Wednesday Trends and Indexes 9/24 (MLB, CFL, Misc.)

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Wednesday September 24

Good Luck on day #268 of 2008!


For COLLEGE FOOTBALL and NFL, see separate threads:

• “NCAAF Week 5 Trends and Indexes 9/25 through 9/27”
• “NFL Week 4 Trends and Indexes 9/28 and 9/29”


For now, the balance of the sports menu in this thread will consist of Major League Baseball, the Canadian Football League, and the WNBA until their seasons are played out. Also, general sports news and notes will still be posted here.

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.
Any opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the posting member or BettorsChat.
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[pm530]

Daily Sports Roundup

Wednesday, September 24

There's no football of note on Wednesday, so sports fans will instead have to settle for the dwindling days of the baseball regular season. Here's your Daily Sports Roundup.

The Gridiron Spotlight

The biggest surprise of the NFL season so far? It just might be the play of the Bills, who sit alone atop the AFC East with a 3-0 record; Buffalo has moved from 60/1 to 18/1 odds on the Vegas Super Bowl futures list. The new title favorites are the Cowboys, who are at 3/1, with the Colts at 6/1, and the Chargers at 8/1. The Patriots opened as the 5/2 Super Bowl favorites, but their early-season issues have dropped them to 15/1.

Other Notable Events

The Mets are hoping to get into the National League playoffs one way or the other - either as the NL East champion or as the league's Wild Card team. New York will look to improve their chances in those races by knocking off the Cubs at home on Wednesday night. The Mets' Oliver Perez (10-7, 4.10 ERA) is scheduled to take on the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano (14-6, 3.77 ERA) in that contest.

Meanwhile, the Phillies will be looking to stay ahead of the Mets in the division standings, while the Brewers will be trying to overtake them for the Wild Card berth. Philly will host Atlanta on Wednesday, with Brett Myers (10-12, 4.46 ERA) taking on Jo-Jo Reyes (3-11, 5.74 ERA). Milwaukee will send Jeff Suppan (10-10, 5.06 ERA) to the hill at home against the Pirates and Paul Maholm (9-8, 3.68 ERA).

The Rest of the Schedule

Other games on the National League schedule for Wednesday: Florida at Washington, Cincinnati at Houston, Arizona at St. Louis, San Diego at the Dodgers, and Colorado at San Francisco. Los Angeles, which is trying to lock down the NL West title, will send Clayton Kershaw (4-5, 4.28 ERA) to the mound against the lowly Padres.

Over in the American League the White Sox/Twins series continues on Wednesday with Mark Buehrle (14-11, 3.87 ERA) taking on Nick Blackburn (10-10, 4.15 ERA). The Red Sox host the Indians on Wednesday, while the Rays have another game in Baltimore. Rounding out the AL schedule: Oakland at Texas, Kansas City at Detroit, the Yankees at Toronto, and the Angels at Seattle.

News from the Wire

Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew is still out indefinitely with his back injury, while third baseman Mike Lowell is still trying to come back from his hip injury . . . Steelers running back Willie Parker is expected to miss the team's game this week with a sprained knee . . . the Chiefs will probably go back to Damon Huard as their starting quarterback . . . the Rams could switch to Trent Green as their QB instead of the struggling Marc Bulger.

A Peek at the Future

It'll be Gavin Floyd (16-8, 3.84 ERA) vs. Kevin Slowey (12-11, 3.85 ERA) in the finale of the Chicago/Minnesota series on Thursday night . . . the top-ranked USC Trojans will take on Oregon State on Thursday night, with the Trojans pegged as big 25.5-point favorites . . . Vijay Singh is listed as the 6/1 Vegas favorite to win THE TOUR Championship this weekend, with Sergio Garcia just behind him on the list at 7/1.

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[pm530]

Six-pack for Wednesday

-- Prince Fielder hit a highly dramatic, two-run walkoff HR in 9th inning, lifting Brewers to 7-5 win over the Pirates and keeping the Crew within a game of the Wild Card-leading Mets.

-- Johan Santana earned his salary Tuesday, throwing 125 pitches in eight impressive innings; he also scored two runs as Mets broke a close game open off of Chad Gaudin, winning 6-2. Mets gained a game on Phillies, are 1.5 out of first place in NL East.

-- Dodgers put hammerlock on NL West, scoring six runs in bottom of first inning, beating San Diego after Arizona lost at St Louis.

-- Minnesota whacked Javier Vazquez around, Twins beat Chicago and moved within 1.5 games of Pale Hose in AL Central.

