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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 06:59 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Tuesday, April 21

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Pistons try to stop King James, the Blues try to avoid a playoff exit, and Toronto's Doc tries to keep his perfect mark.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The Cavaliers pounded the Pistons in the opener of their first-round playoff series on Saturday, and they'll be looking to do the same on Tuesday when the teams meet in Cleveland again for Game 2. LeBron James was good for 38 points, eight boards, and seven assists in the Cavs' 102-84 win, while Rodney Stuckey had 20 points for Detroit. Cleveland opened as an 11-point favorite for Tuesday.

The Lakers opened as 11.5-point favorites against the Jazz in Los Angeles on Tuesday, with Kobe Bryant and company coming off a 113-100 win over Utah in Game 1 on Sunday afternoon. Bryant had 24 points in that game; Carlos Boozer led the Jazz with 27 points. Meanwhile, Portland is favored by 5.5 points at home vs. Houston on Tuesday; the Rockets rolled to a 108-81 road win in their opener.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay will be seeking his fourth straight victory on Tuesday night when his team plays host to the Rangers. Righthander Halladay ran his season mark to 3-0 last Thursday with a dominant win over the Twins (seven innings pitched, one earned run, eight strikeouts). The Rangers will counter Halladay with righthander Brandon McCarthy, who is 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA so far.

Rounding out the American League slate for Tuesday: the White Sox at Baltimore, Kansas City at Cleveland, Minnesota at Boston, Detroit at the Angels, Tampa Bay at Seattle, and Oakland at the Yankees. Also on tap in the National League: San Diego at San Francisco, Florida at Pittsburgh, Milwaukee at Philadelphia, Atlanta at Washington, the Dodgers at Houston, Cincinnati at the Cubs, the Mets at St. Louis, and finally Colorado at Arizona.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Roberto Luongo and the Canucks will be looking to sweep away the Blues on Tuesday when they play Game 4 of their first-round playoff series. Vancouver took a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven set on Sunday night, rallying for a 3-2 victory. Steve Bernier had the winner for the Canucks in the third period, while Luongo made 24 saves. David Backes contributed two points for the Blues.

Four other NHL playoff series hit the ice on Tuesday. In the East it'll be Pittsburgh at Philadelphia and New Jersey at Carolina, with the Penguins and Devils both holding 2-1 series leads in those matchups. Back in the West on Tuesday it's Detroit at Columbus and San Jose at Anaheim. The Red Wings are up 2-0 on the Blue Jackets, while the Ducks hold the same edge on the Sharks.

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 07:00 AM

Six-pack for Tuesday

Top six NBA players in terms of plus/minus, which is the scoring differential while that player is in the game.......

6) Lebron James, Cavaliers +855

5) Lamar Odom, Lakers +648

4) Kobe Bryant, Lakers +609

3) Mo Williams, Cavaliers +608

2) David West, Cavaliers +573

1) Pau Gasol, Lakers +534

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Late Night Update

-- Huge day for sports in Boston; there's the Marathon, and wins by Bruins, Red Sox and Celtics. Bruins are up 3-0 over Montreal.

-- Washington shut Rangers out 4-0, now trail series 2-1. Visitor is 3-0 in this series.

-- Tony Parker scored 29 of Spurs' first 61 points, as San Antonio evened its series with Dallas with a 105-84 win.

-- Calgary beat the Blackhawks 4-2, now trail series 2-1, as host is 3-0 in series games so far.

-- Atlanta-Washington started two hours late, then had rain delay in top of 8th inning; game ends after midnight with what looked like less than 100 people in the stands. Nationals won by a run.

-- Reds won again, as Arthur Rhodes escaped bases loaded jam in the 8th inning. Dusty Baker has Cincinnati playing better.

-- Rockies lost again, this time 6-3 in Arizona.

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

13) Huge week for Detroit Lions, who have first pick in NFL Draft Saturday; do they take the linebacker from Wake or the Georgia QB who many teams don't like as much as the USC QB? Stay tuned.

12) I am going on record here as touting Sam Houston State QB Rhett Bomar as my draft sleeper; he started out at Oklahoma, then got out of Norman after he was found to be getting extra benefits from one of Oklahoma's boosters (shocking!!!!). Anyway, he finished up with a I-AA team, and is now in the draft. I think he'll be a solid pick.

