Wednesday Trends and Indexes 06/04

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Wednesday, June 4

Good Luck on day #156 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 Wednesday

-- Barry Zito isn't the pitcher he once was, but Giants played the worst half-inning I've ever seen major league team play in fifth inning last night, allowing the Mets eight runs.

-- Pedro Martinez threw 109 pitches on a cool night as Mets held on to beat Giants 9-6; lot of pitches for first start back.

-- Braves are 24-7 at home, 7-22 on road. Go figure.

-- Yorvit Torrealba got drilled in top of 8th inning, then got into scuffle with Matt Kemp in bottom of 8th. Worse for the Dodgers is that Iannetta replaced the ejected Torrealba and hit a home run in top of the ninth in Colorado's 3-0 win.

-- There have been total of 62 runs in last three Texas games.

-- How hideous is this season for the Tigers? They are now using Casey Fossum as a lefty reliever; Detroit had its 4th walk-off loss in last eight games, as Jack Cust got an 80-foot infield hit with bases loaded to win game Tuesday night.

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

[pm530]

Wednesday's List of 13: Runnin' the bases in the AL

This week, we're choosing the best pitcher for each team over the last 45 years or so, since the early 60's......................

Orioles-- Jim Palmer went 268-152 in 19 years with Baltimore, is now one of their TV announcers; he had 2.61 RA in his fifteen career postseason starts. O's had four 20-game winners in '71.

Red Sox-- Say what you want about him, but Roger Clemens is best modern Boston pitcher, going 192-111 in 13 seasons with Red Sox. He had only one win in nine postseason starts while a Boston pitcher- he had 11 in 25 starts after leaving Red Sox.

White Sox--No standouts here; Wilbur Wood once went 24-20 and started both ends of twinbill, Dotson-Fernandez-Burns are all candidates, as are Buehrle, Vazquez, but Bobby Thigpen is holder of record for most saves in a season (57) and had total of 201 saves in eight years with the Pale Hose. He's our guy.

Indians-- McDowell-Perry-Sabathia have all been good, but in period from 1998-2002, Bartolo Colon went 71-36 for Tribe, as they made playoffs three times, revitalizing franchise that had been on death's doorstep. He's my choice for the Indians.

Detroit-- Denny McLain won 55 games in two years, but then his career and life fell apart; Jack Morris was 198-150 as Tiger, but Mickey Lolich won 207 games for Detroit, including three in '68 World Series. Plus, he owned a doughnut shop.

Kansas City-- Bret Saberhagen went 92-61 from 1984-89, as the Royals won '85 World Series in happier times. Dennis Leonard was 144-106 for Royals, Paul Splittorff 166-143. Tough call, we go with Splittorff, who now is Big 12 college hoop announcer.

LA Angels-- Nolan Ryan went 138-121 as an Angel; ABC used to televise 8pm Monday night games, and if Angels were home team, those were 5pm local starts, which was unfair with Ryan on the hill, throwing aspirin tablets through the shadows.

Minnesota-- Bery Blyleven holds record for giving up the most homers in one season (50); he also won 287 games, 149 of them for the Twins. Jim Kaat was really good, as were Morris, Viola, Santana, but when I think Twins' pitching, I think Blyleven.

Bronx-- Mariano Rivera has saved 458 games, allowing Bronx to basically play an 8-inning game, knowing they'd own the 9th In 117.1 postseason innings, he allowed only 88 batters to get on base. He is going to be a difficult guy to replace.

Oakland-- James Augustus (Catfish) Hunter was 7-2 in dozen postseason starts for Oakland; he threw a perfect game in 1968 a year after he pitched five innings in All-Star Game, when the game went long and AL was out of pitchers. Tony Perez beat him with a homer that day, but Catfish beat Perez in '72 Series.

Seattle-- Mark Langston, Jamie Moyer merit consideration and maybe someday Felix Hernandez will be here, but for now, it is Randy Johnson (130-73 pitching in Kingdome) who is the best Mariner pitcher of them all.

Tampa Bay-- Any discussion of Rays' history involves 2008, and only 2008, so take your pick between Kazmir and Shields. They both represent the progress this team has made. Kazmir is more spectacular, Shields less injury-prone. I'll take Shields.