-- Tampa's amazing Rays swept a twinbill in Baltimore, can clinch the AL East if they win and Red Sox lose tomorrow. Boston is in the playoffs after beating Cliff Lee 5-4 Tuesday night.

-- Ump Jim Wolf has the plate for the Cub-Met game Wednesday; Wolf's brother pitches for the Astros, who stand to benefit should the Mets lose. Seems to me this situation should be avoided.

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[pm530]

Wednesday's List of 13: Our college football List of 13.......

This isn't a ranking of our top 13 teams; it is the 13 teams that impressed us last week.......

13) Northwestern-- Wildcats are 4-0 for the first time since I was 2 years old, which was 1962. Huge game at Iowa this week, then a bye, but the rest of schedule is tough, although they don't play Penn State.

12) Georgia Tech-- Jackets had 438 rushing yards vs Mississippi St team that lost previous week 3-2 to Auburn. Paul Johnson's offense is unique and awful hard to defense.

11) BYU-- Outscored last two opponents 103-0. they scored a pair of defensive TDs and forced six Wyoming turnovers Saturday. Huge November game vs archrival Utah looms as a potential BCS-buster.

10) Wake Forest-- Beat Florida State for third time in row for first time in school history; they picked off five FSU passes, recovered a pair of Seminole fumbles, overcoming a slow day by the offense.

9) Tulsa-- Never saw a team go 14-15 on third down conversions, but Hurricane did Saturday; they averaged 12 yards/pass attempt, 19.5 yards per completion. Another impressive non-BCS team.

8) Ball State-- Well-balanced offense; they had 224 rushing yards, 239 passing in win at Indiana, but lost leading WR to a neck injury. David Letterman's alma mater looks like they're going bowling.

7) Toledo-- How do you lose a game when you gain 600 yards? The Rockets did Saturday, going for two vs Fresno when they were down a point in OT- to me, it was an unnecessary, game-losing risk.

6) Ohio U-- Not only are Bengals, Browns winless, Bobcats are 0-4, but they've covered the spread in all four losses. Jackson is their QB of future, but they're going to have some growing pains with him.

5) Syracuse-- Finally won a game, but I-AA Northeastern passed for 23-37/293 vs Orange in 30-21 loss. Should Raiders fire Lane Kiffin, it makes lot of sense that he would be a candidate in central New York.

4) Alabama-- Scored two defensive TDs at Arkansas, led 35-7 at the half in impressive win. They have three road games left; at Georgia, at Tennessee and at LSU. They'll be bowling New Year's Day.

3) Florida-- Not to over-simplify things, but the Florida kids run a lot faster than the Tennessee kids. Gators are only team left in USA that hasn't turned ball over yet. Tebow's passing numbers are down.

2) New Mexico-- Beat Arizona 36-28 two weeks ago, then went to Tulsa and was down 35-0 at half, wich leads us to belive that Tulsa might be really good. Meanwhile. Arizona bounced back from loss in Albuquerque and crushed UCLA 31-10 in the Rose Bowl. Go figure.

1) Vanderbilt-- Commodores are 4-0; they figure to beat Duke, will need one other win, so figure they have to beat either Mississippi St in Starkville, Kentucky in Lexington or Tennessee at home, in order to go bowling for first time since 1982.

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[pm530]

Canadian Football League – Long Sheet

CFL
Long Sheet


Week 14

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Friday, September 26
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EDMONTON (7 - 5) at WINNIPEG (4 - 7) - 9/26/2008, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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


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Saturday, September 27
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CALGARY (8 - 4) at TORONTO (4 - 8) - 9/27/2008, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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HAMILTON (2 - 10) at BRITISH COLUMBIA (7 - 5) - 9/27/2008, 10:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
HAMILTON is 3-2 against the spread versus BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 5-0 straight up against HAMILTON over the last 3 seasons
5 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons


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Sunday, September 28
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SASKATCHEWAN (7 - 4) at MONTREAL (8 - 4) - 9/28/2008, 1:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

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

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[pm530]

Canadian Football League – Additional Trends

CFL

Trends Sheet


Week 14

Friday, September 26

8:00 PM EDMONTON vs. WINNIPEG
Edmonton is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Edmonton is 2-3-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Winnipeg is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Edmonton
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Winnipeg's last 9 games when playing at home against Edmonton



Saturday, September 27

7:00 PM CALGARY vs. TORONTO
Calgary is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Calgary is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Calgary
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Calgary


