Tuesday Trends and Indexes 8/12

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Trends and Indexes
Tuesday August 12

Good Luck on day #225 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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Daily Sports Roundup

Tuesday, August 12

Cole Hamels will be gunning for his 10th win of the year on Tuesday night when the Phillies continue their road series in Los Angeles. Here's your Daily Sports Roundup …

Event of the day . . .

Philadelphia is still trying to hold off both the Mets and the Marlins in the tight NL East standings, while Los Angeles is looking to overtake the Diamondbacks in the race for top spot in the NL West. Those two clubs will play the second game of their west-coast series on Tuesday night, beginning at 10:10pm ET.

Hamels (9-8, 3.35 ERA) hasn't earned a win since July 3, and Philadelphia is just 2-4 over his last six starts. However, the lefthander pitched well enough to win in most of those games, holding opponents to just two earned runs in four of the outings. Hamels' ERA has increased just marginally during the drought - from 3.22 to its current 3.35.

Opposing Hamels on Tuesday night will be the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw (2-3, 3.71 ERA), who has picked up two wins in his past three starts. The lefthander, in fact, has given up just one earned run on 11 hits over his last 19 innings of work, which has dropped his ERA from a high of 5.18 on July 22 to its respectable 3.71 of today.

Non-event of the day . . .

The Indians and Orioles will offer up a underwhelming pitching matchup on Tuesday in Cleveland - Garret Olson (8-6, 6.06 ERA) for the Orioles, and Jeremy Sowers (1-6, 5.70 ERA) for the Indians. The Giants and Astros will stage a battle of also-rans on Tuesday as well, but at least that game will feature some good arms - Tim Lincecum (12-3, 2.68 ERA) for San Francisco, and Roy Oswalt (9-8, 4.56 ERA) for Houston.

Also on the schedule . . .

Other NL games on tap for Tuesday include Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, the Mets at Washington, the Cubs at Atlanta, St. Louis at Florida, Arizona at Colorado, and Milwaukee at San Diego. Edinson Volquez (Reds), Johan Santana (Mets), and Rich Harden (Cubs) are the notable hurlers on that slate.

Filling out the AL schedule on Tuesday are Texas at Boston, Toronto at Detroit, the Yankees at Minnesota, Kansas City at the White Sox, Tampa Bay at Oakland, and Seattle at the Angels. Jarrod Washburn (5-11, 4.76 ERA) is scheduled to pitch that game for the Mariners, but his name is still coming up in trade rumors.

And for early risers, the USA men's basketball team faces Angola at 8:00am ET on Tuesday morning; that game will be followed by Argentina vs. Australia at 10:15am. After that, the Americans will be off until Thursday morning at 8:00am, when they'll take on Greece in their third game of the Olympic tournament.

News from the wire . . .

The Diamondbacks bolstered their lineup by picking up slugging outfielder Adam Dunn from the Reds on Monday afternoon . . . the Blue Jays placed third baseman Scott Rolen on the disabled list . . . Rangers reliever C.J. Wilson will have elbow surgery and miss the rest of the season . . . Seahawks wide receiver Bobby Engram broke a bone in his shoulder and will be out of action for the next 6-8 weeks.

Peek at the future . . .

John Maine (9-7, 4.13 ERA) is expected to return from the disabled list and pitch for the Mets against the Nationals on Wednesday . . . the PGA's Wyndham Championship and the LPGA's CN Canadian Women's Open both get underway on Thursday morning . . . the drivers of the Sprint Cup Series are en route to Michigan International Speedway this week for Sunday's 3M Performance 400.

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Six-pack for Tuesday

-- Mets bullpen continued to botch games as Heilman blew another save, with Pirates scoring three in 9th for a 7-5 win. Met bullpen has a 7.39 ERA so far in August.

-- Manny Ramirez has 13 RBI in his first 10 games for LA.

-- Danks had no-hitter into sixth, but then Boston bunched some hits and beat the White Sox, 5-1.

-- Twins' Perkins' wife had a baby Sunday, then he went and blanked Bronx for eight innings in a 4-0 Minnesota win.

-- Arizona acquired Adam Dunn (HR every 11.7 ABs); after Dunn, the most frequent HR hitter for Arizona is shortstop Stephen Drew (HR every 31.4 AB).

-- Aaron Rodgers was 9-15/117 yards in his debut as Packer starting QB; no one will know until the regular games start, but the young man looked just fine Monday night.

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Tuesday's List of 13: Runnin' the bases in National League

16) Nationals— As far as prospects go, they’re using 2B Bonifacio (acquired for Jon Rauch) as leadoff hitter. Milledge is coming around, Dukes is hurt again. Could be major overhaul in front office this winter.

15) Reds— Lost last six games, all at home, including four to streaking Astros; young pitchers seem to have hit wall. Harang hasn’t been same since long relief outing in San Diego Memorial Day weekend.

14) Rockies— Early returns on Livan Hernandez addition (2.2 IP, nine runs) not good; not moving Fuentes looks like bad move now. Front office has to decide which was the fluke, last season or this one?

13) Pirates—Karstens started Buc career with 15 scoreless IP vs. first-place teams; not bad. Problem with trades is now they have Moss-McLouth-Pearce outfield, with nowhere for prize prospect McCutchen to play. One of those four has to learn how to play first base, or one has to be moved for a pitcher.

12) Giants—They play better against Dodgers. If I were Brian Sabean, letting Matt Cain throw 126 pitches in a meaningless (for them) August game would be strictly prohibited.

11) Braves—Infante has proven to be productive, versatile; too bad they don’t have about four more guys like him. Poor Greg Norton was on Rays last two years; now that they’re good, he’s on first awful Braves team since the early 90’s.

10) Padres—They're not far away from being contender, but hard for them to recruit free agent hitters, because of spacious Petco. Brian Giles blew off trade to contending Red Sox to stay here, so it must be a damned good place to live.

9) Astros—They were scoffed at for adding Hawkins/Wolf, but when you add players at deadline, it sends message that front office cares, and now Astros are hot, winning 11 of last 14 games. Good for them.

8) Dodgers—Went 2-4 on road trip, despite Manny’s hot hitting. Still think they’re in market for one more relief pitcher, especially after pair of late losses by the by this weekend. Blake has been solid addition.

7) Diamondbacks—On pace to be worst team to ever make playoffs; would think young Scherzer has to come back to energize back end of rotation. Brandon Webb deserves serious consideration for MVP.

6) Marlins—Signed Paul Loduca to minor league deal, a move Rays probably should have made. Getting Johnson/Sanchez back from injury has been huge. I dare you to find an easy out in their everyday lineup.

5) Cardinals—If they lost Carpenter Sunday, that’s a disaster. Hanging in playoff race when they weren’t even expected to contend this season. If I were them, would try and find someone on the waiver wire who can give the club immediate boost, and I know, that ain’t easy to find.

4) Metropolitans—Nitwit owners have a team in new UFL, so brand-new Citi Field will be torn up due to football from Labor Day on every year, as long as that league lasts. If they were getting into the football business, shouldn’t the stadium seat more than 41-42,000?

