Thursday Trends and Indexes 8/14

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Thursday August 14

Good Luck on day #227 of 2008!

NOTE:
As information becomes available, we will attempt to post the trends and indexes as soon as possible.
Information is posted from what we believe are reliable sources.
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[pm530]

Daily Sports Roundup

Thursday, August 14

The National Football League heads north of the border on Thursday night to kick off the second week of its preseason schedule. Here's your Daily Sports Roundup . . .

Event of the day . . .

The Buffalo Bills are starting to tap into the lucrative Toronto market this season, and it all begins with their exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Rogers Centre on Thursday night (with the kickoff set for 7:30pm ET). And Bills supporters hope that their team will be lucrative at the betting window once again this season.

Buffalo went 7-9 straight-up in 2007, but they were 10-6 against-the-spread. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, was 10-6 SU last year, and only 8-8 ATS. For Thursday night the Vegas oddsmakers have pegged this neutral-site game as a pick'em, despite Buffalo's proximity to Toronto. The total for the game has been set at 33 points.

Steelers starting QB Ben Roethlisberger should see just limited time on Thursday, with newly-signed backup Byron Leftwich getting more snaps. Don't expect to see much of RB Willie Parker either. Bills starting QB Trent Edwards will be looking to bounce back from a poor outing in Buffalo's preseason opener against Washington.

Non-event of the day . . .

Talk about a nondescript pitching matchup - the Royals will send Kyle Davies (5-3, 4.66 ERA) to the mound on Thursday afternoon to battle the White Sox and Lance Broadway (0-0, 0.00 ERA). Davies lasted just 2 1-3 innings in his last outing, giving up three earned runs to the Twins. Broadway has been toiling in the minor leagues.

Also on the schedule . . .

The Eagles will host the Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field in the other NFL preseason game on Thursday night (kickoff is 8:00pm ET); Philly is a 3-point home favorite in that contest. In other pigskin action on Thursday the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will get a visit from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League; Winnipeg is listed as a 3.5-point home favorite in that contest, with the total at 54 points.

On the diamond, the top pitching matchup will see the Brewers' Ben Sheets (11-5, 2.95 ERA) face the Padres' Jake Peavy (8-8, 2.68 ERA). Other NL games on Thursday: San Francisco at Houston, Arizona at Colorado, Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, the Mets at Washington, the Cubs at Atlanta, St. Louis at Florida, and Philly at the Dodgers.

Over in the American League the Red Sox will send Daisuke Matsuzaka and his impressive numbers (13-2, 2.90 ERA) to the mound against the Rangers. Also on tap in the AL: Toronto at Detroit, Tampa Bay at Oakland, and Baltimore at Cleveland.

Finally, the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship will begin at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina on Thursday morning, with Vijay Singh the most notable golfer in the field. Meanwhile, the LPGA's CN Canadian Women's Open will get underway at the same time; it's being played at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

News from the wire . . .

With starting pitcher Tim Wakefield on the disabled list, the Red Sox made a deal with the Indians to acquire Paul Byrd on Tuesday afternoon . . . Struggling Dodgers outfielder Andruw Jones is on the DL with a sore knee, while the team activated Nomar Garciaparra . . . Blazers center Greg Oden has impressed so far in practice, reporting no pain in his knee . . the Islanders have hired Scott Gordon as their head coach.

Peek at the future . . .

There is one preseason NFL game on the schedule for Friday night - Oakland at Tennessee at 8:00pm ET . . . Carlos Zambrano (12-5, 3.22 ERA) will take on Josh Johnson (3-0, 3.19 ERA) in the Cubs/Marlins matchup in Florida on Friday night . . . The USA men's hoops team will take on Spain at 10:15am ET on Saturday morning, and they'll play Germany at 8:00am ET on Monday morning.

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[pm530]

Six-pack for Thursday

-- Nomar Garciaparra homered at 1:18am to give Dodgers 7-6 win over Phillies, in game they trailed 6-1 in second. They're tied with Arizona, just as Phillies/Mets are tied in NL East.

-- White Sox shut out Kansas City for second game in a row, as they stay half-game ahead of Twins in AL Central.

-- CC Sabathia won again for Milwaukee, as Brewers beat the Padres 7-1 at Petco; Sabathia is now 7-0, 1.83 for the Crew.

-- Rangers have allowed 53 runs in their last five games.

-- A's scored zero or one run in 31 games this season, most in franchise history since 1929- they scored four or less runs in fifteen straight games, their worst streak since 1978.

-- Strong rumor out of Maryland has AJ Burnett opting out of Toronto and signing with Baltimore, his wife's hometown

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[pm530]

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

13) Watching Nationals play at home last night, notice that the greedy oil barons at Exxon-Mobil have a big billboard on the outfield fence; good to see the money-hungry bastards have a large presence in our nation’s capitol, where they convince our nitwit politicians to allow them to rip the rest of us off. Great.