10:00 PM HAMILTON vs. BRITISH COLUMBIA
Hamilton is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against British Columbia
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Hamilton's last 9 games when playing on the road against British Columbia
British Columbia is 5-11-1 ATS in its last 17 games
British Columbia is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games



Sunday, September 28

1:00 PM SASKATCHEWAN vs. MONTREAL
Saskatchewan is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
Saskatchewan is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games
Montreal is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Saskatchewan
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing at home against Saskatchewan

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Wednesday, September 24

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Hot Pitchers
-- Myers is 4-1, 1.35 in his last five home starts; he gave up 10 runs in his last start Friday, at Florida.
-- Marlins won four of last five Johnson starts.
-- Cubs won last four Zambrano road starts, scoring 32 runs.
-- Reds are 3-0 in Ramirez starts (1-0, 2.84). Wolf is 3-1, 3.16 in his last four starts.
-- Sabathia is 5-1, 1.95 in his last nine starts. Maholm has 2.57 RA in his last three outings.
-- Cardinals are 9-1 at home when Wainwright starts.
-- Kershaw is 1-0, 1.64 in his last couple starts.

-- A's won last three Eveland starts (1-0, 2.50).
-- Liz has a 1.88 RA in his last couple starts.
-- Burnett is 2-0, 2.25 in his last three starts.
-- Twins won nine of last twelve Blackburn home starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Braves lost last eleven Reyes starts.
-- Redding has 6.07 RA in his last five starts.
-- Perez has a 7.16 RA in his last three starts.
-- Arizona is 0-6 in Scherzer starts; they scored 10 runs in his last five.
-- Estes is 1-3, 6.97 in his last four starts.
-- Hernnadez is 0-2, 7.32 in his last four starts. Giants lost five of last six Sanchez home starts.

-- Harrison has 10.31 RA in his last four home starts.
-- Byrd has 6.05 RA in three starts for Red Sox at Fenway; he spent most of this season with the Indians. Carmona is 0-2, 9.00 in his last three starts.
-- Jackson is 1-3, 5.14 in his last four road starts.
-- Hughes is 0-3, 10.95 in four road starts.
-- Robertson is 0-2, 7.88 in his last three starts. Bannister is 1-7, 8.44 in his last nine starts.
-- White Sox are 3-11 in last fourteen Buehrle starts.
-- Garland has a 7.26 RA in his last seven starts. Mariners lost last four Hernandez starts, scoring a total of six runs.

Hot Teams
-- Reds won thirteen of their last eighteen games.
-- Phillies won ten of their last twelve games.
-- Cubs won nine of their last twelve games.
-- Arizona won seven of its last nine games.
-- Dodgers won nine of their last thirteen games. Padres won three of their last four games.

-- Royals won ten of their last thirteen games.
-- Indians won seven of their last eight games. Red Sox are 9-4 in their last thirteen home games.
-- Rays are 13-5 in their last eighteen games.
-- Bronx won its last six games, allowing nine runs. Toronto is 9-4 in its last thirteen home games.
-- A's won eight of their last ten games.
-- Angels won ten of their last thirteen games.

Cold Teams
-- Nationals lost five of their last six games. Marlins lost their last four games, allowing 22 runs.
-- Mets lost three of their last four games.
-- Braves lost seven of their last eleven road games.
-- Pirates lost six of their last eight games. Brewers lost eight of their last eleven games.
-- Astros lost seven of their last nine games.
-- Cardinals lost ten of their last thirteen games.
-- Colorado lost five of their last six road games. Giants are 2-6 in their last eight games.

-- Tigers lost nine of their last ten games.
-- Orioles are 6-27 in their last 33 games.
-- Twins lost six of their last nine games. White Sox are 5-9 in their last 14 road games.
-- Rangers lost five of their last six games.
-- Mariners lost 12 of their last 13 games.

Totals
-- Five of last six Atlanta road games stayed under the total.
-- Florida's last five road games all went over the total.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in Cubs' last seven road games.
-- Under is 17-3 in Cincinnati's last twenty road games.
-- Over is 7-3 in Pittsburgh's last ten road games.
-- Four of last five Arizona games stayed under the total.
-- Last three Kershaw starts stayed under the total.
-- Over is 5-1-1 in Colorado's last seven games.