Texas-- I chose Nolan Ryan as top pitcher for three teams, not sure what that says about the three teams. Rangers aren't rich in pitching history, but they do have Ryan, who went 51-39 as a Ranger, at the tail-end of his career. Thats good for Texas.

Toronto--Dave Stieb went 175-134 for Blue Jays; he was such a good pitcher, he wrote book called "Tomorrow I'll Be Perfect". Jays have also had Morris and Key; eventually, Roy Halladay (118-60) night overtake Stieb, but not yet.

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

[pm530]

National Hockey League – Long Sheet

NHL
Long Sheet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DETROIT (69-26-0-8, 146 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (61-32-0-8, 130 pts.) - 6/4/2008, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 61-40 ATS (-7.4 Units) in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 41-22 ATS (+5.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 32-22 ATS (+2.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PITTSBURGH is 22-14 ATS (+6.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
DETROIT is 88-47 ATS (+17.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 5-2 (+1.1 Units) against the spread versus PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 5-2-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+4.2 Units)

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

[pm530]

National Hockey League - Short Sheet

NHL
Short Sheet

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 4th
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stanley Cup Finals
Game Six
Red Wings Lead, 3-2
Detroit at Pittsburgh, 8:05 ET

Detroit:
40-13 SU off an Over
17-5 SU Away off OT loss

Pittsburgh:
5-13 SU at home off 3+ non-conf games
0-2 SU as home underdog

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

[pm530]

National Hockey League – Write up

NHL
Write-up

Wednesday, June 4

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

2008 NHL playoffs

Experience helped Detroit gain 3-1 series edge, but now that the Penguins survived 3-OT elimination game Monday, scoring the tying goal in last minute of regulation, will the younger legs be a factor in helping Pens push series back to Detroit for deciding Game 7? Penguins are 6-1 in playoffs when game goes over the total; they're 9-1 at home in playoffs, losing last home game 2-1 Saturday night. Detroit was first team in decades to give up the tying goal in last minute of regulation, when they had chance to win the Stanley Cup that night.

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

[pm530]

National Hockey League – Additional

NHL


Wednesday, June 4

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

8:00 PM DETROIT vs. PITTSBURGH
Detroit is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Detroit is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games
Pittsburgh is 17-1 SU in its last 18 games at home

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

[pm530]

National Hockey League – Hot Lines

NHL
Hot Lines


Wednesday, June 4

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice picks: Today’s NHL bets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Detroit at Pittsburgh (+115, 5)

You have to give the Penguins credit for scraping out a triple-overtime victory in Detroit when it looked like they were absolutely done mid-way through the third period of regulation time.

They aren't selling themselves short. Ryan Malone kept hopping the boards after Hal Gill's bonehead riser from the point caught him flush in his already-broken beak. Then Sergei Gonchar nearly crashed through the end boards after hustling back to pressure Mikael Samuelsson a 2-on-1 that Marc-Andre Fleury somehow got his toe on. Gonchar spent the majority of the next three periods on the bench before setting up the winner deep into overtime. It was countless plays like these that earned Pittsburgh another home game.

The Pens just didn't quit when a lot of young teams, or experienced teams for that matter, would have. That said, it only gets tougher for Pens from here on out - even if they're back home for Game 6.

Detroit was off its game from the beginning of Game 5. Chris Osgood fought the puck all night and the Wings missed defensive assignments and kept turning the puck over in tough spots. And they were still the better team for most of the game and should be swigging from the Cup now instead of lacing up for Game 6.

That should be enough motivation in itself for the Wings to make sure that the next time they come back to Detroit it's for the Stanley Cup Parade, not Game 7.

Pick: Detroit

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

[pm530]

National Hockey League - Gameday

NHL
Gameday


Wednesday, June 4

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stanley Cup Gameday
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Penguins survived Game 5 in Detroit on Monday night, but they will need to post another victory in another must-win game back in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

The Penguins looked to be in good shape in Game 5 after jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first period. Marian Hossa netted his 11th goal of the postseason, while Adam Hall also found the back of the net. Detroit quickly struck back with a goal from Darren Helm in the second period, while Pavel Datsyuk and Brian Rafalski scored in the third period to give Detroit a 3-2 lead. They started polishing the Stanley Cup in preparation to present it to Detroit, but Max Talbot postponed the celebrations after netting the game-tying goal with only 35 seconds to go in the game.