3) Phillies—Went scoreless for 23 innings last week, but when dust cleared Sunday night, they were still on top of NL East race. Blanton has helped the cause. Interesting west coast trip this week.

2) Brewers—Starting pitchers allowed one run in 25 innings over last three games; yeah, I know it was against Nationals, but they were first team in last four years to have back/back complete game shutouts.

1) Cubs—Have most weapons of any team in league, plus manager who has won a title. Must keep Wood healthy, or bullpen becomes a serious issue. This has nothing to do with the Cubs, but only grass fields left in major leagues that still host pro football are in Miami, Oakland, and even those teams could be getting new stadiums in next five years.

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Baseball Today

MLB


Tuesday, August 12

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Baseball Today
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SCOREBOARD

Tuesday, Aug. 12

New York at Minnesota (8:10 p.m. EDT). Mike Mussina (15-7, 3.27 ERA) goes for his 16th win, something he hasn't achieved since winning 17 games in 2003. He'll face Nick Blackburn (9-6, 3.60) and the Twins, who are trying to beat out the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.


STARS

Monday

- Glen Perkins, Twins, pitched eight innings of four-hit ball and Minnesota shut out the reeling Yankees 4-0.

- Josh Beckett, Red Sox, struck out eight and allowed a run and seven hits in eight innings as Boston beat the Chicago White Sox 5-1.

- Nick Markakis, Orioles, went 3-for-5 with a double, home run and four RBIs in Baltimore's 13-8 loss to Cleveland.

- Rod Barajas, Blue Jays, had a home run and three RBIs to help Toronto beat Detroit 7-2.

- Brandon Backe, Astros, allowed a run and four hits in seven innings with six strikeouts to help Houston beat San Francisco 3-1.

- Joel Pineiro, Cardinals, gave up one earned run and seven hits in seven innings, and St. Louis held off Florida 4-2.


PROUD PAPA

Brand new papa Glen Perkins pitched eight outstanding innings to help Minnesota beat reeling New York 4-0. Perkins allowed four hits and three walks while striking out four. The 25-year-old Perkins kept the veteran Yankees hitters on ice less than 24 hours after being in the hospital with his wife for the birth of their second daughter. Perkins wasn't even sure he was going to be able to make the start when he went to the hospital on Sunday to be with his wife, Alisha.


BULLPEN BREAKDOWN

Aaron Heilman and the Mets' shaky bullpen had another ninth-inning meltdown, losing 7-5 to the Pirates. The Mets led 5-1 when Pedro Martinez left after six innings, but five relievers couldn't preserve the edge. It marked the ninth time this season New York lost a game in which it led in the eighth inning or later. The Mets have struggled lately minus injured All-Star closer Billy Wagner. Heilman gave up three runs in the ninth, retiring only one batter for his third blown save in five opportunities.


TIGER TIFF

Gary Sheffield said he wants to play every day and the nine-time All-Star feels he's in a platoon for the Detroit Tigers. Manager Jim Leyland said he's "flabbergasted'' by Sheffield's comments, which were published in a Boston Globe story and repeated Monday. Leyland said Sheffield played in 39 of 51 games before going on the disabled list in May and played in 36 of the last 43 games, entering Monday's series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. "Anybody that has a brain knows that's not a platoon,'' Leyland said. Sheffield stuck with his take on the situation after hearing Leyland's side of the story.


NO NO-NOS

White Sox pitcher John Danks and the Giants' Jonathan Sanchez both took no-hitters into the sixth inning, and lost. Danks didn't allow a hit against the Red Sox until Kevin Youkilis' broken-bat single with one out in the seventh, and then J.D. Drew doubled to give Boston a 2-1 lead. The Red Sox held on to win 5-1. Sanchez didn't allow a hit for five innings against the Astros, but again got no support from San Francisco's bats. The Giants have scored one run or less during 12 of his 24 appearances this season. Humberto Quintero led off the Houston sixth with a broken-bat single just over shortstop Ivan Ochoa. Backe beat out a bunt that got past Sanchez and Kaz Matsui advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt. Ty Wigginton then singled to center field to give Houston a 2-1 lead, and the Astros won, 3-1.


WINNING TRADITION

Jonathan Broxton's four-out save secured the Los Angeles Dodgers' 8-6 win over Philadelphia. The victory was manager Joe Torre's 2,126th in the regular season, tying Joe McCarthy for seventh place on the career list. Torre managed the New York Yankees to six pennants and four World Series titles in 12 years. McCarthy guided the Yankees to eight pennants and seven world championships in 16 years.


FADING FAST

The Yankees fell 4-0 to the Twins and Glen Perkins, their fourth straight loss, tying the team's season-worst streak. New York dropped nine games back of first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East, and are five games behind Boston, which leads the wild-card standings. "The problem is we're not winning. Not the teams in front of us,'' manager Joe Girardi said. "Nothing says we can't turn things around and win eight in a row. It's happened before and I don't see why it couldn't happen again.''


ACQUIRED

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired Adam Dunn from the Cincinnati Reds for minor league right-hander Dallas Buck and two players to be named. Dunn was batting .233 for the Reds with 32 home runs and 74 RBIs. He has a good eye at the plate (80 walks) but also strikes out a lot (120 Ks). He could boost an Arizona offense that was ranked 20th in the majors in runs scored. The Diamondbacks entered the day with a 1 1/2-game lead in the NL West over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who recently traded for Manny Ramirez.


CUT

The Blue Jays released outfielder Shannon Stewart, bringing his second stint with the team to a disappointing finish. Signed as a free agent during spring training, Stewart hit .240 with one homer and 14 RBIs in 52 games this season. The 34-year-old sprained his right ankle when he stumbled over first base while running out a grounder June 7 against Baltimore. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list the following day and has not played since.


INJURED

The Tampa Bay Rays placed rookie All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria on the 15-day disabled list because of a right wrist fracture, the second major blow to the team's surprising first-place run in as many days. Two-time All-Star and four-time AL stolen base champion Carl Crawford went on the DL with a right hand injury on Sunday, meaning the Rays face the challenge of staying on top of the division for at least two weeks without two of their best offensive and defensive players.


BOUNCING BACK

Derek Lowe rebounded from one of the worst outings of his career to pitch the Los Angeles Dodgers past Philadelphia 8-6. The right-hander held the Phillies to three runs and five hits over 6 1-3 innings after allowing eight runs and 13 hits over 3 1-3 innings in a 9-6 loss at St. Louis last Wednesday.


KNUCKLE SANDWICH

Charlie Zink will replace fellow knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in the Boston Red Sox rotation. Zink is scheduled to start against Texas on Tuesday. The team plans to purchase his contract from Triple-A Pawtucket that day and put the 42-year-old Wakefield on the disabled list with stiffness in his right shoulder. Zink, who will turn 29 later this month, is 13-4 with a 2.89 ERA in 25 starts with Pawtucket this year.


STRUGGLING

The Tigers' Justin Verlander lasted just 4 1-3 innings, giving up six runs and seven hits in a 7-2 loss to the Blue Jays. Verlander has given 24 earned runs over his last four starts - the most he's allowed over four games - losing each of them to equal the worst skid of his career. It's been a strange season for Verlander, who began the season 0-3 and fell to 1-7 after dropping four in a row. But then he seemed to turn things around, winning seven of nine and allowing two or fewer earned runs over eight starts. "It's a funny game,'' Verlander said.