12) There is going to be a new minor football league starting next fall, the UFL, with six teams—New York-Hartford-Orlando-LA-San Francisco-Vegas. Mark Cuban is one of the owners, and looks like Michael Vick could be one of the QB’s, after his June release from prison. Guess that rules out Ralston-Purina and Petco as sponsors.

11) The UFL will end by Thanksgiving, allowing its players to move up to NFL rosters for end of that season. Mets’ owners have the NY franchise, meaning brand-new Citi Field will be a multi-use facility, bad news for the Mets’ infielders.

10) How did Paul Byrd and Adam Dunn clear waivers? Don’t teams want good players?

9) In Dan Geise’s three starts for the Bronx Bombers, the Bronx bullpen allowed 22 runs in just 9.1 IP.

8) The oldest son of Georgia football coach Mark Richt is a freshman QB at Clemson. Mark Richt coached with Bobby/Jeff Bowden at Florida State, which is where the connection with Clemson (Tommy Bowden) comes in.

7) Want to feel old? Hulk Hogan turned 55 this week.

6) Reebok reports they’ve already sold over 60,000 Brett Favre Jet jerseys. Replica jerseys go for $80, real things go for $260, so Reebok is having a very good week.

5) Unmitigated gunner Kobe Bryant, apparently uncomfortable trying to play within framework of an actual team, is 1-15 from outside the shorter 3-point arc in first two Olympic games.

4) Watching Olympic basketball reminds me that I once kept a point guard named Milos Vujanic on my NBA fantasy team for two whole years; problem is, dude never played in the NBA, despite once getting traded from the Knicks to Phoenix. He was supposed to be good. We'll never know. Brilliant!!!

3) St Louis newspaper reports Rams have a sense of urgency this week, as they host the Chargers after a dismal loss in Nashville Friday. Last time Rams’ first-team offense scored a summer TD was in 2005, so they’ll give a strong effort this week. Problem is, Chargers are lot better than them, so a strong effort still might not be good enough.

2) By the way, anytime Rams want to sign Steven Jackson to an extension is fine with me.

1) New York Post reports a guy with loge-level NY Met season tickets paid $7,447 for two seats this season. Next season, at brand-new Citi Field, whose infield will be torn up by a minor league football team from Labor Day on, those same tickets will cost $18,630. Price gouging comes in all shapes and sizes, not just when you're putting gas in your car.

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[pm530]

Canadian Football League – Long Sheet

CFL
Long Sheet

Week 8

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Thursday, August 14
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HAMILTON (2 - 5) at WINNIPEG (1 - 6) - 8/14/2008, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WINNIPEG is 4-3 against the spread versus HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 5-2 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Friday, August 15
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MONTREAL (4 - 3) at TORONTO (3 - 4) - 8/15/2008, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 9-21 ATS (-14.1 Units) in road games when playing on a Friday since 1996.
TORONTO is 31-16 ATS (+13.4 Units) off a loss against a division rival since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 4-4 against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
MONTREAL is 5-3 straight up against TORONTO over the last 3 seasons
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[pm530]

Canadian Football League – Write up

CFL
Write-up


Week 8 CFL games

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Thursday, August 14

Hamilton (2-5) @ Winnipeg (1-6)-- TiCats are 2-0 vs Argos, but 2-5 vs everyone else; they scored 32-45 in their wins, running ball for 311-209 yards, but scored just 20 ppg in losses, running ball for 138.2 ypg. Bombers scored 11 points in each of last two weeks- all six Winnipeg losses are by 7+ points. Three of five Hamilton losses are by seven or less points. Five of TiCats' last six games went over the total.


Friday, August 15

Montreal (4-3) @ Toronto (3-4)-- Alouettes scored 33+ points in six of seven games; they went WWLLLWW first seven tilts, with losses by 4-8-2 points. Argos allowed 176+ rushing yards in fou rof last six games, losing twice to 2-5 Hamilton. Argos are 2-1 at home, beating Edmonton-Winnipeg in last two at Rogers Centre. Three of last four Montreal games went over the total.

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[pm530]

Canadian Football League – Additional Trends

CFL

Week 8

Trend Sheet

Thursday, August 14

8:00 PM HAMILTON vs. WINNIPEG
Hamilton is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Hamilton's last 23 games when playing Winnipeg
Winnipeg is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
Winnipeg is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games


Friday, August 15

7:30 PM MONTREAL vs. TORONTO
Montreal is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games when playing Toronto
Montreal is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 13-5-1 ATS in its last 19 games
Toronto is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games

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[pm530]

Canadian Football League – Preview and Predictions

CFL
Preview and Predictions


CFL games – Week 8

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Preview and Predictions
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The CFL is entering their division bye week and the Western teams are taking advantage of the first week of rest; as Hamilton travels to Winnipeg and Montreal heads to the Rogers Centre for an Eastern Division tilt with the Toronto Argonauts. The way things are going for Toronto, I'm sure Argos Head Coach Rich Stubler wishes his team was heading into the break after their big lost last week to Hamilton. However, Hamilton might still be flying high after their big upset win over the boatmen.