After two scoreless overtime periods Pittsburgh went on the power play after Jiri Hudler was assessed a high-sticking penalty. Petr Sykora finally gave everyone some much-needed rest, scoring the game-winner to give the Pens new life in the series. Sidney Crosby recorded a pair of assists in the game to increase his playoff-leading scoring total to 26 points.

The real stars of the epic game on Monday night were the goaltenders. Pittsburgh netminder Marc-Andre Fleury faced 58 shots in the game and made 55 saves to secure the win. Chris Osgood made 28 saves, but that was one too few for Detroit.

Injuries plagued the Penguins on Monday night, as both Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Malone left the game in the third period. Gonchar went head first into the boards, while Malone took a puck in the face minutes later. Both Gonchar and Malone returned to the ice in overtime, so they should be in the Pittsburgh lineup for Game 6.

The puck drops on Game 6 at 8 pm ET on Wednesday night, with the visiting Wings currently listed as -130 favorites to win the game and hoist the Stanley Cup. If the Penguins can pull out the win as +110 underdogs, Game 7 will be played in Detroit on Saturday night.

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

[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Wednesday, June 4

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

Hot Pitchers
-- Parra is 1-0, 2.84 in his last two home starts.
-- Volquez is 7-1, 1.48 in eleven starts this season.
-- Wellemeyer is 3-0, 2.42 in his last four starts.
-- Struggling Padres won four of last five Maddux starts.

-- Duchscherer is 3-0, 1.35 in his three home starts.
-- Weaver is 2-1, 2.96 in his last four starts.
-- Jackson has 0.68 RA in last two road starts, but is 0-1, 5.73 in two starts vs Boston this year. Red Sox are 3-0 in Beckett home starts, scoring 27 runs.
-- Bronx won seven of last eight Mussina starts. Litsch is 3-0 in his last three starts, with a 0.83 RA.
-- Indians won eight of ten Lee starts this season. Rangers won five of last seven Ponson starts.
-- Cabrera is 3-0, 3.06 in his last five starts.
-- Danks has a 2,31 RA in his last four starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Glavine has 5.24 RA in his last four starts. Hendrickson is 0-2, 10.43 in his last three road starts.
-- Owings is 1-2, 5.59 in his last three starts.
-- Giant bullpen lost last three Cain starts (0-0, 4.95).
-- Cook has 6.38 RA in his last three road starts. Kershaw has a 5.59 RA in two starts, but Dodgers won both games.
-- Maine is 0-2, 6.75 in his last three starts.
-- Myers is 1-4, 7.67 in his last five starts.
-- Astros lost last three Oswalt starts (0-2, 6.63). Duke is 0-2 in his last three starts, with a 6.61 RA.
-- Lannan is 1-3, 3.70 in his last four starts.
-- Lilly has 9.90 RA in his last two starts, but Cubs won five of his last six outings.

-- Robertson has 5.60 RA in his last three starts.
-- Silva is 0-3, 17.72 in his last three starts.
-- Perkins has 5.24 RA in four home starts.
-- Hochevar is 0-3, 8.83 in his last three starts, during which the Royals were outscored 18-1.

Hot Teams
-- Phillies won eight of their last nine games.
-- Braves are 17-3 in their last twenty home games.
-- Brewers won eight of their last nine games.
-- Cubs won their last nine games.
-- Cardinals won eleven of their last sixteen games.
-- Mets won six of their last eight games.

-- Red Sox won four of their last five games. Rays are 10-4 in last fourteen games.
-- Toronto is 10-4 in its last fourteen road games.
-- Rangers are 11-5 in their last sixteen home games.
-- A's won their last three games, scoring 21 runs.
-- Angels are 11-4 in their last fifteen games.