SPEAKING

"We can't continue to perform this way late in the game. We have to make some adjustments. I have to figure out what I have and who is willing to step up in those roles.'' - Mets manager Jerry Manuel, after his bullpen blew yet another late-inning lead in a 7-5 loss to the Pirates.


SEASONS

Aug. 12

1921 - Philadelphia's George Smith gave up 12 hits and still pitched a shutout as the Phillies beat the Boston Braves 4-0.

1948 - In the second game of a doubleheader, the Cleveland Indians beat the St. Louis Browns 26-3 with a 29-hit barrage. The Indians set a major league record as 14 different players hit safely.

1964 - Mickey Mantle hit a home run both left- and right-handed in a 7-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. It was the 10th time in his career and a major league record for switch-hit homers in a game.

1966 - Art Shamsky of the Cincinnati Reds connected for three home runs in a 14-11, 13-inning loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Crosley Field. Two of the homers came in the 10th and 11th innings. The game featured 11 homers by both clubs. Shamsky entered the game in the eighth inning for defensive purposes. In the bottom of the eighth, he hit a two-run homer to put the Reds ahead 8-7. He hit a solo shot to tie the game 9-9 in the 10th. Shamsky came back in the 11th inning with a two-run homer to tie the game again, 11-11. The Pirates scored three runs in the 13th for the victory.

1974 - Nolan Ryan of the California Angles struck out 19 Boston Red Sox for a 4-2 victory.

1986 - Don Baylor of the Boston Red Sox set an AL record when he was hit by a pitch for the 25th time for the season, breaking the record he had shared with Bill Freehan (1968) and Norm Elberfield (1911). Kansas City's Bud Black was the pitcher as the Royals completed a doubleheader sweep with a 6-5 victory.

1988 - The Boston Red Sox set an AL record with their 23rd straight victory at home, beating the Detroit Tigers 9-4. Boston surpassed the league mark of 22 set by the 1931 Philadelphia Athletics.

1994 - Major League Baseball players went on strike for the sport's eighth work stoppage since 1972.

2001 - Mark McGwire hit his 575th career home run and St. Louis beat the New York Mets 4-1. McGwire's last 11 hits had been homers.

2007 - Bobby Jenks pitched a perfect ninth inning in the Chicago White Sox's 6-0 loss to Seattle, breaking David Wells' American League record and tying the major league record of 41 straight batters retired. Jim Barr also set down 41 straight for San Francisco in 1972.

Today's birthday: Matt Clement 34.

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Tuesday, August 12

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Hot Pitchers
-- Karstens is 2-0, 0.00 in two starts for Pirates (15 IP).
-- Harden has a 2.40 RA in five starts for the Cubs.
-- Volstad is 2-2, 3.34 in his first five big league starts.
-- Santana is 1-0, 1.78 in his last four starts, but Mets lost five of his last six starts on foreign soil. Perez is 2-0, 2.03 in last couple of starts for Washington.
-- Astros are 7-3 in Oswalt's last ten home starts. Lincecum has a 2.05 RA in his last three starts.
-- Johnson is 5-1, 1.82 in his last six starts. Jimenez is 4-1, 2.65 in his last five starts.
-- Brewers won Suppan's last four road starts.
-- Kershaw is 2-0, 0.47 in his last three starts.

-- Miner is 3-1, 3.09 in four starts this season. Burnett is 5-1 in his last six starts, with a 3.00 RA.
-- Mussina is 5-1, 2.20 in his last seven starts. Twins are 8-1 in Blackburn's last nine Metrodome starts.
-- Rays are 13-4 in last 17 Kazmir starts, but he hasn't gotten an out past fifth inning in any of his last three outings (5.79 RA).

Cold Pitchers
-- Volquez is 1-2, 8.41 in his last four starts.
-- Braves are 1-5 when Morton starts at home.
-- Lohse is 1-2, 6.04 in his last four starts.
-- Padres are 1-5 at home when Baek starts.
-- Hamels is 0-2, 9.56 in his last three starts.

-- Zink makes Boston debut; he was 13-4, 2.89 in 25 starts at the AAA level. Feldman has a 7.71 RA in his last four starts.
-- Indians lost last three Sowers starts (0-1, 4.35).
-- Olsen is 2-3, 8.59 in his last five starts.
-- Vazquez is 1-5, 6.06 in his last eight starts. Bannister is 0-4 in his last seven starts, with an 8.55 RA.
-- Gonzalez lost his big league debut 5-1 in Toronto (gave up 4 runs in six IP).
-- Washburn is 1-4, 4.70 in his last six starts.

Hot Teams
-- Cubs are 11-3 in their last fourteen games.
-- Cardinals are 8-6 in their last fourteen games.
-- Brewers won last six games, allowing nine runs.
-- Astros won last five games, and twelve of last fourteen.
-- Phillies won five of their last seven road games. Dodgers are 9-3 in last dozen home games.

-- Orioles are 8-6 in their last fourteen games. Indians won their last four games, scoring 26 runs.
-- Red Sox won seven of their last ten games.
-- White Sox are 6-3 in their last nine home games.
-- Twins are 13-3 in their last sixteen games at the Metrodome.
-- Rays won five of last six games, but have injury issues, with Longoria-Crawford out, and Bartlett questionable.
-- Angels are 14-3 in their last seventeen home games.

Cold Teams
-- Pirates lost six of their last nine games. Reds lost their last six games, allowing 46 runs.
-- Braves lost seven of last nine home games.
-- Marlins lost three of their last four games.
-- Mets lost five of their last six road games. Nationals lost last three games, outscored 16-4.
-- Giants are 4-9 in their last thirteen road games.
-- Diamondbacks lost four of their last five games. Rockies also lost four of last five games, allowing 39 runs.
-- Padres lost four of their last five home games.

-- Rangers lost four of their last five games.
-- Blue Jays lost three of their last four games. Tigers are 3-8 in their last eleven games.
-- Bronx lost last four games, is 6-11 in its last seventeen.
-- Oakland lost seven of its last eight home games.
-- Mariners lost four of their last five games.

Totals
-- Three of last four Cincinnati games went over the total.
-- Under is 6-3-1 in last ten Atlanta games.
-- Last four Florida home games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 5-2 in Mets' last seven road games.
-- Over is 8-3 in Houston's last eleven games.
-- Over is 10-4 in Arizona's last fourteen road games.
-- Under is 7-1-1 in last nine Milwaukee games.
-- Under is 8-3 in last eleven Dodger home games.

-- Three of last four Boston games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Detroit games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 8-2 in Baltimore's last ten road games.
-- Last four games at Metrodome stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four White Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 10-3 in Oakland's last thirteen games.
-- Five of last seven Angel home games went over the total.

