8 SU in their last 25 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Toronto's last 10 games when playing LA Angels


7:10 PM ARIZONA vs. FLORIDA
Arizona is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games
Florida is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida's last 6 games when playing Arizona


7:10 PM NY METS vs. ATLANTA
NY Mets are 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 9-1-1 SU in its last 11 games at home
Atlanta is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against NY Mets


7:10 PM PHILADELPHIA vs. WASHINGTON
Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Philadelphia's last 9 games when playing Washington
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games


8:05 PM CHI CUBS vs. HOUSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games on the road
Chi Cubs are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games
Houston is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs


8:10 PM TEXAS vs. MINNESOTA
Texas is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Minnesota
Texas is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games on the road
Minnesota is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games at home
Minnesota is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games


8:11 PM CLEVELAND vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Cleveland is 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing Chi White Sox
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 6 games at home


8:35 PM SAN FRANCISCO vs. COLORADO
San Francisco is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Colorado
San Francisco is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Colorado is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
Colorado is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Francisco


10:05 PM ST. LOUIS vs. SAN DIEGO
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Diego
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against San Diego
San Diego is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games at home
San Diego is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games


10:05 PM TAMPA BAY vs. OAKLAND
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oakland
Tampa Bay is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
Oakland is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Oakland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home


10:10 PM CINCINNATI vs. LA DODGERS
Cincinnati is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Cincinnati is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
LA Dodgers are 12-3 SU in their last 15 games when playing Cincinnati
LA Dodgers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Cincinnati

[Udog]

NBA


Tuesday, May 20


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Sheet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8:30 PM DETROIT vs. BOSTON
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
Boston is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games

[Udog]

MLB


Tuesday, May 20


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baseball Today
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SCOREBOARD
Tuesday, May 20

New York Mets at Atlanta (1:05 p.m.). Tom Glavine (1-1, 4.41 ERA), coming off his first win since returning to the Braves, goes against his former team at Turner Field. The Mets send out John Maine (5-2, 2.81), who has won four straight starts.

STARS
Monday

- Jon Lester, Red Sox, pitched a no-hitter with nine strikeouts in a 7-0 victory over Kansas City.

- Albert Pujols, Cardinals, hit two homers in an 8-2 victory over San Diego.

- Evan Longoria, Rays, hit a two-run homer in the 13th inning to lift Tampa Bay to a 7-6 victory over Oakland.

- Tim Redding and Lastings Milledge, Nationals. Redding pitched 6 1-3 scoreless innings and Lastings had two doubles and two RBIs in Washington's 4-0 victory over Philadelphia.

- Clint Barmes and Yorvit Torrealba, Rockies. Barmes homered and Torrealba added a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth, leading Colorado to a 4-3 win over slumping San Francisco.

- Howie Clark, Twins, had a run-scoring single in the 12th inning to lift Minnesota to a 7-6 victory over Texas.

- Blake DeWitt and Matt Kemp, Dodgers. DeWitt drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth and Kemp had four hits in Los Angeles' 6-5 win over Cincinnati.

AMAZING FEAT

Jon Lester can now add pitching a no-hitter to his already amazing list of accomplishments. The 24-year-old lefty, who survived cancer to pitch the World Series clincher for the Boston Red Sox last fall, shut down Kansas City 7-0 Monday night for the first no-hitter in the majors this season. Lester allowed just two baserunners and struck out nine in his first major league complete game.

A NEW HOPE IN CENTER

Jacque Jones, cut by Detroit two weeks ago, reached a minor league deal with the Florida Marlins on Monday and is expected to soon become their starting center fielder. Jones will first report to extended spring training in Jupiter, Fla. He was in a 1-for-26 slump when Detroit designated him for assignment May 5. Marlins center fielders are next-to-last in the majors with a .216 average. They have combined for three homers and 14 RBIs.

NOT AGAIN!

For the second straight night, major league umpires botched a home run call. Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto was credited with a three-run, inside-the-park homer in the fourth inning Monday night despite replays showing that it should have been an automatic home run. The ball bounced just to the right of the yellow line on the wall in left-center field. Astros center fielder Michael Bourn scooped it up and threw it home, but Soto scored easily before the throw got there. The Cubs went on to beat the Astros 7-2. New York Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado was robbed of a three-run homer Sunday night after umpires reversed the call, turning it into a long foul ball. The replay of that play showed it should have been a home run.

STREAKS

San Francisco's 4-3 loss at Colorado on Monday night was its sixth straight. Giants outfielder Randy Winn hit a solo homer in the first to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. He also had a single and an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Rockies shortstop Clint Barmes led off the fourth with a solo homer to left, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. Cincinnati's 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers snapped the Reds' six-game winning streak. Adam Dunn tied a Cincinnati club record by homering in his fifth straight game.