Cold Teams
-- Reds are 3-14 in their last seventeen road games.
-- Pirates lost seven of their last nine games. Astros lost five of their last six games, scoring eight runs.
-- Nationals lost four of last five games, scoring one run in their last three games.
-- Marlins lost nine of their last eleven road games.
-- Arizona lost seven of their last nine games.
-- Padres are 8-14 in their last 22 home games.
-- Dodgers lost nine of last twelve games. Rockies are 6-17 in their last twenty-three games.
-- Giants lost eight of their last ten home games.

-- Bronx lost last three games, allowing twenty runs.
-- Orioles lost four of their last six games. .
-- Indians are 2-10 in their last twelve road games.
-- White Sox lost three of their last four games. Royals lost nine in a row on the road, outscored 58-21.
-- Twins lost eight of their last twelve home games.
-- Tigers are 3-6 in the last nine games- they're 1-30 scoring four or less runs.
-- Mariners lost four of their last five games.

Totals
-- Over is 10-3-1 in last fourteen Florida road games.
-- Over is 3-1 in last four Owings road starts.
-- 11 of last 14 Dodger games stayed under the total.
-- Eight of last eleven Giant games went over the total.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Volquez starts.
-- Over is 8-2 in Duke's last ten starts.
-- Five of last seven Wellemeyer starts stayed under.
-- Three of last four Lilly starts went over the total.

-- Under is 10-3-1 in last fourteen Detroit road games.
-- Five of last seven Silva starts went over the total.
-- Jackson's last three road starts all went over the total.
-- Last three Mussina starts all went over the total.
-- Six of last eight Texas games went over the total.
-- Ten of last fourteen Minnesota home games went over.
-- Eight of last nine White Sox games stayed under the total, as have all eight Hochevar starts.

Umpires
-- Fla-Atl-- Four of last five Reliford games stayed under total.
-- Az-Mil-- Five of last six Dreckman games went over total.
-- Colo-LA-- Four of last five Diaz games went over; underdog won five of his last eight games behind the plate.
-- NY-SF-- Favorite won eight of last nine Vanover games; over is 3-0-1 in his last four games behind dish.
-- Cin-Phil-- Underdog is 9-2 in last 11 TWelke games, with six of his last games staying under the total.
-- Hst-Pitt-- Favorite won nine of last ten Reilly games.
-- StL-Wsh-- Last three Barksdale games stayed under total.
-- Chi-SD-- Three of four Hohn games stayed under the total.

-- Det-A's-- Underdog is 7-3 in last ten Hernandez games.
-- LA-Sea-- Five of last seven Wolf games stayed under total.
-- TB-Bos-- Seven of last eight Emmel games stayed under.
-- Tor-NY-- Home side won last seven Bucknor games (under is 5-2 in those seven games).
-- Clev-Tex- Five of last six Timmons games stayed under.
-- Balt-Minn-- Over is 3-0-1 in last four Hoye games; home side won his last five games behind plate.
-- KC-Chi-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Miller games; underdogs are 7-3 in his last ten.

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

[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Additional

MLB


Wednesday, June 4

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

1:10 PM FLORIDA vs. ATLANTA
Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Florida is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games at home
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Florida


2:05 PM ARIZONA vs. MILWAUKEE
Arizona is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Arizona is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
Milwaukee is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Arizona
Milwaukee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home


3:10 PM COLORADO vs. LA DODGERS
Colorado is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
Colorado is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
LA Dodgers are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing Colorado
LA Dodgers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado


3:37 PM DETROIT vs. OAKLAND
Detroit is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
Detroit is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Oakland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Detroit
Oakland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit


3:45 PM NY METS vs. SAN FRANCISCO
NY Mets are 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
NY Mets are 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Francisco
San Francisco is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against NY Mets
San Francisco is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing NY Mets


4:40 PM LA ANGELS vs. SEATTLE
LA Angels are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
LA Angels are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Seattle
Seattle is 2-6 SU in their last 8 games when playing at home against LA Angels
Seattle is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Angels


7:05 PM CINCINNATI vs. PHILADELPHIA
Cincinnati is 3-13-1 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Cincinnati is 3-7-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 6-1-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
Philadelphia is 7-1-1 SU in its last 9 games


7:05 PM HOUSTON vs. PITTSBURGH
Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Houston
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston