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Trend Sheet

MLB


Tuesday, August 12

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Trend Sheet
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7:05 PM BALTIMORE vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Baltimore's last 13 games
Baltimore is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Cleveland is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Baltimore
Cleveland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Baltimore


7:05 PM CINCINNATI vs. PITTSBURGH
Cincinnati is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games


7:05 PM TEXAS vs. BOSTON
Texas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Texas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Boston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Texas


7:05 PM TORONTO vs. DETROIT
Toronto is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games at home
Detroit is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games


7:10 PM CHI CUBS vs. ATLANTA
Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games
Atlanta is 10-4 SU in their last 14 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
Atlanta is 2-6 SU in their last 8 games when playing Chi Cubs


7:10 PM NY METS vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Mets's last 5 games
NY Mets are 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
Washington is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing NY Mets
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Washington's last 17 games when playing NY Mets


7:10 PM ST. LOUIS vs. FLORIDA
The total has gone OVER in 11 of St. Louis's last 16 games
St. Louis is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Florida
Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Florida's last 8 games when playing St. Louis


8:05 PM SAN FRANCISCO vs. HOUSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Francisco's last 12 games
San Francisco is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Francisco
Houston is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against San Francisco


8:10 PM NY YANKEES vs. MINNESOTA
NY Yankees are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 15 of NY Yankees's last 23 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-11 SU in their last 16 games when playing NY Yankees
Minnesota is 13-3 SU in its last 16 games at home


8:11 PM KANSAS CITY vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Kansas City is 2-6 SU in their last 8 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 6 games when playing Kansas City


9:05 PM ARIZONA vs. COLORADO
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Arizona's last 11 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Arizona is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games


10:05 PM MILWAUKEE vs. SAN DIEGO
Milwaukee is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Diego
Milwaukee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Diego's last 5 games at home


10:05 PM SEATTLE vs. LA ANGELS
Seattle is 4-13 SU in their last 17 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
LA Angels are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Seattle
LA Angels are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games


10:05 PM TAMPA BAY vs. OAKLAND
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Tampa Bay is 6-17 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Oakland is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Oakland's last 10 games when playing Tampa Bay


10:10 PM PHILADELPHIA vs. LA DODGERS
Philadelphia is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games
LA Dodgers are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 7 of LA Dodgers's last 8 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


We will update when projected scores are available.

Tuesday, August 12

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Tips and Trends
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Chicago Cubs at Atlanta Braves [WGN | 7:10 PM ET]

Cubs (-160, O/U 8): Rich Harden will try to bounce back in this spot following his worst outing as a Cub against the Astros last Tuesday. Harden surrendered five runs and eight hits - including two homers - in 5.2 innings of an eventual 11-7 win, striking out eight and walking one. The eight K's were also his lowest amount since joining the team. Harden has faced the Braves once before, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings with one walk and eight strikeouts to earn a road victory back on May 17 when he was with the A's.

Cubs are 6-2 in the last 8 meetings.
The OVER is 4-1 in Chicago's last 5 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Braves: Charlie Morton will try to piece together his third straight quality start when he faces the Cubs for the first time. Morton earned a win last time out at Arizona on Thursday after throwing seven scoreless innings with one walk and four strikeouts. He has given up just two runs in his last two starts combined totaling 14 innings, with the other outing resulting in a home loss to Milwaukee. Morton is 0-4 in five home starts this season with an 8.39 ERA.

Braves are 2-7 in their last 9 home games.
The OVER is 8-2 in Atlanta's last 10 games following a loss.

Key Injuries - RP Rafael Soriano (2.57 ERA; elbow) is on the 15-day DL.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins [YES | 8:10 PM ET]

Yankees (-125, O/U 8.5): You would be hard-pressed to find anybody who has enjoyed the same amount of success that Mike Mussina has vs. Minnesota, as the veteran right-hander owns a 22-6 mark and 3.06 ERA against tonight's opponent. Mussina has also been outstanding on the road this season with a stellar 6-1 mark and 2.94 ERA in eight starts. He has allowed just one earned run in his last two starts combined overall totaling 14 innings, both resulting in wins. In fact, Mussina has given up two runs or less in seven of his last eight trips to the mound with the Yanks going 5-3 in those games.

Yankees are 2-7 in their last 9 road games.
The OVER is 7-3 in New York's last 10 games as a favorite.

Key Injuries - OF Johnny Damon (.322; rest) is expected to return.
DH Jason Giambi (.252; rest) is expected to return.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Twins: Minnesota will try to win for the fourth straight time with Nick Blackburn on the mound when he makes his 11th home start of the year. Blackburn has gone 6-2 in his first 10 home starts with a 2.54 ERA, but he has yet to beat the Yankees in two career starts. He got hammered in the last meeting at New York on July 21, surrendering six runs - three earned - and seven hits in only 1.2 innings of a 12-4 loss. However, the Twins have won his last three starts since then.

Twins are 7-3 in Blackburn's last 10 starts overall.
The OVER is 13-7 in the last 20 meetings at Minnesota.

Key Injuries - OF Michael Cuddyer (.252; foot) is OUT for the season.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers [10:10 PM ET]

Phillies (-120, O/U 7): Ace Cole Hamels has yet to earn a victory since the All-Star break, going 0-2 with two no-decisions. The Phillies have scored three runs or less in all three of those games that have resulted in losses while he walked away with a no-decision in a 10-9 win over Atlanta on July 26. Hamels has never faced the Dodgers, and he is 4-2 in 10 road starts with a 3.75 ERA.

Phillies are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings.
The UNDER is 5-1 in Philadelphia's last 6 games overall.

Key Injuries - 3B Pedro Feliz (.256 back) is on the 15-day DL.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Dodgers: Rookie Clayton Kershaw will try to earn back-to-back wins for the first time this season when he faces the Phillies for the first time. Kershaw is coming off one of his strongest starts of the season, allowing just one run and three hits in seven innings at St. Louis last Thursday, walking four and striking out seven. The Dodgers have alternated wins and losses in his last six trips to the mound, and he is 1-2 in six home starts despite an impressive 2.81 ERA.

Dodgers are 9-3 in their last 12 home games.
The OVER is 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings.

Key Injuries - SS Nomar Garciaparra (.279; knee) is on the 15-day DL.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Streaking Pitchers

MLB

Tuesday, August 12

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Streaking Starting Pitchers
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Tuesday’s streaking and slumping pitchers

Streaking

Chris Volstad, Florida Marlins (2.67, 3-2)

The Marlins did good when they purchased the contract of this 21-year-old back on July 7 from Carolina of the Southern League (AA). Since then, Florida has won four of his six outings and the Marlins have added a competent pitcher as they gear up for their stretch run to make the playoffs.

Volstad is giving Florida around six innings of solid work in each of his efforts so far and he's only given up one home run. He gets you anywhere from three to six strikeouts to boot and you can usually get him at pretty good odds because oddsmakers are just catching up with him.

Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks (9-8, 4.24 ERA)

You've likely heard the expression 'angrier than a rattlesnake' before and on Tuesday you just might see what that means.

Johnson had a five-game winning streak snapped in his latest outing last Wednesday in a 2-0 defeat to Pittsburgh at home. The towering lefty had another outstanding performance when he allowed just two runs through seven innings and struck out seven batters.

Don't expect him to be happy with the effort, though. It marked the first time in four starts that Johnson surrendered a run and one of those runs came off a Freddy Sanchez homer. Expect him to be tossing some angry heat against the Rockies on the road on Tuesday.