SELLING SOME PIECES OF HISTORY

Thurman Munson's World Series rings, MVP trophy and the uniform that the former New York Yankees catcher wore for his final home game before he died in a 1979 plane crash will be auctioned off in connection with this summer's All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. Also part of the July 14-15 auction are Lou Gehrig's warmup jacket dating to the final game of his streak of playing 2,130 consecutive games, the ball from Babe Ruth's 712th home run and a bat used in a game by Jackie Robinson.

COMING BACK SOON?

Hank Blalock began an extended spring training assignment for Texas without any trouble, bringing him one step closer to returning to the Rangers' lineup. Out since April 26 because of a partially torn left hamstring, Blalock is expected to rejoin the Rangers for this weekend's series at Cleveland. Pedro Martinez threw 4 1-3 innings of a simulated game and the Mets plan to have him throw a bullpen session Wednesday or Thursday in Atlanta. Martinez has been out since straining his left hamstring April 1 in his only start of the season.

SHUTTING DOWN THE PHILLIES

Tim Redding pitched 6 1-3 scoreless innings in Washington's 4-0 victory over Philadelphia on Monday night, extending his shutout streak against the Phillies this season to 13 1-3 innings. On April 2, Redding had seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 win,the only other time the Phillies have been blanked this season.

STRUGGLING

Texas closer C.J. Wilson gave up the tying run on a single by Minnesota's Joe Mauer in the ninth inning, and the Rangers lost 7-6 in 12 innings Monday night. Wilson has now given up 11 earned runs in his last 11 1-3 innings and hasn't recorded a save since May 7.

POWER SURGE

Albert Pujols hit two mighty home runs, and Cesar Izturis and Ryan Ludwick also went yard in leading the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-2 win over the punchless San Diego Padres on Monday night. The four homers were the most in a game this year for the Cardinals, who tied their season high with 16 hits.

SPEAKING

"I can't tell you which one means more to me than the other. The World Series is, obviously, the World Series. How many people get to say they've won that? And a no-hitter is a no-hitter. How many people can say they've done that? So they're both up there. They both mean a heck of a lot to me, and something I'll cherish for a long time."-Boston left-hander Jon Lester, after pitching a no-hitter in a 7-0 victory over Kansas City on Monday night. Lester also got the win in Game 4 of Boston's sweep of Colorado in the World Series last year.

SEASONS
May 20

1919-Babe Ruth won a game on the mound and at the plate. He hit his first career grand slam as the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Browns 6-4.

1925-The Cleveland Indians scored six runs in the last of the ninth to beat the New York Yankees 10-9. Tris Speaker scored the winning run from first on a single.

1932-Paul Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit four doubles in one game.

1941-Lefty Grove of the Boston Red Sox won his 20th consecutive game at home, the longest home park streak in the major leagues. Boston beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-2.

1947-The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Braves 4-3 in a game that featured 22 hits-all singles. The Pirates had 12 singles, the Braves 10.

1953-In the 13th game of the season, the Milwaukee Braves surpassed their 1952 attendance of 281,278, when they were in Boston.

1959-The Detroit Tigers beat the Yankees, 13-6, to place New York in last place for the first time in 19 years.

1962-Chicago Cubs rookie Ken Hubbs had eight singles in eight trips to the plate. The Cubs swept the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-4 and 11-2.

1978-Willie Stargell hit a 535-foot homer off Montreal's Wayne Twitchell, the longest home run in Montreal's Olympic Stadium,to highlight the Pirates' 6-0 victory. It was also Stargell's 407th career homer, tying him with Duke Snider on the career list.

1984,Boston's Roger Clemens earned his first major league victory. The Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-4.

1991,Jeff Reardon got his 300th save and Steve Lyons and Jack Clark homered as the Boston Red Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0.

1999,Robin Ventura became the first major leaguer to hit grand slams in both games of a doubleheader, leading the New York Mets to a sweep over Milwaukee, 11-10 and 10-1. He had two slams in a game for the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 4, 1995.

2001,Barry Bonds hit two homers in the San Francisco Giants' 11-6 loss to the Atlanta Braves, giving him a total of five in two games, becoming the 23rd player in history to do so.

2006,Barry Bonds tied Babe Ruth for second place on the career home run list during San Francisco's 4-2, 10-inning victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Today's birthdays: Austin Kearns 28; Jason Werth 29; Ramon Hernandez 32.

[Udog]

NBA


Tuesday, May 20


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pick 'n' Roll: Tuesday's best NBA bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Detroit at Boston (-4 1/2, 174)

Whew. So the Celtics finally made it through - now the question is whether they keep chugging along after surviving consecutive seven-game battles.

This time they have their work cut out for them. Cleveland put up a good fight, but a team like the Celtics shouldn't have had that much trouble against a one-dimensional club like the Cavs - even if that one dimension is LeBron James.

Meanwhile, Detroit comes into Game 1 ready and rested with point guard Chauncey Billups set to return to the lineup after missing a couple games with a strained hamstring.

Detroit had its wake-up call in the first round against Philadelphia, but we still haven't seen Boston's best.

Pick: Detroit