11) Washington Redskins are said to be enamored with Sanchez, the USC signal-caller, but might not have the resources to deal for him, as they have only one pick in the first 75 selections in this year's draft.

10) Buffalo traded their best offensive lineman tp Eagles for 1st/4th/ 6th round picks in draft? Bills are that loaded at a critical position? Must be nice. Andy Reid heaped praise on Jason Peters, makes you wonder what happened in Buffalo that they readily let him go.

9) NBA playoffs need to be best-of-3 in first two round, then best-of-5 in conference finals, and best-of-7 in Finals. Imagine the drama in the best-of-3 series? Would jack up the TV ratings immensely.

8) I'm thinking running 26 miles, 385 yards at one time isn't that good for your body. It just seems excessive.

7) My godson Tom is a senior in high school on Long Island, guess where his senior class trip is? Freakin' Disney World!!!!! What kind of a school is this? My senior trip was a busride to some amusement park where we went on the big rides after eating bad pizza to try and impress girls who already thought we were dorks. Disney is better.

6) Some solid baseball analysis by Jim Deshaies on Reds-Astros tilt; bottom of 8th, Reds lead 4-3, but Houston is rallying. Deshaies says he thinks the current defined roles of closers just pitching the ninth is stupid-- why wouldn't you put your best guy in to quell the rally in the eighth? It makes sense, but God forbid anyone try something new

5) When the Diamondbacks played in San Francisco this weekend, it was their only series in first seven that wasn't at home.

4) Washington Nationals aren't taking losing sitting down; they sent four guys down Monday, recalled four others. Next guy to go should be non-hustling CF Elijah Dukes, who isn't a good guy. If you're bad, at least be bad with good people trying hard to get better.

3) Mets are 6-2 in first two games of series, 0-4 in series finales.

2) Orioles gave up 72 runs in their last seven games. This could be a very long summer (yet again) in Camden Yards.

1) The shot Andre Iguodala hit to beat Orlando on Sunday night was simply Jordanesque-- very hard fallaway, defended really well. Stan Van Gundy had to be happy when ball left his hand, but Iguodala's talent won out, as it often does with NBA players.

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 07:01 AM

NBA
Write-up

Tuesday, April 21

First round, NBA playoffs

Cavaliers are 4-1 against Detroit this year, winning by 21-6-18 here- four of five series games this season went under the total. Cavs covered six of their last seven games. Detroit lost its last four games, is 5-10 in its last 15, 1-6 vs spread in their last seven games as a dog. Cavs' Gibson had a +13 plus/minus in just 14:10 off the bench in Game 1.

Home side won all four Utah-Laker games this season, with Jazz losing all three games at Staples, 113-100/125-112/113-100. Utah lost eight of last ten games, covered two of last 13 (1-8 in last nine as underdog). LA is 8-1 in last nine games, with five of last six going over the total- they're 6-1 against the spread in last seven games as a favorite.

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 07:01 AM

NBA

Tuesday, April 21

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Trend Sheet
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8:00 PM
DETROIT vs. CLEVELAND
Detroit is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Detroit is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Cleveland is 19-3 SU in its last 22 games

10:00 PM
HOUSTON vs. PORTLAND
Houston is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games on the road
Portland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games when playing at home against Houston

10:30 PM
UTAH vs. LA LAKERS
Utah is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
Utah is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Lakers
LA Lakers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games
LA Lakers are 8-1 SU in their last 9 games

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 07:02 AM

NBA

Tuesday, April 21

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Pick ‘n’ Roll: NBA best bets
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Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers (-11, 177.5)

LeBron James was a hardwood horror for Detroit in Game 1.

James, in get-out-of-my-way overdrive from the outset, scored 38 points - mostly on shots from near range - and got all his teammates involved as the Cavaliers, and their highly evolved offense, rolled to a 102-84 win over the Pistons, who went back to the drawing board to devise a new plan for James in Game 2 on Tuesday night.

"It's going to take more than one person to stop LeBron," Pistons guard Will Bynum said. "It's going to take all five of us. We have to do what we have to do to stop this guy."

Good luck.

James made it look easy, too easy, in the opener. Given a seam to drive, he blasted to the basket. Given room to shoot, he shot and finished 13-of-20 from the floor. In just under 41 minutes, he added eight rebounds, seven assists and didn't commit a turnover despite facing a defense designed for him.

Unstoppable.