-- Five of last six Oakland road games stayed under total.
-- Under is 6-1-1 in last eight Cleveland road games.
-- Five of last six Detroit home games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-2 in last seven Bronx road games.
-- Under is 6-3 in last nine Baltimore home games.
-- Under is 10-4 in White Sox' last fourteen road games.
-- Over is 3-1 in Seattle's last four home games.

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Trend Sheet

MLB


Wednesday, September 24

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Trend Sheet
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2:05 PM OAKLAND vs. TEXAS
Oakland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Oakland is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Texas is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Oakland
Texas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home


7:05 PM ATLANTA vs. PHILADELPHIA
Atlanta is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games on the road
Atlanta is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games when playing Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Philadelphia is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing Atlanta


7:05 PM CLEVELAND vs. BOSTON
Cleveland is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Boston
Cleveland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games at home
Boston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland


7:05 PM KANSAS CITY vs. DETROIT
Kansas City is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
Kansas City is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Detroit is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home


7:05 PM TAMPA BAY vs. BALTIMORE
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Baltimore
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
Baltimore is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Baltimore is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home


7:07 PM NY YANKEES vs. TORONTO
NY Yankees are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games
Toronto is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games
Toronto is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games


7:10 PM CHI CUBS vs. NY METS
Chi Cubs are 9-3 SU in their last 12 games
Chi Cubs are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Mets
NY Mets are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
NY Mets are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs


7:10 PM FLORIDA vs. WASHINGTON
Florida is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Washington
Florida is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home


8:05 PM CINCINNATI vs. HOUSTON
Cincinnati is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games when playing Houston
Cincinnati is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Houston is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games
Houston is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games


8:05 PM PITTSBURGH vs. MILWAUKEE
Pittsburgh is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Milwaukee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Milwaukee is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games


8:10 PM CHI WHITE SOX vs. MINNESOTA
Chi White Sox are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games on the road
Chi White Sox are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games
Minnesota is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi White Sox
Minnesota is 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox


8:15 PM ARIZONA vs. ST. LOUIS
Arizona is 3-12 SU in its last 15 games on the road
Arizona is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 16-7 SU in its last 23 games when playing at home against Arizona
St. Louis is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games


10:10 PM LA ANGELS vs. SEATTLE
LA Angels are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games on the road
LA Angels are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games
Seattle is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Angels
Seattle is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against LA Angels


10:10 PM SAN DIEGO vs. LA DODGERS
San Diego is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
San Diego is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing San Diego
LA Dodgers are 17-5 SU in their last 22 games


10:15 PM COLORADO vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Colorado is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Francisco
San Francisco is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Colorado
San Francisco is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball - Tips & Trends

MLB


Wednesday, September 24

If there are any updates, we will re-post.

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Tips and Trends
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Cleveland Indians at Boston Red Sox [7:05 PM ET]

Indians: Fausto Carmona is pitching on fumes as the season comes to an end. In his last three starts, Carmona has given up 22 hits and 18 runs in 18 innings pitched. He hasn’t had a lot of success against the Red Sox, going 1-2 with a 5.00 ERA. Carmona has been average on the road this season, going 3-2 with a 4.63 ERA.

Indians are 7-1 in their last 8 games overall.
The OVER is 11-1 in Carmona's last 12 starts overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

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

Red Sox (-185, O/U 10): Paul Byrd won his first four starts with the Red Sox but has a loss and a no-decision in his two most recent outings. Byrd faces his former team tonight and that’s bad news for the Indians. In seven career starts versus the Tribe, Byrd is 5-0 with a stellar 1.60 ERA. Byrd has split his two games at Fenway Park this year with Boston, allowing nine runs in 12 innings.

Red Sox are 6-1 in the last 7 meetings.
The OVER is 9-2 in Boston's last 11 Wednesday games.

Key Injuries - 3B Mike Lowell (hip) is OUT

PROJECTED SCORE: 7



Chicago Cubs at New York Mets [ESPN | 7:10 PM ET]

Cubs: After pitching a no-hitter Carlos Zambrano got blasted by the Cardinals, allowing eight runs in just 1.2 innings of work. Zambrano has a good shot to get back on the winning track tonight against a Mets squad he’s 4-1 against in his career with a 2.92 ERA. Take out his no-hitter and Zambrano’s last three starts have all gone OVER the total.

Cubs are 20-7 in their last 27 road games.
The OVER is 12-3-1 in last 16 meetings.