7:05 PM TAMPA BAY vs. BOSTON
Tampa Bay is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games


7:05 PM TORONTO vs. NY YANKEES
Toronto is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games on the road
Toronto is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
NY Yankees are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games at home


7:10 PM ST. LOUIS vs. WASHINGTON
St. Louis is 0-4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 3-7-1 SU in its last 11 games at home
Washington is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games


8:05 PM CLEVELAND vs. TEXAS
Cleveland is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games
Cleveland is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Texas is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Texas is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games at home


8:10 PM BALTIMORE vs. MINNESOTA
Baltimore is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
Baltimore is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Baltimore
Minnesota is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Baltimore


8:11 PM KANSAS CITY vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Kansas City is 4-9 SU in their last 13 games when playing Chi White Sox
Kansas City is 3-8 SU in their last 11 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games at home
Chi White Sox are 13-6 SU in their last 19 games


10:05 PM CHI CUBS vs. SAN DIEGO
Chi Cubs are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against San Diego
Chi Cubs are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing San Diego
San Diego is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
San Diego is 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs

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

[pm530]

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


Wednesday, June 4

We will update when projected scores are available.

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

Colorado Rockies at Los Angeles Dodgers [3:10 PM ET]

Rockies: Aaron Cook is one of the few starting pitchers that is getting the job done for Colorado this season, going 7-3 with a 3.36 ERA. While he's pitched well overall, Cook is coming off his worst outing of the year against the Cubs, giving up 10 hits and seven runs in 6.1 innings of work. Cook already owns a win over the Dodgers this season after giving up just two runs in seven innings pitched back on May 4. Three of Cook's last four starts have gone OVER the total.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Dodgers (-135, O/U 8): The Dodgers have won each of Clayton Kershaw's first two career starts but the rookie was hit pretty hard in his second outing against the Mets. After a strong performance at home against the Cardinals, the Mets touched up Kershaw for four runs in 3.2 innings. Opposing teams are hitting .270 against Kershaw over his brief career.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox [ESPN | 7:05 PM ET]

Rays: Edwin Jackson doesn't have a great record in 2008 (3-4) but he's pitched well overall for the Rays. In 11 starts this season, Jackson has given up one run or less five times. Unlike some of the other Rays pitchers, Jackson has actually performed well on the road, sporting a 3.09 ERA away from Tropicana Field. After the first four games Jackson appeared in went under the total, four of his last six have gone OVER.

Rays are 9-43 in the last 52 meetings at Boston.
The OVER is 8-1 in Tampa Bay's last 9 games as a road underdog.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Red Sox (-170, O/U 9): Josh Beckett hasn't been dominating this season, going 5-4 with a 4.30 ERA so far in 2008. The problem for Beckett- like it was two years ago – has been the long ball. Beckett has already given up 11 home runs this season, including four in one game versus the Brewers. Beckett is a perfect 3-0 at Fenway Park but his ERA is an unimpressive 5.40. Four of Beckett's last five starts have gone UNDER the total.

Red Sox are 40-12 in their last 52 home games.

Key Injuries - DH David Ortiz (.252; wrist) is on the 15-day DL.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Cincinnati Reds at Philadelphia Phillies [7:05 PM ET]

Reds: Edinson Volquez has been sensational this season but now he'll have to go up against the red hot Phillies lineup. Volquez has given up two runs or less in nine of his 10 starts this year, helping six of those outings go under the total. Volquez is just 2-2 on the road this season but a lot of that has to do with a lack of run support, seeing that his ERA away from home is a sparkling 1.17.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Phillies (-125, O/U 9.5): Brett Myers has really been struggling of late, losing four of his last five starts. In his previous 29.1 innings of work, Myers has given up an alarming 25 runs. The Phillies have suffered overall with Myers on the mound, losing six of his last seven starts. Myers has faired better at home however, going 3-1 with a 4.12 ERA in six starts.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Cleveland Indians at Texas Rangers [8:05 PM ET]