The Pistons tried everyone they had on James. Tayshaun Prince, sorry. Richard Hamilton, nope. Arron Afflalo, next. Rodney Stuckey, nice try.

"LeBron's very tough when he puts his mind to it," Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said following a short practice on Sunday. "It's pick your poison with him."

Too often, the Pistons seemed out of sync defensively when James had the ball. In previous games, Detroit would overload one side of the floor to James, hoping to overwhelm him with numbers and take away his passing lanes. This time, the Pistons tried to trap him coming off screens and dropped others toward the basket.

Nothing worked well as he either beat his man or threaded a pass to an open teammate for an easy bucket. Cleveland shot 53 percent overall.

The Cavaliers are not the same team that managed just 61 points in a Game 7 loss in the 2006 postseason against Detroit. Far from it. They move the ball, use multiple offensive sets, run when the opportunity presents itself and play with a poise rarely seen before.

Saturday's offensive output was the first time the Cavaliers have broken 100 points in 14 playoff games against the Pistons.

Cleveland made just five turnovers - a franchise playoff-low - in Game 1.

Unlike past years, the Cavs didn't allow the Pistons to slow the tempo to a comfortable crawl. When fast-break chances were there, James and his teammates ran.

Pick: Cavs

Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers (-11.5, 211.5)

The Jazz will be looking to end its 10-game losing skid at Staples Center in Game 2 Tuesday night. Utah coach Jerry Sloan questioned his team's nastiness after their loss, and he was still prodding them Monday.

"You've got to get up and guard people," he said. "This is the playoffs. It's not the regular season. We're playing, to some extent, like it's a regular-season game. They're too good a team to play that way."

Carlos Boozer offered his interpretation of Sloan's demand for nastiness.

"Our style is physical, in your face, scrappy, feisty, whatever you want to call it," he said. "We've got to make them feel that all night long."

Utah controlled the second half, outscoring the Lakers 60-51 although the Jazz never got closer than nine points twice.

"I didn't like the way we carried ourselves at the end of the game and the start of the second half," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "There's a tendency for this team when they do that to let up in the third quarter. I don't like that. It's about playing hard all the time and playing with purpose."

The Jazz's biggest impact came at the line, where Utah was 29-of-35, and the repeated trips slowed the game down.

The Jazz scored 44 points in the paint Sunday despite the absence of center Mehmet Okur, who averages 17 points. He worked out on the sideline during Monday's practice, but the Jazz said it would be a game-time decision whether he can play with a strained right hamstring.

"Mehmo does so much for our team," Boozer said. "He spreads the floor out. Not many centers step out and shoot 3s and bring the opposing center out of the paint. We're missing his offense. We're missing his presence out there."

The Jazz outrebounded the Lakers by eight, and held a 20-7 edge on the offensive boards, another stat that Jackson found irksome.

The Jazz's road struggles this season were well documented, but Utah is 28-81 away from home in franchise playoff games.

"If we steal one tomorrow then the series is back in our favor, but no matter what, they've still got to come to Salt Lake," Boozer said.

Pick: Lakers

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 07:03 AM

MLB
Write-up

Tuesday, April 21

Hot Pitchers
-- Sanchez is 1-0, 1.64 in two starts for the Marlins.
-- Kershaw is 0-0, 0.75 in two starts this season.
-- Wellemeyer is 1-0, 4.50 in two starts for the Cardinals.
-- Peavy is 2-1, 4.43 in three starts this season. Cain is 1-0, 1.93 in his two starts in 2009.

-- Halladay is 3-0, 3.00 so far this season.
-- Pettitte is 1-0, 2.51 in his two starts this season.
-- Wakefield is 1-1, 3.00 in two starts this season. Baker is 2-1, 3.50 in his last three starts.
-- Galarraga is 2-0, 0.68 in two starts this season. Weaver is 1-1, 3.86 in two starts this season.
-- Washburn is 1-0, 1.29 in two starts this season.

Cold Pitchers
-- Karstens is 0-6, 7.81 in his last eight starts.
-- Kawakami is 1-1, 6.00 in his first two American starts. Martis has a 4.82 RA in his first two starts this season.
-- Moyer has 6.55 RA in his first two '09 starts. Parra is 0-2, 6.97 in his two starts this season.
-- Harden is 0-1, 6.00 in his first two '09 starts.
-- Perez is 1-1, 7.84 in two starts this season.
-- Owings is 0-7, 9.21 in his last nine starts. Ortiz allowed three runs in 4.2 IP in his first start for the Astros.
-- Morales was 0-1, 6.30 in two starts vs Arizona LY. Petit is 0-2, 9.49 in his last three starts.