Key Injuries -NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 4

Mets (-145, O/U 8.5): Oliver Perez hasn’t received a decision in any of his last three starts and the Mets are 2-1 over that span, despite Perez’s struggles. Perez has allowed 12 runs in his last 16 innings of work but has been bailed out by strong run support. Perez could be in for another long night, as he’s just 1-3 with a 4.97 ERA in his career versus Chicago. The OVER has cashed four straight times with Perez on the mound.

Mets are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. NL Central.

Key Injuries - 3B Fernando Tatis (shoulder) is OUT

PROJECTED SCORE: 5



Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins [ 8:10 PM ET]

White Sox: Mark Buehrle has really turned it on lately, going 3-0 in his last four starts with one no-decision. Over that stretch, Buehrle has allowed just six runs over 25.1 innings. Buehrle is no stranger to the Twins. He’s faced Minnesota 34 times in his career, going 21-12 with a 3.85 ERA. The OVER is a good bet with Buehrle on the hill, going 6-1 in his last seven starts.

White Sox are 8-3 in Buehrle's last 11 starts vs. Minnesota.
White Sox are 5-2 in their last 7 vs. AL Central.

Key Injuries - 2B Chris Getz (wrist) is OUT

PROJECTED SCORE: 6 (Side Play of the Day)

Twins (-120, O/U 9): Nick Blackburn is 0-2 in his last two starts, getting hammered by both the Rays and Orioles on the road. In those two games, Blackburn allowed 15 hits and 12 runs in just 5.1 innings of work. Tonight Blackburn returns home where he’s 7-3 with a 2.92 ERA on the season. He’s faced the White Sox four times in his career, going 1-2 with an ERA of 5.63.

Twins are 1-4 in their last 5 vs. AL Central.
The OVER is 8-1 in the last 8 meetings.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 4

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Streaking Pitchers

MLB

Wednesday, September 24

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Streaking Starting Pitchers
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Wednesday’s streaking and slumping pitchers

Streaking

Mark Buerhle, Chicago White Sox (14-11, 3.87 ERA)

Buerhle seems up to the task of taking the bump in the middle of this important AL Central showdown. The ChiSox’s lefty is 3-0 in his last four starts with an ERA just over 2.00.

Buerhle knows the Twins better than anyone. He’s recorded a 21-12 career mark against Minnesota but is just 1-2 facing the division rival this season.

Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals (10-3, 3.21 ERA)

Wainwright picked up his seventh win in his last 10 starts in a 12-6 win over the Cubs Friday. He allowed just two runs on four hits in a five-inning showing. He is 3-0 over his previous four starts and has a 4.03 ERA during that span.

St. Louis is marred in one of the worst skids of the season but is 14-5 when Wainwright takes the hill. The right-hander defeated Arizona in an 8-2 Cardinals win September 2, where he gave up just one run on three hits in over five innings pitched.


Slumping

Jeff Suppan, Milwaukee Brewers (10-10, 5.06 ERA)

The Brewers won’t point fingers during their recent collapse, but bettors will. Suppan was horrific in his previous two starts, allowing 11 runs in just under six innings of so-called work.

He is 0-3 in his last four appearances after coming off six wins in seven starts. Suppan is scheduled to pitch Wednesday according to the Brewers’ regular rotation, but could be bumped if interim manager Dale Sveum has a change of heart.

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (9-11, 3.37 ERA)

When a team craps out like the M’s have, there are bound to be some casualties. Hernandez recorded his third loss in four games when he threw eight impressive innings, but got a goose egg from Seattle’s bats in a 2-0 loss to the A’s Friday.

He has a 4.05 ERA over the previous four starts in which he received just six total runs of support. Hernandez is 1-0 in three starts with a 4.79 ERA against the Angels this year.

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[Udog]

MLB


Wednesday, September 24

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Baseball Today
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SCOREBOARD

Wednesday, September 24

Chicago Cubs at New York Mets (7:10 p.m. EDT). The Mets desperately need wins to remain in the NL East race with the Phillies, and have the Brewers to worry about in the wild-card race. Carlos Zambrano (14-6, 3.77 ERA) will try to make sure the Mets don't get to the playoffs, where they'd likely play the Cubs again. Oliver Perez (10-7, 4.10) pitches for New York.

STARS

Tuesday

- Prince Fielder, Brewers, hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth and Milwaukee kept pace with the Mets in the NL wild-card race with a 7-5 win over the Pirates.

- Jason Kubel, Twins, had two home runs and a triple and Minnesota stayed alive in the AL Central race with a 9-3 rout of the first-place White Sox.


- Jose Reyes, Mets, went 2-for-4 with a bases-loaded triple to help New York close in on Philadelphia in the NL East with a 6-2 win over the Cubs.