Indians (-145, O/U 10): Cliff Lee and his minute 1.88 ERA square off against a good hitting Rangers squad. Lee has been remarkable this season, allowing two or fewer runs seven times. Not surprisingly, Lee has been an under machine, with seven of his 10 starts coming in under the total. Being on the road shouldn't bother Lee tonight. He's 5-1 with an impressive 1.91 ERA away from home this season.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Rangers: Sidney Ponson is battling for Comeback Player of the Year honors at the moment thanks to his 4-1 record and 3.83 ERA in 2008. Ponson hasn't been dominating in all of his starts this year, although he has allowed just one run on three separate occasions. The honeymoon could end for Ponson tonight, however. He's 0-7 in his career against the Indians, with a 9.47 ERA. Tribe hitters are batting an obscene .342 versus Ponson in 12 games against the veteran.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres [WGN | 10:05 PM ET]

Cubs (-130, O/U 8): Chicago's Ted Lilly is a perfect 4-0 lifetime vs. San Diego with an impressive 2.93 ERA, and he will look to rebound from a rough start last time out against Colorado. Lilly surrendered seven runs and eight hits in just three innings of work, but his teammates were able to rally back from an eight-run deficit for a 10-9 victory. He struck out a season-high 11 batters in his first meeting with the Padres earlier this season back on May 14th.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Padres: San Diego's Greg Maddux owns an outstanding 12-4 career mark against his former team with a 2.71 ERA, but a bulk of those wins came as a member of the Braves. Maddux got shelled in the last meeting at Chicago on May 15th, giving up four runs and 11 hits in just 4.1 innings of work. He has been much better at home though, going 1-0 in five starts with a stellar 1.84 ERA.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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

[pm530]

MLB


Wednesday, June 4

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

SCOREBOARD

Wednesday, June 4

Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m. National League ERA leader Edinson Volquez (7-2, 1.46 ERA) tries again for his first win since May 18 when he faces the Phillies' Brett Myers (3-6, 5.52).


STARS

Tuesday

- Jeff Francis, Rockies, pitched seven shutout innings to help the defending NL champions end a franchise-record 13-game road skid - the longest in the majors since Seattle dropped 15 in a row from June 22-July 28, 2004 - with a 3-0 victory over the Dodgers.

- Chipper Jones, Braves, homered in the first, the 399th of his career, to help Atlanta beat Florida 5-4. He finished 2-for-4 to push his average from .407 to .409.

- Kaz Matsui, Astros, went 4-for-4 with a sacrifice and scored both runs for Houston in a 2-0 win over Pittsburgh.

- Joe Saunders, Angels, allowed one earned run in seven innings to become the AL's first nine-game winner as Los Angeles beat Seattle 5-4.

- Josh Hamilton, Rangers, homered in a career-high fourth straight game to help Texas win 12-7 over Cleveland. He extend his career-best hitting streak to 18 games and leads the AL with 17 homers and 67 RBIs.


STUCK ON 599

Ken Griffey Jr. walked as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning to remain one shy of 600 home runs. Griffey wasn't in the Reds' lineup for the second straight game because of general soreness. He's been bothered by a sore left knee, though he could return Wednesday. Junior represented the tying run when he came up with one out, but walked on four pitches and pitcher Bronson Arroyo ran for him. A sellout crowd gave Griffey a standing ovation and booed when reliever Tom Gordon didn't throw a strike.


STRIKE 'EM OUT

Randy Johnson broke a tie with Roger Clemens to take sole possession of second place on baseball's career strikeout list in the first inning when he fanned Milwaukee's Mike Cameron. That gave the Big Unit 4,673 strikeouts, still far behind Nolan Ryan's 5,714. Despite pitching well, Johnson and the Diamondbacks lost to the Brewers 7-1.


STATS

Chipper Jones of Atlanta went 2-for-4 with his 13th homer, lifting his major league-leading average from .407 to .409. ... Washington ended a 22-inning scoreless drought, which included back-to-back shutout losses at Arizona, when Ryan Langerhans had an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fifth of a 6-1 loss to St. Louis. ... Derek Jeter singled in the ninth inning to tie Mickey Mantle for third on the Yankees' career list with 2,415 hits. ... Eric Chavez hit a tying home run in Oakland's 5-4 win over Detroit in extra innings. It was his first since July 15.