-- McCarthy has 4.91 RA in his first two '09 starts.
-- Eveland has 6.75 RA in two games; Oakland bullpen won both.
-- Royals are 0-2 in Ponson starts (0-1, 4.50). Laffey is 0-2, 12.46 in his last three starts.
-- Bergesen is 1-1, 2.45 in two starts at AAA this year. Contreras is 0-2, 7.84 in two starts this season.
-- Rays are 0-2 in Sonnanstine starts (0-1, 6.52).

Hot Teams
-- Marlins won eleven of their first thirteen games. Pirates won three of their last four games.
-- Dodgers won last eight games by combined score of 64-20.
-- Cubs won five of their last seven games.
-- Cincinnati won six of its last eight games.
-- Cardinals won five of their last six home games.
-- San Diego won eight of its last ten games. Giants won three of their last four home games.

-- Toronto won four of its last five games.
-- Royals won five of their last seven games.
-- White Sox won six of their last eight games.
-- Red Sox won last five games, scoring 38 runs. Twins won last three games, scoring 23 runs.
-- Bronx is 7-0 if they allow less than six runs, 0-6 if they don't.
-- Tigers won three of their last four games.

Cold Teams
-- Nationals lost ten of their first 12 games. Braves lost six of their last seven games. .
-- Brewers lost six of their last eight games. Phillies lost four of their first six home games.
-- Astros lost four of their last five home games.
-- Mets lost three of their last four road games, but are 4-0 in first game of a series.
-- Rockies lost seven of their last eight games. Arizona lost eight of its last twelve games.

-- Rangers lost seven of their last nine games.
-- Indians lost nine of their first thirteen games.
-- Orioles lost last four games, allowed 72 runs in last seven.
-- Oakland lost three of its last four games.
-- Angels lost five of their last six games.
-- Mariners lost three of their last four games. Rays lost five of last six.

Totals
-- Seven of last ten Pittsburgh games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 8-3-1 in Washington games.
-- Over is 7-1-1 in Philadelphia's last nine games. Under is 3-1-1 in last five Milwaukee road games.
-- Last eight Houston games stayed under the total; seven of last nine Dodger games went over.
-- Five of last seven Cub games went over the total; five of Cincinnati's last six games stayed under.
-- Four of Mets' last five games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last eight Arizona games stayed under the total.

-- Over is 9-2-1 in Texas games this season.
-- Eight of last eleven Oakland games went over the total.
-- Ten of thirteen Cleveland games went over the total.
-- Seven of last eight Baltimore games went over the total.
-- Seven of last eight Boston games went over the total.
-- Over is 3-0-2 in last five games in Anaheim.
-- Last three Tampa Bay games all went over the total.

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 07:04 AM

MLB

Tuesday, April 21

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Trend Sheet
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7:05 PM
ATLANTA vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Atlanta's last 14 games when playing Washington
Atlanta is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
Washington is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Washington's last 23 games at home

7:05 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. BALTIMORE
Chi White Sox are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Chi White Sox's last 18 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
Baltimore is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 7 games at home

7:05 PM
FLORIDA vs. PITTSBURGH
Florida is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Florida's last 10 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games when playing at home against Florida

7:05 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Kansas City is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cleveland
Cleveland is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Cleveland's last 8 games at home

7:05 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. PHILADELPHIA
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Milwaukee's last 9 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Milwaukee

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

7:07 PM
TEXAS vs. TORONTO
Texas is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Texas's last 7 games
Toronto is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of Toronto's last 21 games when playing at home against Texas

7:10 PM
MINNESOTA vs. BOSTON
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Boston
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston's last 7 games

8:00 PM
LA DODGERS vs. HOUSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 7 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 7 games on the road
Houston is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Houston's last 8 games

8:05 PM
CINCINNATI vs. CHI CUBS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
Cincinnati is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Chi Cubs are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games

8:15 PM
NY METS vs. ST. LOUIS
NY Mets are 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing NY Mets
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing NY Mets

9:40 PM
COLORADO vs. ARIZONA
Colorado is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Colorado's last 13 games when playing on the road against Arizona
Arizona is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
Arizona is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games