Here are some CFL facts about the bye week. Entering a bye weekend can be a psychological juggling act for the head coaches, as they need to keep their players focused on the task at hand, instead players might be thinking what they might be doing with their time off. In fact, the bye week tends to favor the home teams, as they are 12-5 SU since 1996 and the road teams are 1-4 SU and ATS.


Hamilton (54) vs. Winnipeg (-3.5)

Tiger Cats @ Blue Bombers History: The Hamilton Tiger Cats are 8-9-0 (ATS), 6-11 (SU) and the O/U is 6-11-0 when they travel to Winnipeg to face the Blue Bombers.

Comment: Momentum and confidence is a dangerous chemistry for a football team and it's pretty clear, Hamilton and Winnipeg are going North and South with these 2 factors. Hamilton is coming off an impressive upset home underdog win over Toronto, Ticats QB Richie Williams is giving this team a chance to win and the offense has been putting up some big numbers in their last 2 games. Winnipeg on the other hand, are trying to walk in step as a team and they are playing QB shuffle for the second time in 3 weeks. Plus, they seem to be blaming their kicker as a diversion to the real problem, as Doug Berry seems to be losing control of his football team. Kevin Glenn will get the start this Thursday and Richie Williams will be getting his 3rd straight start. Hamilton is averaging 30.3 point for per game in their last 3 outings, compared to 25.2 on the season. Winnipeg is allowing 28.67 points against, compared to 30.86 on the year. The Tiger Cats have seen their last 2 games go OVER the posted total and they?ve covered both games as an underdog. Winnipeg is on a 2 game losing streak and both games have gone UNDER the total. Plus, when the Bombers face a division foe this season, they are averaging 15.5 points per game and allowing 29.75. If there's a ray of light for the Blue Bombers, they are 8-3 SU as a home fave vs. the Ticats since 1996. Although the Tiger Cats have seen some improvements the last 2 weeks, they are still a bad football team away from Ivor Wynne Stadium. Hamilton has only won 3 football games the last 3 seasons on the road and has lost 27. Plus, when Hamilton is a road team and they've covered their last 2 games, they are 4-13 SU in the next game.

Forecast: Hamilton to win by 10.12 points and the O/U to land on 51.72.

Stat of the Game: When HAMILTON team played as a 3.5 to 6.5 Road Underdog - Allowed scored 21 points or less against; The UNDER is 9-2-0 for the Tiger Cats in this spot since 1996.


Montreal (-3) vs. Toronto (54)

Alouettes vs. Argonauts History: Montreal is 12-9-0 (ATS), 11-10 (SU) and the O/U is 7-13-1 when they meet the Argos in Toronto.

Comment: The Montreal Alouettes are one of the most consistent football teams in the CFL this season; they've won 2 games in a row and have only lost by 8 points or less in the 3 games they have lost this year. However, both of their past wins were against Winnipeg and Hamilton! Montreal beat the Blue Bombers last week 39-11 in the Peg and might have something bigger on their mind this week, as they face the BC Lions next week. Toronto is coming off one of their most embarrassing losses in team history, as they fell 45-21 to the 2-5 Hamilton Tiger Cats. However, in order to get caught at a look ahead situation, you have to be a good football team and Toronto is far from this at the moment with their revenge game on deck next week vs. the Tiger Cats. Anthony Calvillo has been putting up some magical numbers this season and the offense is averaging 37.67 points in their last 3 outings and they are starting to look better on defense allowing 25.4 points against on the season. Montreal is 7-3-0 ATS on the road vs. division opponents during week 4 to 8. As for the UNDER, its 8-2-0 for the Alouettes, when they are a road favorite and the total is between 51.5 and 54.0. Toronto seems to have some chemistry issue in the locker room, players are rumbling and after a lost vs. a team you should have beaten, people are a bit edgy these days in Toronto. Plus, it won't get any easier for the boatmen this Friday, they are 5-13-2 SU in their last 20 meetings vs. Montreal and they are only averaging 20.67 points per game in their last 3 outings. The UNDER is 8-2-0 for the Argonauts as a Home Team when the line is a Pick'em to +3.0 and they scored 21 points or less in their last game.

Forecast: Montreal to win by 14.4 points and the O/U to land on 57.3 points.