Slumping

Jeremy Sowers, Cleveland Indians (1-5, 5.70 ERA)

Sowers spent the first part of the season bouncing up and down from the minors to the majors and he had to be feeling a little like yo-yo by the time June rolled around.

He's been with the big boys since early June though and he is starting to pitch consistently. Unfortunately, when you play for Cleveland, 'consistently' just means you lose a lot. Cleveland has lost Sowers? last three starters despite some respectable performances.

He has gone at least six innings in his last three outings and surrendered a decent nine earned runs during that span. The Indians owe him a win when he takes the mound against Baltimore Tuesday.

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[Udog]

MLB
Dunkel


Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
The Pirates look to ride the hot arm of Jeff Karstens (15 scoreless innings in two starts since coming over from the Yankees) against a Cincinnati team that has lost six straight. Pittsburgh is the underdog pick (+115) according to Dunkel, which has the Pirates favored straight up by 2. Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+115). Here are all of today's games.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 12

Game 951-952: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Volquez) 12.676; Pittsburgh (Karstens) 14.678
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 2; 8
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+115); Under

Game 953-954: Chicago Cubs at Atlanta
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago Cubs (Harden) 15.097; Atlanta (Morton) 15.921
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-160); 8
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+150); Under

Game 955-956: St. Louis at Florida
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Lohse) 15.086; Florida (Volstad) 16.449
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Florida (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-115); Over

Game 957-958: NY Mets at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Santana) 15.162; Washington (Perez) 14.149
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 7
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-200); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-200); Under

Game 959-960: San Francisco at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Lincecum) 14.245; Houston (Oswalt) 15.352
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1; 6
Vegas Line: Houston (-115); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (-115); Under

Game 961-962: Arizona at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Johnson) 14.752; Colorado (Jimenez) 13.523
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-135); 9
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+125); Under

Game 963-964: Milwaukee at San Diego
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Suppan) 17.065; San Diego (Baek) 15.411
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-120); Over

Game 965-966: Philadelphia at LA Dodgers
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Hamels) 15.175; LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 16.700
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-125); 7
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (+115); Under

Game 967-968: Texas at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Feldman) 15.608; Boston (Zink) 17.381
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1 1/2; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 969-970: Toronto at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Burnett) 15.184; Detroit (Miner) 14.168
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Detroit (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+105); Under

Game 971-972: Baltimore at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Olsen) 15.763; Cleveland (Sowers) 15.394
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1/2; 12
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 10
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+105); Over

Game 973-974: NY Yankees at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Mussina) 15.215; Minnesota (Blackburn) 16.477
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+100); Over

Game 975-976: Kansas City at Chicago White Sox
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Bannister) 15.715; White Sox (Vazquez) 14.660
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-165); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+155); Over

Game 977-978: Tampa Bay at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Kazmir) 16.710; Oakland (Gonzalez) 13.726
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 3; 7
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-160); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-160); Under

Game 979-980: Seattle at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Washburn) 15.132; LA Angels (Garland) 17.098
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-170); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-170); Over

[Udog]

MLB
Long Sheet


Tuesday, August 12


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CINCINNATI (52 - 67) at PITTSBURGH (54 - 64) - 7:05 PM
EDINSON VOLQUEZ (R) vs. JEFF KARSTENS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CINCINNATI is 52-67 (-19.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CINCINNATI is 13-25 (-12.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
CINCINNATI is 1-9 (-9.5 Units) against the money line in August games this season.
CINCINNATI is 4-13 (-10.8 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday this season.
CINCINNATI is 16-29 (-17.1 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
CINCINNATI is 51-65 (-19.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
CINCINNATI is 34-45 (-14.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
CINCINNATI is 31-45 (-17.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
CINCINNATI is 26-40 (-18.0 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
CINCINNATI is 19-36 (-22.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
CINCINNATI is 9-15 (-8.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 54-64 (+1.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 32-26 (+7.3 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 54-64 (+1.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
PITTSBURGH is 345-324 (+39.0 Units) against the money line in home games in night games since 1997.
CINCINNATI is 439-509 (+44.1 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997.
VOLQUEZ is 9-1 (+8.6 Units) against the money line after a loss this season. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 6-3 (+4.8 Units) against CINCINNATI this season
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.1 Units)

EDINSON VOLQUEZ vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
VOLQUEZ is 0-0 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 2.61 and a WHIP of 1.549.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

JEFF KARSTENS vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
No recent starts.

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CHICAGO CUBS (71 - 47) at ATLANTA (55 - 63) - 7:10 PM
RICH HARDEN (R) vs. CHARLIE MORTON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 136-186 (-63.4 Units) against the money line in August games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 128-157 (-54.2 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 446-483 (-120.4 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 466-448 (-101.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
ATLANTA is 25-10 (+15.6 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 71-47 (+12.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 69-43 (+13.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ATLANTA is 55-63 (-16.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ATLANTA is 54-61 (-15.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ATLANTA is 36-43 (-13.3 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
ATLANTA is 49-60 (-21.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO CUBS is 3-0 (+3.0 Units) against ATLANTA this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.9 Units)

RICH HARDEN vs. ATLANTA since 1997
HARDEN is 1-0 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 1.29 and a WHIP of 0.714.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.1 units)

CHARLIE MORTON vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
No recent starts.

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ST LOUIS (66 - 55) at FLORIDA (62 - 57) - 7:10 PM
KYLE LOHSE (R) vs. CHRIS VOLSTAD (R)
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 62-57 (+16.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
FLORIDA is 43-26 (+23.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
FLORIDA is 33-27 (+7.5 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
FLORIDA is 26-17 (+9.6 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
FLORIDA is 61-55 (+17.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
FLORIDA is 44-45 (+5.4 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
FLORIDA is 45-39 (+13.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
FLORIDA is 35-22 (+20.0 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
FLORIDA is 24-23 (+9.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
FLORIDA is 238-251 (+44.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.
ST LOUIS is 66-55 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 33-27 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
ST LOUIS is 86-61 (+26.7 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Tuesday since 1997.
ST LOUIS is 66-55 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ST LOUIS is 44-37 (+7.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
ST LOUIS is 46-33 (+15.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
LOHSE is 32-25 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LOHSE is 32-25 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
FLORIDA is 6-14 (-10.0 Units) against the money line in home games in August games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 1-0 (+1.2 Units) against FLORIDA this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

KYLE LOHSE vs. FLORIDA since 1997
LOHSE is 2-1 when starting against FLORIDA with an ERA of 4.26 and a WHIP of 1.263.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (+0.0 units)

CHRIS VOLSTAD vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
No recent starts.