10:05 PM
DETROIT vs. LA ANGELS
Detroit is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games on the road
LA Angels are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
LA Angels are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against Detroit

10:10 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. SEATTLE
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing Seattle
Seattle is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Seattle is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home

10:15 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. SAN FRANCISCO
San Diego is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Diego's last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Francisco's last 5 games when playing San Diego
San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Diego

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 07:04 AM

MLB

Tuesday, April 21

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Hot lines: Today’s best MLB bets
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Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels (-110, 8.5)

Armando Galarraga's dominance through two starts in 2009 is proving his emergence as the Detroit Tigers' top pitcher last season wasn't a fluke.

The right-hander looks to improve to 3-0 for the first time in his career Tuesday night when the Tigers open a three-game road set against the Los Angeles Angels.

Galarraga (2-0, 0.68 ERA), who was acquired from Texas in February 2008, went 13-7 with a 3.73 ERA in 30 games - 28 starts - as a rookie last season. He led the Tigers (7-5) in wins while posting the lowest ERA of any member of the rotation.

Galarraga has followed up that impressive season by turning in two strong outings to start 2009. He scattered four hits with five strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings of a 9-0 win over Chicago on Wednesday. That came five days after he starred in Detroit's home opener, allowing one run and five hits while fanning eight in a 15-2 win over the Rangers.

He went 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA in two starts against the Angels (4-8) last season. He was impressive in winning his only career start at Anaheim on May 28, giving up two runs and four hits in 8 1-3 innings of a 6-2 victory. That performance also halted Detroit's six-game losing streak at Angel Stadium.

The Tigers are 3-11 in their last 14 games there.

The Angels will try to continue their success against Detroit after being held to a season-low four hits in a 3-1 loss at Minnesota on Sunday that capped a three-game sweep by the Twins.

The team also appears to be still grieving the loss of Nick Adenhart, the 22-year-old right-hander who was killed in a hit-and-run car accident in Fullerton, Calif., on April 9.

"We're still human, no matter what," said Angels center fielder Torii Hunter, who is 8-for-21 (.381) with three homers and six RBIs in the last six games. "You try to be professional, but it's hidden inside. We're still kind of down in the clubhouse. No music is playing. Guys are kind of quiet and moseying around. You try to bring some life to the clubhouse, but it is what it is."

Pick: Tigers

New York Mets at St. Louis Cardinals (-110, 9)

The New York Mets have picked up right where they left off last year by not producing with runners in scoring position.

They'll look to end their funk in those situations starting with the opener of a three-game road series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

New York (6-6) hit .253 with runners in scoring position last season, tied for 11th in the NL. The Mets batted .236 with one homer in those situations over their last 17 games, going 7-10 to blow a 3 1/2-game lead to Philadelphia in the NL East and miss the playoffs.

Nothing's changed this season, as New York is hitting .236 with runners on second and third. The club went 2-for-13 in those situations during Sunday's 4-2 loss to Milwaukee, preventing the Mets from completing a three-game sweep.

The Mets have won nine of 14 meetings with the Cards and five of seven at Busch Stadium since losing to them in the 2006 league championship series.

Oliver Perez (1-1, 7.84 ERA) looks to extend the Mets' run of success in St. Louis as he makes his first start against the Cardinals since June 26, 2007. Perez allowed two runs in 6 1-3 innings of a 5-3, 11-inning win in that game.

The left-hander rebounded from a dismal season debut in strong fashion Wednesday, allowing one run and three hits in six innings of a 7-2 win over San Diego. On April 9, he gave up eight runs and five hits with five walks in 4 1-3 innings of an 8-6 loss at Cincinnati.

Perez, though, is 0-1 with a 5.84 ERA in five starts at Busch.

The Cardinals, losers of their last two games since a 7-1 stretch, will give the ball to Wellemeyer (1-1, 4.50) after his scheduled start at Chicago on Sunday was postponed due to rain.

The right-hander would have been counted on to pitch deep into the finale of the four-game series after manager Tony La Russa used five relievers in a 7-5, 11-inning loss Saturday.

Pick: Over

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 07:06 AM

MLB
Baseball Today

SCOREBOARD

Tuesday, April 21

Texas at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EDT). Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay (3-0) tries to stay unbeaten when he goes against the Texas Rangers.