Stat of the Game: When ANY CFL Team played as a Road team -Before a non conference game - Coming off a Score 11 - 13 AGAINST in last game - Allowed scored 13 points or less against - Coming off a 1 ATS win; The UNDER is 14-3-0 for the Road Team in this spot since 96.

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[pm530]

National Football League – Long Sheet

NFL
Pre-Season

Long Sheet

Note: Limited trends are listed. There may be updates prior to play date.

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Thursday, August 14
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PITTSBURGH (1 - 0) at BUFFALO (0 - 1) - 8/14/2008, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) in home games against AFC North division opponents since 1993.

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

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CAROLINA (1 - 0) at PHILADELPHIA (0 - 1) - 8/14/2008, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) against conference opponents since 1993.
PHILADELPHIA is 9-21 ATS (-14.1 Units) in games where the line is +3 to -3 since 1993.

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

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Friday, August 15
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OAKLAND (1 - 0) at TENNESSEE (1 - 0) - 8/15/2008, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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Saturday, August 16
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WASHINGTON (2 - 0) at NY JETS (1 - 0) - 8/16/2008, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY JETS are 23-10 ATS (+12.0 Units) in games where the line is +3 to -3 since 1993.
NY JETS are 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) against NFC East division opponents since 1993.

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

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MINNESOTA (0 - 1) at BALTIMORE (1 - 0) - 8/16/2008, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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MIAMI (0 - 1) at JACKSONVILLE (1 - 0) - 8/16/2008, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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INDIANAPOLIS (0 - 2) at ATLANTA (0 - 1) - 8/16/2008, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 26-13 ATS (+11.7 Units) in games played on turf since 1993.

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

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SAN DIEGO (1 - 0) at ST LOUIS (0 - 1) - 8/16/2008, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 3-13 ATS (-11.3 Units) when playing on a Saturday since 1993.
ST LOUIS is 12-25 ATS (-15.5 Units) in non-conference games since 1993.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN DIEGO is 1-0 against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
SAN DIEGO is 1-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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HOUSTON (1 - 0) at NEW ORLEANS (1 - 0) - 8/16/2008, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ORLEANS is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points since 1993.
NEW ORLEANS is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) in home games in dome games since 1993.
NEW ORLEANS is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) in home games in games played on turf since 1993.
NEW ORLEANS is 2-10 ATS (-9.0 Units) as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points since 1993.
NEW ORLEANS is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) in home games since 1993.
NEW ORLEANS is 8-19 ATS (-12.9 Units) in home lined games since 1993.

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

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ARIZONA (0 - 1) at KANSAS CITY (1 - 0) - 8/16/2008, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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GREEN BAY (0 - 1) at SAN FRANCISCO (0 - 1) - 8/16/2008, 9:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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DALLAS (0 - 1) at DENVER (0 - 1) - 8/16/2008, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DALLAS is 11-32 ATS (-24.2 Units) in all games where the total is between 35.5 and 42 points since 1993.
DENVER is 22-7 ATS (+14.3 Units) when playing on a Saturday since 1993.
DENVER is 30-16 ATS (+12.4 Units) in non-conference games since 1993.

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

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CHICAGO (0 - 1) at SEATTLE (1 - 0) - 8/16/2008, 9:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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Sunday, August 17
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DETROIT (1 - 0) at CINCINNATI (1 - 0) - 8/17/2008, 7:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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NEW ENGLAND (0 - 1) at TAMPA BAY (1 - 0) - 8/17/2008, 8:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ENGLAND is 32-17 ATS (+13.3 Units) in non-conference games since 1993.

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

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Monday, August 18
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CLEVELAND (0 - 1) at NY GIANTS (0 - 1) - 8/18/2008, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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[pm530]

National Football League – Short Sheet

NFL
Pre-Season


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Short Sheet
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Thursday, August 14th

Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo, 7:30 ET (at Toronto)
Pittsburgh: 9-1 Under L10 Preseason games
Buffalo: 0-7 ATS at home vs. AFC North

Carolina at Philadelphia, 8:00 ET FOX
Carolina: 12-3 ATS vs. conference opponents
Philadelphia: 9-21 ATS the line is +3 to -3


Friday, August 15th

Oakland at Tennessee, 8:00 ET FOX
Oakland: 14-4 Under off home win
Tennessee: 15-5 ATS off SU win


Saturday, August 16th

Washington at NY Jets, 7:00 ET
Washington: 0-4 ATS off ATS loss
NY Jets: 23-10 ATS the line is +3 to -3

Minnesota at Baltimore, 7:30 ET
Minnesota: 3-0 ATS off SU loss
Baltimore: 6-1 Under as favorite