WELCOME BACK

Pedro Martinez came off the disabled list to make his second 2008 start for the New York Mets in a 9-6 victory over the San Francisco Giants, more than two months after leaving his first start of the year April 1 with a hamstring injury.

Martinez (1-0) even got to celebrate a pair of singles and an RBI that helped his cause and improved his line, which read: six innings, seven hits, three runs, three walks and three strikeouts on 109 pitches.


OUCH!

Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols left the game against Washington with tightness in his left calf. He was removed for a pinch runner immediately after being hit in the left shoulder by a pitch from Nationals reliever Jesus Colome in the top of the fourth inning. The game had recently resumed after a 1-hour, 51-minute rain delay. St. Louis won 6-1.


REHABBING

Braves pitcher Mike Hampton worked off a mound for the first time in more than a month, Hampton threw about 25 pitches - all fastballs - and reported no problems from a strained left pectoral muscle. He plans to throw again on Thursday and increase his output to around 40 pitches. ... Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya made his first rehab start for Class-A Lakeland, hitting triple digits on the radar gun twice in his two inning outing. Zumaya is coming back from offseason shoulder surgery.


SPEAKING

"I'm not used to acting in that way. It's not in my character. It was out of frustration. We were losing the game and it was stupid - really stupid. It was not a good decision on my part. But it happened, and we have to deal with whatever happens after it.'' - Dodgers' Matt Kemp after getting into a brawl with Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba in the eighth inning of Los Angeles' 3-0 loss to Colorado on Tuesday night. Kemp was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

SEASONS

June 4

1940 - The Pirates beat the Boston Bees 14-2 in the first night game at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field.

1940 - The St. Louis Cardinals play their first night game at Sportsman's Park, beating the Brooklyn Dodgers 10-1.

1951 - Pittsburgh's Gus Bell hit for the cycle to lead the Pirates to a 12-4 victory over the Phillies at Philadelphia.

1964 - Sandy Koufax pitched his third no-hitter, striking out 12, as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Phillies 3-0 in Philadelphia.

1968 - Don Drysdale of the Dodgers blanked the Pirates 5-0 for his sixth straight shutout en route to a record 58 2-3 scoreless innings.

1974 - The game between the Cleveland Indians and the Texas Rangers at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium was forfeited to Texas. Umpire Nestor Chylak had problems with the fans throughout the evening - primarily because it was 10-cent beer night. They got out of control when the Tribe tied the score 5-5 in the bottom of the ninth.

1990 - Ramon Martinez struck out 18 batters and pitched a three-hitter as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 6-0.

1996 - Pamela Davis pitched one inning of scoreless relief and got the win in a minor league exhibition game. She is believed to be the first woman to pitch for a major league farm club under the current structure of the minor league system. Davis, a 21-year-old right-hander, pitched for the Jacksonville Suns, a Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, against the Australian Olympic team.

2000 - Tampa Bay's Esteban Yan became the 77th major league player to homer in his first at-bat. Yan was the fourth American League pitcher to do so and the first since California's Don Rose in 1972, the year before the DH rule took the bat out of AL pitchers' hands.

2005 - Rafael Palmeiro and Melvin Mora each hit grand slams to help Baltimore rally for a 14-7 win over Detroit.

2007 - Mark Ellis hit for the cycle and Eric Chavez hit a two-out homer in the 11th inning to lift Oakland to a 5-4 win over Boston.

Today's birthdays: Cla Meredith 25; J.C. Romero 32; Darin Erstad 34.

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

[pm530]

WNBA – Additional

WNBA


Wednesday, June 4

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

7:30 PM SEATTLE vs. DETROIT
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Seattle is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

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

[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Dunkel Index

NBA
Dunkel Index

LA Lakers at Boston
The old rivalry renewed, the Celtics open up at home and come into the contest with a 7-3 ATS record this season against Pacific division opponents, including 2-0 versus the Lakers. Boston is the pick in Game One (-2 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Celtics favored by 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Boston (-2 1/2). Here are all of today's games.

THURSDAY, JUNE 5

Game 501-502: LA Lakers at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: LA Lakers 127.394; Boston 131.806
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 4 1/2; 195
Vegas Line & Total: Boston by 2 1/2; 192
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-2 1/2); Over

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