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NY METS (62 - 56) at WASHINGTON (44 - 75) - 7:10 PM
JOHAN SANTANA (L) vs. ODALIS PEREZ (L)
Top Trends for this game.
NY METS are 62-56 (-7.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY METS are 26-33 (-9.9 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
NY METS are 19-24 (-14.4 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 58-57 (-22.8 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 62-56 (-7.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
NY METS are 40-39 (-7.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
NY METS are 29-29 (-9.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
SANTANA is 30-27 (-13.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SANTANA is 10-15 (-13.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SANTANA is 18-20 (-15.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SANTANA is 15-18 (-14.7 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SANTANA is 71-21 (+34.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997. (Team's Record)
WASHINGTON is 44-75 (-18.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 44-72 (-15.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
WASHINGTON is 29-54 (-17.4 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
WASHINGTON is 27-48 (-14.5 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 4-5 (+0.7 Units) against NY METS this season
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.5 Units)

JOHAN SANTANA vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
SANTANA is 2-1 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 2.45 and a WHIP of 0.818.
His team's record is 2-1 (-2.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+1.0 units)

ODALIS PEREZ vs. NY METS since 1997
PEREZ is 4-5 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 4.48 and a WHIP of 1.617.
His team's record is 6-5 (+1.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-5. (+0.3 units)

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SAN FRANCISCO (50 - 67) at HOUSTON (59 - 59) - 8:05 PM
TIM LINCECUM (R) vs. ROY OSWALT (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 121-158 (-30.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 121-158 (-30.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 59-59 (+6.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 9-2 (+8.8 Units) against the money line in August games this season.
HOUSTON is 57-58 (+4.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
HOUSTON is 45-40 (+7.7 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
HOUSTON is 31-27 (+7.5 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
OSWALT is 29-6 (+20.4 Units) against the money line in August games since 1997. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 20-18 (+8.9 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 357-341 (+44.4 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 4-1 (+3.5 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

TIM LINCECUM vs. HOUSTON since 1997
LINCECUM is 1-0 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 2.14 and a WHIP of 0.810.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-2. (-1.1 units)

ROY OSWALT vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
OSWALT is 3-5 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.99 and a WHIP of 1.404.
His team's record is 4-7 (-7.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-3. (+2.7 units)

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ARIZONA (60 - 58) at COLORADO (53 - 67) - 9:05 PM
RANDY JOHNSON (L) vs. UBALDO JIMENEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 60-58 (-9.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ARIZONA is 124-143 (-40.4 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday since 1997.
ARIZONA is 60-55 (-6.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ARIZONA is 36-43 (-16.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
ARIZONA is 28-31 (-9.2 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
JOHNSON is 30-27 (-24.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday since 1997. (Team's Record)
COLORADO is 87-60 (+12.0 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 109-99 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 81-68 (+25.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 49-29 (+26.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 29-15 (+10.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
ARIZONA is 19-9 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
COLORADO is 52-67 (-21.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
COLORADO is 19-32 (-17.9 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
COLORADO is 15-26 (-13.1 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
COLORADO is 52-67 (-21.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
COLORADO is 25-40 (-15.4 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 8-1 (+7.4 Units) against COLORADO this season
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.1 Units)

RANDY JOHNSON vs. COLORADO since 1997
JOHNSON is 16-7 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 2.40 and a WHIP of 0.936.
His team's record is 16-9 (-1.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 9-15. (-7.0 units)

UBALDO JIMENEZ vs. ARIZONA since 1997
JIMENEZ is 0-0 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 2.50 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.8 units)

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MILWAUKEE (68 - 51) at SAN DIEGO (46 - 72) - 10:05 PM
JEFF SUPPAN (R) vs. CHA SEUNG BAEK (R)
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 25-35 (-21.1 Units) against the money line as a road favorite of -125 to -150 since 1997.
MILWAUKEE is 91-131 (-34.6 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 66-99 (-28.1 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 114-117 (-23.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 60-72 (-27.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
BAEK is 19-11 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
BAEK is 13-6 (+11.4 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MILWAUKEE is 68-51 (+10.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 13-4 (+9.9 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday this season.
MILWAUKEE is 67-49 (+11.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
MILWAUKEE is 41-26 (+10.2 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
SAN DIEGO is 46-71 (-28.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN DIEGO is 25-33 (-14.4 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
SAN DIEGO is 46-71 (-28.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN DIEGO is 31-51 (-22.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SAN DIEGO is 32-46 (-14.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN DIEGO is 16-29 (-14.8 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
SAN DIEGO is 13-35 (-22.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN DIEGO is 25-35 (-16.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

JEFF SUPPAN vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
SUPPAN is 4-4 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 6.23 and a WHIP of 1.827.
His team's record is 4-6 (-3.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-5. (-2.0 units)

CHA SEUNG BAEK vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
No recent starts.

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PHILADELPHIA (64 - 54) at LA DODGERS (59 - 59) - 10:10 PM
COLE HAMELS (L) vs. CLAYTON KERSHAW (L)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 27-16 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
LA DODGERS are 59-59 (-8.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA DODGERS are 137-159 (-54.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday since 1997.
LA DODGERS are 59-59 (-8.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
LA DODGERS are 63-75 (-20.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 37-55 (-23.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against PHILADELPHIA this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

COLE HAMELS vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
No recent starts.

CLAYTON KERSHAW vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
No recent starts.

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TEXAS (61 - 58) at BOSTON (68 - 51) - 7:05 PM
SCOTT FELDMAN (R) vs. CHARLIE ZINK (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 4-0 (+4.0 Units) against TEXAS this season
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.2 Units)

SCOTT FELDMAN vs. BOSTON since 1997
No recent starts.

CHARLIE ZINK vs. TEXAS since 1997
No recent starts.

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TORONTO (60 - 59) at DETROIT (58 - 60) - 7:05 PM
A.J. BURNETT (R) vs. ZACH MINER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 38-42 (-10.4 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
TORONTO is 22-38 (-17.0 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
BURNETT is 41-66 (-26.6 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997. (Team's Record)
BURNETT is 14-32 (-19.7 Units) against the money line in road games after a win since 1997. (Team's Record)
DETROIT is 58-60 (-12.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
DETROIT is 5-14 (-11.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
DETROIT is 67-116 (-50.0 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997.
DETROIT is 14-25 (-14.6 Units) against the money line in August games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 35-49 (-22.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
DETROIT is 16-29 (-15.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DETROIT is 4-12 (-9.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 3-2 (+1.3 Units) against DETROIT this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.9 Units)

A.J. BURNETT vs. DETROIT since 1997
BURNETT is 2-1 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 8.68 and a WHIP of 1.822.
His team's record is 2-2 (-0.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-1. (+1.9 units)

ZACH MINER vs. TORONTO since 1997
MINER is 1-0 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.2 units)

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BALTIMORE (56 - 61) at CLEVELAND (53 - 64) - 7:05 PM
GARRETT OLSON (L) vs. JEREMY SOWERS (L)
Top Trends for this game.
BALTIMORE is 47-79 (-36.0 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 56-61 (+3.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
BALTIMORE is 12-5 (+11.1 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday this season.
BALTIMORE is 51-51 (+6.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
BALTIMORE is 46-34 (+19.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
CLEVELAND is 53-64 (-21.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 15-27 (-15.7 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 47-55 (-19.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
CLEVELAND is 39-42 (-10.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
CLEVELAND is 24-33 (-18.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against BALTIMORE this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

GARRETT OLSON vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
No recent starts.