STARS

Monday

— Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox, went 4-for-6 with three run-scoring singles to lift Boston to a 12-1 win over Baltimore for a four-game sweep.

— Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks, homered and doubled to help Arizona beat Colorado 6-3.

— Ross Ohlendorf, Pirates, allowed two hits over seven innings to during Pittsburgh’s third shutout in four games, an 8-0 victory that ended Florida’s seven-game winning streak.

STELLAR STARTS

With an 8-0 win over Florida, the Pirates now have four shutouts. That’s twice as many as they had last season, when their 5.10 ERA was the NL’s worst and the third worst in franchise history. They’ve cut that by more than two runs per game to 3.08, even while losing 11-1 Sunday to Atlanta. They shut out the Braves 3-0 and 10-0 in the first two games of that series.

SUPERB SENIOR

Mitchell High senior Patrick Schuster threw his fourth straight no-hitter at the suburban school northwest of Tampa. The lanky left-hander struck out 17 to help his team beat rival Pasco High 5-0 in front of a full house of several hundred spectators. Schuster’s streak began April 3. He’s piled up 60 strikeouts in the four games, helping Mitchell to a 19-3 record. He’s 7-0 on the season.

WASHED OUT

Jason Giambi’s return to New York was delayed a day as the Athletics’ game against the Yankees was rained out. No makeup date was announced, but in addition to the remainder of this week’s series on Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, the A’s return for another three-game set from July 24-26. The Padres finale of a three-game set with Philadelphia was also rained out.

LONG BALL

Home runs are flying out of Yankee Stadium at a record pace for a new ballpark. Twenty were hit in the first four games alone as New York and Cleveland split the opening series that ended Sunday. That’s easily the high for the first four games at a major league park, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, topping the 16 when Oakland started the 1996 season at Cashman Field in Las Vegas.

SIDELINED

The Minnesota Twins placed reliever Jesse Crain on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder, another setback for their unstable bullpen. The move was made Monday, retroactive to Saturday, after an MRI test showed inflammation in the joint. … Florida Marlins starting pitcher Andrew Miller went on the 15-day disabled list with an oblique injury after giving up four runs and five hits in 4 2-3 innings during an 8-0 loss in Pittsburgh.

SPEAKING

“One guy does it, the next guy does it, and the next thing you know the whole confidence in the dugout is up. You start putting together some hits and score some runs, and I think if we do that a couple of days in a row, stuff will turn around.”—Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds after Arizona broke out of an offensive slump with a 6-3 win over Colorado.

SEASONS

April 21

1910—The Cleveland Indians played their first game at League Park and lost to the Detroit Tigers 5-0, in front of 19,867.

1955—The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies 14-4 at Ebbets Field for their 10th consecutive victory from the start of the season—a major league record that lasted until 1981.

1967—After 737 consecutive games, the Dodgers were rained out for the first time since moving to Los Angeles. The St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled.

1982—The Atlanta Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-3 for their 13th straight victory.

1984—In his second start since August 1982, Montreal pitcher David Palmer threw five perfect innings against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 4-0 victory stopped by rain.

1987—The Milwaukee Brewers’ 13-game winning streak from the start of the season ended with a 7-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Milwaukee shared the major league streak of 13 straight, set by the Atlanta Braves in 1982.

1994—Eddie Murray set a major league record for homering from both sides of the plate in 11 games as the Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins 10-6.

1996—Brady Anderson led off the first inning with a home run for the fourth straight game for Baltimore. The Texas Rangers overcame that homer, beating the Orioles 9-6.

2002—Randy Johnson struck out 17 batters while giving up two hits in Arizona’s 7-1 win over Colorado.

2002—Atlanta’s Rafael Furcal tied a modern major league record and became the first Braves player in 46 years to hit three triples in a game, as Atlanta beat Florida 4-2.

2006—Alfonso Soriano hit three home runs and drove in a career-high five RBIs as Washington beat Atlanta 7-3.

2006—Albert Pujols hit his major league leading 11th homer of the season and drove in four RBIs in St. Louis’ 9-3 win over Chicago. Pujols’ first-inning, two-run blast was his 1,000th career hit. He became the fastest player in major league history to reach that milestone with 200 homers. Pujols needed 806 games to reach the milestones, topping the previous record by Willie Mays of 825 games.

Today’s birthdays: Ronny Paulino 28; Jeff Keppinger 29; Jack Taschner 31.