Miami at Jacksonville, 7:30 ET
Miami: 3-0 Under as road underdog
Jacksonville: 10-3 ATS vs. conference opponents

Indianapolis at Atlanta, 7:30 ET
Indianapolis: 23-7 Over Away in August
Atlanta: 13-4 ATS off road loss

San Diego at St. Louis, 8:00 ET
San Diego: 21-8 ATS off home game
St. Louis: 12-25 ATS vs. AFC

Houston at New Orleans, 8:00 ET
Houston: 6-0 Over on Saturdays
New Orleans: 8-19 ATS at home in preseason

Arizona at Kansas City, 8:00 ET
Arizona: 3-6 ATS L9 preseason games
Kansas City: 5-1 Under when the line is +3 to -3

Green Bay at San Francisco, 9:00 ET
Green Bay: 7-2 ATS vs. NFC West
San Francisco: 5-1 Under after a game with a turnover margin of -3 or worse

Dallas at Denver, 9:00 ET
Dallas: 10-23 ATS off Over
Denver: 30-16 ATS vs. NFC

Chicago at Seattle, 9:00 ET
Chicago: 6-1 Over after playing a Thursday game
Seattle: 3-10 ATS off road win


Sunday, August 17th

Detroit at Cincinnati, 7:30 ET
Detroit: 3-0 Over vs. AFC North
Cincinnati: 4-0 ATS off SU win

New England at Tampa Bay, 8:00 ET NFL
New England: 8-0 ATS off home loss
Tampa Bay: 20-8 Under as home favorite


Monday, August 18th

Cleveland at NY Giants, 8:00 ET ESPN
Cleveland: 4-0 Over on Monday Night
NY Giants: 4-13 ATS as home favorite

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[pm530]

National Football League – Write up

NFL
Write-up

Thursday, August 14

I'm not a big fan of investing in summer games, especially early in preseason. But people have asked for some insight so here goes, as little as it is............

-- Steelers-Bills should have good mix of both teams' fans; Bills lost their last five preseason home games. Steelers are 5-1 under Tomlin in preseason, but with Batch breaking collarbone a week ago, Leftwich is either going to get crash course in offense, or it will be mobile Oregon rookie Dixon getting lot of time here.

-- Eagles have quality backup QBs in Kolb/Feeley, but they lost five of last six summer games. Carolina has decent backup QB in Matt Moore- they won four of last five summer road games. Last week, neither team scored in second half, but Panthers won 23-20 in OT at home vs Colts-- Eagles lost 16-10 at Pittsburgh.

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Thursday, August 14

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Hot Pitchers
-- Arizona won six of last seven Haren road starts. Rusch is 4-0, 3.55 in his last six starts.
-- Milwaukee is 10-4 on road when Sheets starts. Peavy has a 2.25 RA in his last three starts, but Padres are 1-4 in his last five because they scored of nine runs in the five games.
-- Cubs won last four Lilly starts (2-0, 3.16).
-- Moehler is 3-0, 1.21 in his last three starts.
-- Wellemeyer is 1-0, 2.89 in his last three starts.
-- Perez is 3-2, 1.88 in his last eight starts.
-- Kuroda is 1-0, 1.20 in his last couple starts. Phillies won last three Myers starts (2-0, 1.74).

-- Galarraga is 3-0, 2.52 in his last four starts.
-- Shields is 3-1, 3.03 in his last five starts.
-- Matsuzaka is 5-1, 2.17 in his last eight starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Giants are 1-6 on road when Correia starts.
-- Snell is 0-3, 7.59 in his last nine starts.
-- Glavine is 0-1, 6.75 in his last four starts, all Brave losses; his last start was on June 10.
-- Reds lost nine of eleven Cueto road starts.
-- Balestar is 1-4, 5.97 in his last six starts.

-- Toronto lost last five Litsch road starts.
-- Davies is 2-3, 7.20 in his last nine starts. Broadway is making first '08 start; he started one game LY, has given up one run, five hits in 10.2 big league innings.
-- Gallagher is 0-1, 8.78 in his last three starts.
-- Orioles are 2-7 in last nine Cabrera road starts. ZJackson was 2-2, 5.36 in seven starts for Milwaukee two years ago.
-- Hunter is 0-1, 10.61 in two starts for the Rangers.

Hot Teams
-- Cubs are 13-3 in their last sixrteen games.
-- Brewers won last eight games, allowing twelve runs.
-- Astros won last seven games, and fourteen of last sixteen.
-- Arizona are 5-3 in their last eight road games.
-- Marlins lost three of their last four home games.
-- Dodgers are 10-3 in last thirteen home games.

-- Indians won five of their last six games.
-- Toronto won seven of its last nine road games.
-- White Sox are 8-3 in their last eleven home games.
-- Rays won six of their last eight games.
-- Red Sox won last three games, scoring 32 runs.