JEREMY SOWERS vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
SOWERS is 0-2 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 11.57 and a WHIP of 2.228.
His team's record is 0-3 (-3.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-3. (-3.5 units)

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NY YANKEES (63 - 56) at MINNESOTA (66 - 52) - 8:10 PM
MIKE MUSSINA (R) vs. NICK BLACKBURN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY YANKEES are 63-56 (-11.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY YANKEES are 69-71 (-20.2 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
NY YANKEES are 38-41 (-16.9 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
NY YANKEES are 25-29 (-14.7 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
MUSSINA is 85-73 (-33.7 Units) against the money line after a loss since 1997. (Team's Record)
MINNESOTA is 66-52 (+17.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 28-18 (+12.1 Units) against the money line as a home underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 40-21 (+18.4 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
MINNESOTA is 40-21 (+18.4 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome this season.
MINNESOTA is 48-33 (+18.3 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
MINNESOTA is 40-21 (+18.4 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf this season.
MINNESOTA is 46-37 (+11.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
MINNESOTA is 38-27 (+11.8 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
MINNESOTA is 29-22 (+9.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY YANKEES is 5-3 (+1.1 Units) against MINNESOTA this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.1 Units)

MIKE MUSSINA vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
MUSSINA is 11-7 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 3.34 and a WHIP of 1.217.
His team's record is 14-8 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 9-9. (-0.9 units)

NICK BLACKBURN vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
BLACKBURN is 0-1 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 6.00 and a WHIP of 2.500.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (+0.0 units)

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KANSAS CITY (54 - 64) at CHI WHITE SOX (65 - 52) - 8:11 PM
BRIAN BANNISTER (R) vs. JAVIER VAZQUEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS CITY is 45-78 (-21.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 31-46 (-11.7 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 32-48 (-12.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
CHI WHITE SOX are 65-52 (+9.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CHI WHITE SOX are 39-19 (+14.6 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
CHI WHITE SOX are 33-21 (+12.2 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
CHI WHITE SOX are 61-39 (+18.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
CHI WHITE SOX are 36-23 (+11.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
VAZQUEZ is 19-7 (+11.1 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KANSAS CITY is 52-55 (+5.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
KANSAS CITY is 29-24 (+9.1 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
KANSAS CITY is 110-149 (+20.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
BANNISTER is 8-1 (+9.9 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
CHI WHITE SOX is 7-5 (+0.6 Units) against KANSAS CITY this season
9 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+6.1 Units)

BRIAN BANNISTER vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
BANNISTER is 2-1 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 7.44 and a WHIP of 1.592.
His team's record is 4-3 (+1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-1. (+4.0 units)

JAVIER VAZQUEZ vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
VAZQUEZ is 7-2 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 3.24 and a WHIP of 0.967.
His team's record is 9-3 (+2.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-7. (-2.7 units)

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TAMPA BAY (71 - 46) at OAKLAND (54 - 63) - 10:05 PM
SCOTT KAZMIR (L) vs. GIO GONZALEZ (L)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 5-26 (-20.1 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Tuesday over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 61-123 (-42.1 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 44-60 (-21.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 10-28 (-18.8 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 198-123 (+64.1 Units) against the money line in August games since 1997.
TAMPA BAY is 71-46 (+20.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 44-31 (+11.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
KAZMIR is 24-12 (+12.1 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KAZMIR is 17-5 (+10.4 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
OAKLAND is 54-63 (-10.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
OAKLAND is 71-69 (-16.3 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 50-57 (-10.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
OAKLAND is 41-45 (-16.5 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 26-36 (-12.2 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
OAKLAND is 6-18 (-12.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 4-2 (+1.6 Units) against OAKLAND this season
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.4 Units, Under=-0.5 Units)

SCOTT KAZMIR vs. OAKLAND since 1997
KAZMIR is 6-1 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 2.63 and a WHIP of 1.216.
His team's record is 7-3 (+4.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-5. (-2.5 units)

GIO GONZALEZ vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
No recent starts.

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SEATTLE (45 - 73) at LA ANGELS (74 - 43) - 10:05 PM
JARROD WASHBURN (L) vs. JON GARLAND (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 45-73 (-29.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SEATTLE is 13-30 (-15.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
SEATTLE is 40-69 (-31.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SEATTLE is 31-50 (-20.4 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SEATTLE is 33-51 (-18.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SEATTLE is 0-9 (-10.5 Units) against the money line after allowing 10 runs or more this season.
SEATTLE is 28-44 (-16.1 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
SEATTLE is 16-32 (-14.9 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 2 seasons.
WASHBURN is 3-16 (-14.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
LA ANGELS are 74-43 (+23.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA ANGELS are 34-13 (+19.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
LA ANGELS are 90-50 (+14.8 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 14-4 (+9.3 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday this season.
LA ANGELS are 69-38 (+24.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
LA ANGELS are 51-34 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
LA ANGELS are 22-8 (+12.6 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters this season.
LA ANGELS are 45-28 (+12.3 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
GARLAND is 5-12 (-10.2 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GARLAND is 33-41 (-22.4 Units) against the money line in home games after a win since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 6-3 (+2.9 Units) against SEATTLE this season
5 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.2 Units)

JARROD WASHBURN vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
WASHBURN is 4-4 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 4.69 and a WHIP of 1.383.
His team's record is 5-4 (+2.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-4. (+0.8 units)

JON GARLAND vs. SEATTLE since 1997
GARLAND is 6-3 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 3.39 and a WHIP of 1.353.
His team's record is 7-5 (+2.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-5. (+0.6 units)

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

[Udog]

MLB


Tuesday, August 12

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Hot Lines: Tuesday's best MLB bets
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Texas at Boston (-104, no total)

There are a few issues concerning Boston backers about today's game. First of all, with Tim Wakefield on the DL, the Red Sox have called up another knuckleballer from Triple-A, Charlie Zink. The 28-year-old right-hander will be making his major league debut in the middle of a pennant race and he'll be facing the best hitting team in baseball. Oh yeah, and he's going on just three days rest after starting for Pawtucket on Friday. Even though Zink has been outstanding in the minors (13-4, 2.89 ERA), that's a tough spot for any pitcher, let alone a guy Terry Francona admitted was likely to be "nervous as heck."

Pick: Rangers


New York Mets at Washington (+180, 7 1/2)

The name of Johan Santana alone is enough to make most bettors think "under." It's also enough to convince oddsmakers to set a tiny total in this game, but let's not ignore the facts. For example: Santana's last five starts have all played over the total, 13 of the Mets' last 20 meetings with the Nationals have gone over, the Mets' bullpen has a 7.39 ERA over its last 10 games since its pitching staff has been decimated by injuries, and the Mets' over/under record on the road is 32-22-5.

Pick: Over

[Udog]

MLB


Tuesday, August 12


Updated
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Tips and Trends
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Chicago Cubs at Atlanta Braves [WGN | 7:10 PM ET]

Cubs (-170, O/U 8): Rich Harden will try to bounce back in this spot following his worst outing as a Cub against the Astros last Tuesday. Harden surrendered five runs and eight hits - including two homers - in 5.2 innings of an eventual 11-7 win, striking out eight and walking one. The eight K's were also his lowest amount since joining the team. Harden has faced the Braves once before, allowing one run and four hits in seven innings with one walk and eight strikeouts to earn a road victory back on May 17 when he was with the A's.