- Blake DeWitt, Dodgers, homered and drove in three runs to help Los Angeles defeat San Diego 10-1, reducing their magic number for clinching the NL West title to three.

- Zack Greinke, Royals, pitched seven shutout innings, allowing four hits in Kansas City's 5-0 win over Detroit.

- Edinson Volquez, Reds, struck out nine in 7 1-3 innings, allowing a run and six hits in a 2-1 win over the Astros.

END OF AN ERA

Derek Jeter won't be playing in October for the first time in his career. The Yankees' impressive streak of postseason appearances came to an end. Mike Mussina pitched five shutout innings to earn his 19th win, Jason Giambi homered and the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 3-1. It wasn't enough to keep New York’s slim postseason hopes alive as Boston beat Cleveland 5-4 minutes before the Yankees' win. The Red Sox victory clinched at least the AL wild card and eliminated New York, which had made 13 straight postseason appearances.

CLINCHED

Tim Wakefield outpitched Cliff Lee and Jonathan Papelbon needed just one pitch to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth as Boston clinched a playoff berth with a 5-4 win over the Indians. The Red Sox took a six-game lead over the New York Yankees with five games left. The Red Sox still have a chance to win the AL East, where Tampa Bay holds a three-game lead after sweeping the Orioles in a doubleheader.

MAGIC NUMBERS

Nomar Garciaparra and Blake DeWitt each hit three-run homers and the Los Angeles Dodgers reduced their magic number for clinching the NL West title to three with a 10-1 victory Tuesday night. The Rays reduced their magic number to win the AL East to two by sweeping the Orioles 5-2 and 7-5. The Phillies and White Sox both lost, leaving their magic numbers at four and five, respectively.

K-CORNER

Tim Lincecum (17-5) struck out nine in 4 1/3 innings to set the San Francisco single-season record with 252 strikeouts. He passed Jason Schmidt, who had 251 in 2004. It wasn't Lincecum's best outing of the season as he allowed six runs and saw his ERA jumped up to 2.66, a point higher than that of New York Mets ace Johan Santana. Lincecum lost his second straight after a six-game winning streak.

FREE PASS

Albert Pujols drew a career-best 100th walk in the Cardinals' 7-4 victory over Arizona. He topped his previous high of 99 set last season on an intentional walk from Randy Johnson with two outs and a runner on second in the fifth inning. Pujols is batting .350, second in the National League, and is the only player in major league history with 30 homers and 100 RBIs in the first eight seasons.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

The Tigers have completed a freefall to the bottom of the AL Central. Zack Greinke and Leo Nunez combined for a four-hitter to lift the Royals to a 5-0 win over Detroit. With the loss, the Tigers fell a percentage point behind Kansas City for last place in the division. Detroit, which only has eight hits in its last two games, has lost 11 of its last 12 and was shut out for the 13th time this season. The Tigers were expected to contend for the division title and had hopes of getting to the World Series, but instead have faltered all season long.

KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

Mitch Talbot made his first major league start for the Rays and gave up three runs and six hits in 4 1/3 innings in Tampa Bay's 7-5 win over Baltimore in the second game of a doubleheader. Talbot was the ninth different starter used by Tampa Bay this season, all of them under 26 years old.

HOMERING FISH

Josh Willingham's homer in the second inning set a new Marlins record for round trippers in a season. The 202 broke the previous mark of 201 set last season. Cody Ross hit No. 203 in the ninth inning. It’s the third straight season that the Marlins have broken their own home run record.

SPEAKING

"We've been disappointed for a little longer than just today. It's been a tough summer for us. We expected more out of ourselves than what has happened." - Pitcher Mike Mussina after the Yankees were eliminated from postseason contention by virtue of Boston's win over Cleveland. Mussina and the Yankees beat the Blue Jays 3-1.


SEASONS

Sept. 24

1940-Jimmie Foxx of the Red Sox hit his 500th career home run off Philadelphia's George Caster in the first game of a doubleheader at Shibe Park. Foxx's homer came in the sixth inning after Ted Williams homered. Joe Cronin followed with a homer and, later in the inning, Jim Tabor also homered. The four homers in the inning were a first in the AL.

1969-The New York Mets clinched the NL East Division title, with Gary Gentry pitching a four-hitter in a 6-0 victory over St. Louis.

1974-Detroit's Al Kaline doubled down the right-field line off Dave McNally of Baltimore for his 3,000th career hit. The Orioles beat the Tigers 5-4 at Memorial Stadium.