Cold Teams
-- Pirates lost seven of their last eleven games. Reds lost seven of last eight games.
-- Braves lost nine of last eleven home games.
-- Cardinals are 1-5 in game after their last six wins.
-- Mets are 3-5 in their last eight road games. Nationals lost last five games, outscored 32-7.
-- Giants are 4-11 in their last fifteen road games.
-- Rockies lost five of last seven games, allowing 48 runs.
-- Padres lost six of their last seven home games.
-- Phillies lost last three games, allowing 19 runs.

-- Orioles lost three of their last four games.
-- Tigers are 3-10 in their last thirteen games.
-- Royals lost six of their last seven games.
-- Oakland lost eight of its last ten home games.
-- Rangers lost six of their last seven games, giving up 53 runs in their last five contests.

Totals
-- Over is 9-4 in Houston's last thirteen games.
-- Over is 11-5 in Arizona's last sixteen road games.
-- Under is 8-2-1 in last eleven Milwaukee games.
-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Cueto starts.
-- Under is 7-4-1 in last twelve Atlanta games.
-- Five of last six Florida home games stayed under the total.
-- Last eight Oliver Perez starts stayed under the total.
-- Under is 9-4 in last thirteen Dodger home games.

-- Four of last five Galarraga starts went over the total.
-- Five of last six White Sox games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 12-3 in Oakland's last fifteen games.
-- Over is 9-3 in Baltimore's last twelve road games.
-- Under is 5-1 in Matsuzaka's last six starts.

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Trend Sheet

MLB


Thursday, August 14

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Trend Sheet
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1:05 PM TORONTO vs. DETROIT
Toronto is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
Toronto is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games
Detroit is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games at home


2:05 PM KANSAS CITY vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Kansas City is 2-8 SU in their last 10 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
Kansas City is 5-11 SU in their last 16 games when playing Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
Chi White Sox are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games at home


2:05 PM SAN FRANCISCO vs. HOUSTON
San Francisco is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Houston
San Francisco is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home


3:05 PM ARIZONA vs. COLORADO
Arizona is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Arizona is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games on the road
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Arizona
Colorado is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games when playing Arizona


3:35 PM MILWAUKEE vs. SAN DIEGO
Milwaukee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Milwaukee is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games on the road
San Diego is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Milwaukee


3:37 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 7-18 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Oakland is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games
Oakland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home


7:05 PM BALTIMORE vs. CLEVELAND
Baltimore is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Baltimore is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Baltimore
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Baltimore


7:05 PM CINCINNATI vs. PITTSBURGH
Cincinnati is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Cincinnati is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cincinnati


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 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home


7:10 PM CHI CUBS vs. ATLANTA
Chi Cubs are 5-10-1 SU in their last 16 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Chi Cubs are 6-0-1 SU in their last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 0-4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
Atlanta is 6-11-1 SU in its last 18 games


7:10 PM NY METS vs. WASHINGTON
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
NY Mets are 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Washington is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games at home
Washington is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games


7:10 PM ST. LOUIS vs. FLORIDA
St. Louis is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Florida
St. Louis is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing Florida
Florida is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing St. Louis
Florida is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games


10:10 PM PHILADELPHIA vs. LA DODGERS
Philadelphia is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
Philadelphia is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
LA Dodgers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
LA Dodgers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


We will update when projected scores are available.

Thursday, August 14

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Tips and Trends
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Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox [NESN | 7:05 PM ET]

Rangers: Tommy Hunter will be making his third start of the season and first away from home when he visits Fenway Park. Hunter has been pounded hard in each of his first two starts, surrendering a total of 11 runs and 16 hits in just 11.1 innings of work. He has walked two and struck out eight batters during that stretch with the Rangers splitting the games against the Yankees and Blue Jays, who hit a combined .348 against him in those games.

The OVER is 8-2 in Texas' last 10 road games.
The OVER is 14-6-1 in Texas' last 21 games overall.

Key Injuries - DH Milton Bradley (.321; illness) has returned.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Red Sox (-280, O/U 10.5): Daisuke Matsuzaka continues to be remarkable this season. He's 4-1 over his last five starts, allowing two runs or less four times over that span. Dice-K is 2-0 in two career starts against the Rangers but his ERA is close to 7.00 in those games. Matsuzaka has been a machine pitching on grass this season, going 12-2 with a stellar 2.95 ERA. The UNDER is 5-1 in Dice-K's last six starts.

Red Sox are 9-3 in their last 12 games on grass.