Cubs are 6-2 in the last 8 meetings.
The OVER is 4-1 in Chicago's last 5 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 5

Braves: Charlie Morton will try to piece together his third straight quality start when he faces the Cubs for the first time. Morton earned a win last time out at Arizona on Thursday after throwing seven scoreless innings with one walk and four strikeouts. He has given up just two runs in his last two starts combined totaling 14 innings, with the other outing resulting in a home loss to Milwaukee. Morton is 0-4 in five home starts this season with an 8.39 ERA.

Braves are 2-7 in their last 9 home games.
The OVER is 8-2 in Atlanta's last 10 games following a loss.

Key Injuries - RP Rafael Soriano (2.57 ERA; elbow) is on the 15-day DL.

PROJECTED SCORE: 3



New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins [YES | 8:10 PM ET]

Yankees (-135, O/U 8.5): You would be hard-pressed to find anybody who has enjoyed the same amount of success that Mike Mussina has vs. Minnesota, as the veteran right-hander owns a 22-6 mark and 3.06 ERA against tonight's opponent. Mussina has also been outstanding on the road this season with a stellar 6-1 mark and 2.94 ERA in eight starts. He has allowed just one earned run in his last two starts combined overall totaling 14 innings, both resulting in wins. In fact, Mussina has given up two runs or less in seven of his last eight trips to the mound with the Yanks going 5-3 in those games.

Yankees are 2-7 in their last 9 road games.
The OVER is 7-3 in New York's last 10 games as a favorite.

Key Injuries - OF Johnny Damon (.322; rest) is expected to return.
DH Jason Giambi (.252; rest) is expected to return.

PROJECTED SCORE: 6

Twins: Minnesota will try to win for the fourth straight time with Nick Blackburn on the mound when he makes his 11th home start of the year. Blackburn has gone 6-2 in his first 10 home starts with a 2.54 ERA, but he has yet to beat the Yankees in two career starts. He got hammered in the last meeting at New York on July 21, surrendering six runs - three earned - and seven hits in only 1.2 innings of a 12-4 loss. However, the Twins have won his last three starts since then.

Twins are 7-3 in Blackburn's last 10 starts overall.
The OVER is 13-7 in the last 20 meetings at Minnesota.

Key Injuries - OF Michael Cuddyer (.252; foot) is OUT for the season.

PROJECTED SCORE: 3



Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers [10:10 PM ET]

Phillies (-120, O/U 7): Ace Cole Hamels has yet to earn a victory since the All-Star break, going 0-2 with two no-decisions. The Phillies have scored three runs or less in all three of those games that have resulted in losses while he walked away with a no-decision in a 10-9 win over Atlanta on July 26. Hamels has never faced the Dodgers, and he is 4-2 in 10 road starts with a 3.75 ERA.

Phillies are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings.
The UNDER is 5-1 in Philadelphia's last 6 games overall.

Key Injuries - 3B Pedro Feliz (.256 back) is on the 15-day DL.

PROJECTED SCORE: 5 (OVER - Total Play of the Day)

Dodgers: Rookie Clayton Kershaw will try to earn back-to-back wins for the first time this season when he faces the Phillies for the first time. Kershaw is coming off one of his strongest starts of the season, allowing just one run and three hits in seven innings at St. Louis last Thursday, walking four and striking out seven. The Dodgers have alternated wins and losses in his last six trips to the mound, and he is 1-2 in six home starts despite an impressive 2.81 ERA.

Dodgers are 9-3 in their last 12 home games.
The OVER is 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings.

Key Injuries - SS Nomar Garciaparra (.279; knee) is on the 15-day DL.

PROJECTED SCORE: 4

[Udog]

MLB
Short Sheet


Tuesday, August 12th

National League

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 7:05 ET
Edinson Volquez (R) vs. Jeff Karstens (R)
Volquez: Cin 1-9 in August
Karstens: PIT 3-0 against Reds

Chicago Cubs at Atlanta, 7:10 ET
Rich Harden (R) vs. Charlie Morton (R)
Harden: Cubs 36-13 as a favorite of -125 to -175
Morton: ATL 11-21 against NL Central

St Louis at Florida, 7:10 ET
Kyle Lohse (R) vs. Chris Volstad (R)
Lohse: 15-7 TSR in second half
Volstad: FLA 6-14 at home in August

NY Mets at Washington, 7:10 ET
Johan Santana (L) vs. Odalis Perez (L)
Santana: 44-8 TSR as a favorite of -200 or more
Perez: WAS 4-23 after scoring 1 run or less

San Francisco at Houston, 8:05 ET
Tim Lincecum (R) vs. Roy Oswalt (R)
Lincecum: SF 9-22 against NL Central
Oswalt: 29-6 TSR in August

Arizona at Colorado, 9:05 ET
Randy Johnson (L) vs. Ubaldo Jiminez (R)
Johnson: ARI 29-15 against NL West
Jiminez: COL 15-26 against NL West

Milwaukee at San Diego, 10:05 ET
Jeff Suppan (R) vs. Cha Seung Baek (R)
Suppan: MIL 13-4 on Tuesday
Baek: SD 17-33 as an underdog of +100 to +150

Philadelphia at LA Dodgers, 10:10 ET
Cole Hamels (L) vs. Clayton Kershaw (L)
Hamels: PHI 18-10 AWAY when the money line is +125 to -125
Kershaw: LAD 8-0 OVER at home against Phillies

American League

Texas at Boston, 7:05 ET
Scott Feldman (R) vs. Charlie Zink (R)
Feldman: 6-0 UNDER against AL East
Zink: BOS 14-5 on Tuesday

Toronto at Detroit, 7:05 ET
AJ Burnett (R) vs. Zach Miner (R)
Burnett: 3-0 TSR, 3.68 ERA in L/3 Starts
Miner: DET 5-15 when the total is 7 to 8.5

Baltimore at Cleveland, 7:05 ET
Garrett Olson (L) vs. Jeremy Sowers (L)
Olson: BAL 1-11 after scoring and allowing 8+ runs
Sowers: CLE 16-8 against AL East

NY Yankees at Minnesota, 8:10 ET
Mike Mussina (R) vs. Nick Blackburn (R)
Mussina: Yankees 9-14 after a loss by 4+ runs
Blackburn: MIN 16-8 after allowing 1 run or less

Kansas City at Chicago White Sox, 8:10 ET
Brian Bannister (R) vs. Javier Vazquez (R)
Bannister: 8-1 TSR AWAY against AL Central
Vazquez: White Sox 17-3 UNDER after scoring 1 run or less

Tampa Bay at Oakland, 10:05 ET
Scott Kazmir (L) vs. Gio Gonzalez (L)
Kazmir: 13-2 TSR as a favorite of -110 or higher
Gonzalez: OAK 6-18 after 5+ consecutive road games

Seattle at LA Angels, 10:05 ET
Jarrod Washburn (L) vs. Jon Garland (R)
Washburn: 53-36 TSR AWAY when the total is 8.5 to 10
Garland: 5-12 TSR at home when the total is 9 to 9.5

** (TC) Denotes Time Change