1984-Rick Sutcliffe threw a two-hitter and led the Chicago Cubs to their first league title since 1945 with a 4-1 victory over Pittsburgh.

1988-Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays, one strike away from a no-hitter, gave up a bad-hop single to Julio Franco. Stieb settled for a 1-0 one-hit victory over Cleveland.

1992-Dave Winfield of the Toronto Blue Jays, at 40, became the oldest player to drive in 100 runs. Winfield drove in four runs with a homer and a two-run double in an 8-2 win over Baltimore.

1993-The Colorado Rockies set a NL record for victories by an expansion team with their 65th win of the season. Colorado beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-2, surpassing the 64 wins the Houston Colt .45s had in 1962.

1998-Boston's Tom Gordon set a major league record for most consecutive saves with his 42nd to preserve the Red Sox' 9-6 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

2004-The Atlanta Braves clinched their 13th consecutive division title, winning the NL East with an 8-7 victory over the Florida Marlins. The Braves' record streak of division championships began with the 1991 NL West title and excluded the 1994 strike-shortened season.

2006-Trevor Hoffman became baseball's career saves leader, earning No. 479 to pass Lee Smith and help NL West-leading San Diego beat Pittsburgh 2-1. It was his NL-leading 43rd save in 48 chances. Smith piled up 478 saves from 1980-1997.

2006-David Ortiz hit his 53rd homer and 32nd on the road in Boston's 13-4 loss to Toronto. The blast tied Babe Ruth for most home runs on the road in AL history.

Today's birthdays: Jeff Karstens 26; Ben Broussard 32; John McDonald 34; Kevin Millar 37; Jamie Burke 37.

[Udog]

MLB

Wednesday, September 24

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Hot Lines: Wednesday's best MLB bets
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Florida Marlins at Washington Nationals (+125, 8 1/2)

Florida tries to avoid its fifth straight loss as it continues a three-game series with the NL-worst Washington Nationals on Wednesday.

The Marlins (81-76) lost 9-4 to the Nationals (59-98) on Tuesday, ending Florida's hopes of returning to the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 2003. The fourth straight loss also matched their season high set twice before.

The Marlins' Josh Johnson (6-1, 3.65) will try to win his third straight start. He pitched five innings against the Phillies on Friday, allowing six runs - five earned - and seven hits in a 14-8 win.

The right-hander is 2-0 with a 3.15 ERA in three starts and one relief appearance against the Nationals. On Sept. 13, he pitched six innings, allowing two runs and six hits in a 4-2 win over Washington.

Pick: Marlins



New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays (-160, 8 1/2)

A.J. Burnett (18-10, 4.18 ERA) could be making his final start for Toronto (83-74) as he has can opt out of his contract at the end of the year. He looks to add to his career high win total Wednesday against a Yankees team that has been eliminated from the playoffs but one that has won six straight and nine of 11, including Tuesday's 3-1 victory over Toronto.

Burnett is 6-3 with a 2.58 ERA in 10 career starts against New York.

The Yankees counter with Phil Hughes (0-4, 7.96).

Hughes made his first start since April 29 last Wednesday, pitching four innings in a win over the Chicago White Sox. The 22-year-old right-hander, who missed most of the season because of a stress fracture in his rib, allowed one run and four hits in the 5-1 victory.

Pick: Yankees

[tech fan]

Wednesday's List of 13: Our college football List of 13.......

This isn't a ranking of our top 13 teams; it is the 13 teams that impressed us last week.......

13) Northwestern-- Wildcats are 4-0 for the first time since I was 2 years old, which was 1962. Huge game at Iowa this week, then a bye, but the rest of schedule is tough, although they don't play Penn State.

12) Georgia Tech-- Jackets had 438 rushing yards vs Mississippi St team that lost previous week 3-2 to Auburn. Paul Johnson's offense is unique and awful hard to defense.

11) BYU-- Outscored last two opponents 103-0. they scored a pair of defensive TDs and forced six Wyoming turnovers Saturday. Huge November game vs archrival Utah looms as a potential BCS-buster.

10) Wake Forest-- Beat Florida State for third time in row for first time in school history; they picked off five FSU passes, recovered a pair of Seminole fumbles, overcoming a slow day by the offense.

9) Tulsa-- Never saw a team go 14-15 on third down conversions, but Hurricane did Saturday; they averaged 12 yards/pass attempt, 19.5 yards per completion. Another impressive non-BCS team.