Red Sox are 33-9 in the last 42 meetings at Boston.
Key Injuries - DH David Ortiz (.260; wrist) has returned.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



Chicago Cubs at Atlanta Braves [7:10 PM ET]

Cubs (-135, O/U 9.5): Ted Lilly has been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball over his last 10 starts, allowing three runs or less eight times over that stretch. Lilly has been strong on the road this season, going 5-3 with a solid 3.89 ERA. The Cubs have won Lilly's last four starts and seven out of 10 overall. Lilly has a 5.70 career ERA against the Braves, although he's managed to go 2-2 in those six starts. In Lilly's last five road starts, the OVER is 3-1-1.

Cubs are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.
Cubs are 7-2 in Lilly's last 9 starts as a favorite.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Braves: This will be Tom Glavine's first start since June 10. The veteran has been on the DL nursing a sore left elbow. Before he was injured, the Braves lost four straight games with Glavine on the hill. Glavine has faced the Cubs 36 times in his career, compiling a 15-14 record to go along with a 3.72 ERA. The OVER is 3-1 in Glavine's last four starts.

Braves are 2-9 in their last 11 home games.
The OVER is 10-3 in Atlanta's last 13 home games.

Key Injuries - OF Chipper Jones (.370; rest) is expected to return.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD



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

Phillies: After getting drilled for most of June and July, Brett Myers has rebounded nicely in his last three starts to pitch extremely well. Myers has allowed just four runs in his last 20.2 innings pitched, going 2-0 with one no-decision over that stretch. Myers has also had success against the Dodgers in his career. He's 3-1 with a strong 2.76 ERA in nine starts versus LA. After losing six consecutive games with Myers on the mound, the Phillies have emerged victorious in his last three outings.

Phillies are 1-6 in the last 7 meetings.
The UNDER is 5-2-1 in Philadelphia's last 8 games overall.

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

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

Dodgers (-130, O/U 8): Hiroki Kuroda was hammered in three straight starts but he's shaken off those poor performances to pitch magnificently in his two most recent outings against the Diamondbacks and Giants. In those games Kuroda allowed just two runs in 15.1 innings of work. Kuroda has been money at Dodger Stadium where he's 4-1 with an ERA of 3.29 on the year. You shouldn't expect a lot of runs to be scored when Kuroda is on the mound. The UNDER is 7-3 in his last 10 starts.

Dodgers are 11-3 in their last 14 home games.
The OVER is 9-2-2 in the last 13 meetings.

Key Injuries - SS Nomar Garciaparra (.279; knee) has returned.

PROJECTED SCORE: TBD

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[Udog]

MLB


Thursday, August 14

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Baseball Today
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SCOREBOARD

Thursday, Aug. 14

Milwaukee at San Diego (3:35 p.m. EDT). Ben Sheets (11-5, 2.95 ERA) takes the mound hoping to extend the Brewers' lead in the wild card race. He'll face Jake Peavy (8-8, 2.68), who has not allowed more than four runs in any of his 20 starts this season.

STARS

Wednesday

- C.C. Sabathia, Brewers, struck out eight in his 10th straight win during a 7-1 win over the Padres.

- Delmon Young, Twins, homered and drove in three runs in a 4-2 win over the Yankees.

- After striking out four times, Wladimir Balentien, Mariners, hit a three-run homer in the 12th inning in a 10-7 win over the Angels.

- Nomar Garciaparra, Dodgers, hit a walk-off homer in the ninth inning of a 7-6 win over the Phillies.

- Mark Buehrle, White Sox, scattered five hits over seven innings, striking out five to improve to 18-8 lifetime against the Royals after a 4-0 victory.

- Troy Glaus, Cardinals, was 4-for-4 with a double and RBI in a 6-4 win over the Marlins.

- Dan Murphy, Mets, kept up his rookie roll by going 3-for-6 with a home run and three RBIs in a 12-0 rout of the Nationals.

- Jeremy Guthrie, Orioles, gave up a run and four hits over seven innings in a 65-1 victory over the Indians.

- Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox, had three doubles and drove in two runs in an 8-4 win over the Rangers. Youkilis also scored three times.

ROAD WARRIORS

The Cubs couldn't have picked a much better opponent than Atlanta to keep up their recent dominance on the road. Already having swept the Braves this season, Chicago made it five straight with a doubleheader sweep by scores of 10-2 and 8-0. Chicago (73-47) improved to 26 games over .500 for the first time since ending the 1984 season 96-55, and the two wins pushed their road streak to seven straight, their longest since June 12-22, 2004.

GIFT WRAPPED

Giants starter Barry Zito and reliever Billy Sadler matched a major league record by hitting three Houston batters in the sixth inning, along with issuing four walks. The Astros wound up with all of their runs off two hit batters, two walks and two sacrifice flies in a 6-2 victory.