8) Ball State-- Well-balanced offense; they had 224 rushing yards, 239 passing in win at Indiana, but lost leading WR to a neck injury. David Letterman's alma mater looks like they're going bowling.

7) Toledo-- How do you lose a game when you gain 600 yards? The Rockets did Saturday, going for two vs Fresno when they were down a point in OT- to me, it was an unnecessary, game-losing risk.

6) Ohio U-- Not only are Bengals, Browns winless, Bobcats are 0-4, but they've covered the spread in all four losses. Jackson is their QB of future, but they're going to have some growing pains with him.

5) Syracuse-- Finally won a game, but I-AA Northeastern passed for 23-37/293 vs Orange in 30-21 loss. Should Raiders fire Lane Kiffin, it makes lot of sense that he would be a candidate in central New York.

4) Alabama-- Scored two defensive TDs at Arkansas, led 35-7 at the half in impressive win. They have three road games left; at Georgia, at Tennessee and at LSU. They'll be bowling New Year's Day.

3) Florida-- Not to over-simplify things, but the Florida kids run a lot faster than the Tennessee kids. Gators are only team left in USA that hasn't turned ball over yet. Tebow's passing numbers are down.

2) New Mexico-- Beat Arizona 36-28 two weeks ago, then went to Tulsa and was down 35-0 at half, wich leads us to belive that Tulsa might be really good. Meanwhile. Arizona bounced back from loss in Albuquerque and crushed UCLA 31-10 in the Rose Bowl. Go figure.

1) Vanderbilt-- Commodores are 4-0; they figure to beat Duke, will need one other win, so figure they have to beat either Mississippi St in Starkville, Kentucky in Lexington or Tennessee at home, in order to go bowling for first time since 1982.

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I LIKE #12 AND AGAIN BUDDY THANKS FOR POSTING THIS I KNOW ITS ALOT OF HARD WORK BUT I AM SURE ALOT OF MEMBERS ENJOY THIS READ EVERY Day.AGAIN THANKS

[Udog]

MLB
Dunkel


Arizona at St. Louis
On the brink of elimination in the NL West, the Diamondbacks face a tough assignment today against Adam Wainwright and are just 8-18 as road underdogs between +100 and +125. St. Louis is the pick (-135) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-135). Here are all of today's games

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

Game 901-902: Atlanta at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Reyes) 15.774; Philadelphia (Myers) 17.764
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 2; 10
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-285); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-285); Over

Game 903-904: Florida at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Johnson) 13.876; Washington (Redding) 15.346
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Florida (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+125); Under

Game 905-906: Chicago Cubs at NY Mets
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Zambrano) 15.683; NY Mets (Perez) 14.282
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+140); Over

Game 907-908: Cincinnati at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Ramirez) 14.735; Houston (Wolf) 15.970
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Houston (-130); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (-130); Over

Game 909-910: Pittsburgh at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Maholm) 14.185; Milwaukee (Sabathia) 15.929
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 911-912: Arizona at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Scherzer) 13.624; St. Louis (Wainwright) 15.129
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-135); 8
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-135); Over

Game 913-914: San Diego at LA Dodgers
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Estes) 14.416; LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 16.649
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-230); 8
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-230); Over

Game 915-916: Colorado at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Hernandez) 13.801; San Francisco (Sanchez) 15.082
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 10
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-140); Over

Game 917-918: Oakland at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Eveland) 14.321; Texas (Harrison) 15.498
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1; 11
Vegas Line: Texas (-120); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-120); Over

Game 919-920: Cleveland at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Carmona) 15.722; Boston (Byrd) 17.153
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Boston (-200); 10
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-200); Under

Game 921-922: Kansas City at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Bannister) 14.983; Detroit (Robertson) 14.386
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Detroit (-130); 10
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+120); Under

Game 923-924: NY Yankees at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Hughes) 16.048; Toronto (Burnett) 16.680
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-165); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-165); Under

Game 925-926: Tampa Bay at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Jackson) 14.956; Baltimore (Liz) 15.564
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-150); 10
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+140); Under

Game 927-928: Chicago White Sox at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Buehrle) 16.601; Minnesota (Blackburn) 14.901
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+105); Over

Game 929-930: LA Angels at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Garland) 16.794; Seattle (Hernandez) 14.757
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 2; 9
Vegas Line: Seattle (-140); 8
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+130); Over

[Chado1]

Thanks for the info as usual fellas!!!

Most appreciated and GL today!!!