STREAKING

Jeremy Guthrie went seven innings to win his fourth straight start in the Orioles' 6-1 victory over Cleveland. ... The Blue Jays won their third straight by handing Kenny Rogers a loss in his fourth straight start with a 4-3 victory over Detroit. ... Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts went 0-for-5 against Cleveland to stop his hitting streak at 14 games. ... Washington's 12-0 loss to the New York Mets was its six straight. ... Cincinnati has lost 15 of 18 after falling 5-2 to the Pirates.

WALKATHON

Much has been made of the Mets' pitching problems, but they got some welcome relief thanks to the erratic Nationals staff. Washington walked 11 Mets batters in a 12-0 loss. New York sent 13 batters to the plate in the third inning and scored eight runs on just four hits off Washington starter Jason Bergmann (2-9), who walked five in a 51-pitch inning.

MAHOLM COOKING

Paul Maholm (8-7) improved to 6-1 with a 3.06 ERA at PNC Park this season. He threw first-pitch strikes to 22 of the 28 batters he faced in a 5-2 win over Cincinnati. Maholm went eight innings without a walk, allowing seven hits with five strikeouts. The 25-year-old, a No. 8 overall draft pick by the Pirates in 2003, has developed into the team's most reliable starter. He has a 2.81 ERA in his last 14 starts and has pitched at least six innings in his past 18 outings.

EASY TARGET

White Sox slugger Carlos Quentin might not be eager to get back into the lineup after sitting out his second straight game since being hit on his left forearm Monday night by Boston's Josh Beckett. The AL's home run leader has been hit by a pitch in five straight games - the first player since 1920 with that long of a streak, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He has been hit 19 times overall - most in the majors.

RALLYING RANGERS

For the second straight game, Boston jumped out to a big lead, only to be reeled back in by Texas. A day after the teams matched the highest-scoring game in AL history, the Red Sox jumped to an 8-0 lead. But Milton Bradley's three-run homer made it 8-4, then the Rangers put their first two batters on base in the ninth before Ian Kinsler - leading the majors in hits - grounded into a double play.

SPEAKING

"It was a good night for the manager. We needed to have an offensive night like this. That is huge for us.'' - New York manager Jerry Manuel after the Mets' 12-0 win over Washington.

SEASONS

Aug. 14

1937 - The Detroit Tigers scored 36 runs (16-1 and 20-7) against the St. Louis Browns in a doubleheader sweep to set major league record. Pete Fox of the Tigers scored eight of the runs in the doubleheader.

1958 - Vic Power of the Cleveland Indians stole home twice, in the eighth and 10th innings, in a 10-9 win over Detroit. He had only three steals all year.

1961 - The Philadelphia Phillies dropped their 17th straight game, a 9-2 loss to Dick Ellsworth and the Chicago Cubs. It was also the 11th consecutive complete game thrown against the Phillies.

1969 - On an off-day after a three-game sweep by the Astros in Houston, the New York Mets fell to third place, 9 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs.

1971 - St. Louis right-hander Bob Gibson pitched a no-hitter, blanking the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-0. Jose Cruz made a running catch of Milt May's 400-foot drive to center in the seventh inning and third baseman Joe Torre made a leaping stab of Dave Cash's bad-hop grounder in the eighth inning.

1981 - Jeff Burroughs of the Seattle Mariners hit three home runs in a 13-3 rout of the Minnesota Twins in the second game of a doubleheader.

1982 - Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies, in his first at-bat of a 15-11 victory over the Montreal Expos, passed Hank Aaron and moved into first place on the career at-bat list with 12,365.

1987 - Oakland's Mark McGwire set a major league rookie record with his 39th homer of the season to help the A's to a 7-6, 12-inning victory over the California Angels. McGwire gave the A's a 5-3 lead in the sixth when he hit the two-run homer off Don Sutton.

1998 - Baltimore's Chris Hoiles became the ninth major leaguer and first catcher to hit two grand slams in one game against the Cleveland Indians. Hoiles homered in the third inning off Charles Nagy and in the eighth against Ron Villone to lead the Orioles to a 15-3 victory.

2002 - Trevor Hoffman became the first reliever in major league history to earn 30 or more saves in eight straight seasons in San Diego's 6-2 win over the New York Mets.

2006 - Matt Diaz went 4-for-5 with a homer, tying an NL record by hitting safely in 10 consecutive at-bats, and Chipper Jones homered in three straight plate appearances to lead Atlanta to a 10-4 victory over Washington.

2007 - Atlanta manager Bobby Cox set a dubious record in the Braves' 5-4 victory over San Francisco. Cox was tossed after the fifth for arguing a called third strike - the 132nd ejection of his career to break the mark originally set by Hall of Famer John McGraw.

Today's birthdays: Clay Buchholz 24; Leo Nunez 25; Juan Pierre 31; Mark Loretta 37.