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 07:06 AM

NHL
Write-up

Tuesday, April 21

NHL Playoffs

Columbus lost eight of last ten games; they're 0-7 on power play in this series, have been outshot 59-33 in last five periods of series. Detroit had man edge for 14:11 in Game 2, scoring three times in ten chances with a man advantage. Question for Columbus is whether they are simply glad to be in playoffs? Nine of last eleven series games stayed under the total.

Home side is 3-0 in Pitt-Philly series; Penguins won eleven of last fifteen games overall, seven of last ten vs Flyers; they split last 14 games here. Pens are just 4-21 with man edge in series (23:38), while Flyers are 3-14 (17:58). After scoring three goals total in first two series games, Flyers scored two goals in all three periods in Game 3.

Devils, Hurricanes split pair of OT games the last two contests, with the road team winning both. Seven of last eight series games stayed under the total. Home team won seven of last ten games in series, with Devils losing three of last four visits to Raleigh. Devils is 6-2 in last eight games overall. Neither team scored in third period in the last two games.

Vancouver is 26-9 in last 35 games, winning last five games by combined score of 10-3- its last seven games stayed under total. Canucks are 4-3 in last seven visits to St Louis. Blues are 1-17 on the power play in series (27:07), while Canucks are 4-15 (22:48). St Louis still hasn't scored third period goal in series-- they're trying to avoid series sweep at home.

San Jose outshot Ducks 79-43 in first two series games, but hasn't put a puck in net in 24:00 with man advantage, so they head to Anaheim down 2-0. Ducks are 2-6 on power play (10:54) in series, and haven't given up a first period goal to Sharks. Anaheim is now 12-3 in its last 15 games, so they're hot at the right time. Under is 7-1-1 in last nine series games.

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 07:07 AM

NHL

Tuesday, April 21

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Trend Sheet
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7:00 PM
DETROIT vs. COLUMBUS
Detroit is 15-7-1 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Columbus
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Columbus
Columbus is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Columbus's last 6 games

7:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. PHILADELPHIA
Pittsburgh is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 17 of Pittsburgh's last 25 games when playing Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games

7:30 PM
NEW JERSEY vs. CAROLINA
New Jersey is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Jersey's last 6 games on the road
Carolina is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games
Carolina is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

8:00 PM
VANCOUVER vs. ST. LOUIS
Vancouver is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
Vancouver is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games

10:30 PM
SAN JOSE vs. ANAHEIM
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games when playing Anaheim
Anaheim is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games
Anaheim is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 07:07 AM

NHL

Tuesday, April 21

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Ice Picks: NHL best bets
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Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers (-135, 5.5)

Philadelphia escaped an ugly Game 3 with a much-needed win Sunday afternoon. The Flyers managed to double the combined number of goals they had scored in the first two games on their way to a 6-3 victory.

But the club knows it needs to improve in some areas to win this series. The Flyers racked up 11 penalties and benefitted from a shaky performance from Pittsburgh goalie Marc-André Fleury Sunday.
“You can’t come out of this game feeling too good about yourself,” Flyers coach John Stevens said. “Both teams expended a lot of energy; we got one game, and now we have to leave it behind and get ready for the next one.”

Philadelphia nevertheless managed to impose its physical style of play and get Penguin players involved in a number of brawls, which they had managed to avoid in the first two games of the series.
“For us to be successful, we have to play like we did at home: just change lines [during stoppages], just get away from the scrums, just keep coming at them,” Pens forward Petr Sykora said. “Our top three lines, when we play five-on-five, we have a better hockey club, and that’s how we’re going to beat them.”

Expect the Penguins to be more disciplined and focused in Game 4 and for Fleury to step up his game.

Pick: Penguins

San Jose Sharks at Anaheim Ducks (+115, 5)

The Ducks stunned the San Jose Sharks once again Sunday night winning their second road game and gaining a 2-0 lead in the series.

Anaheim has looked poised and collected during the first two games refusing to be intimidated by the best regular-season team. The Ducks were also the luckier of the two teams, getting a goal off Andrew Ebbett’s fortunate deflection and another from Drew Miller’s rebound shot in traffic during the third period.
San Jose is confident that if it keeps pushing on offence and creating opportunities, the puck is bound to slip past Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller. The Sharks outshot the Ducks 44-26 in Sunday’s game after outshooting them 35-17 in the Duck’s 2-0 Game 1 win.

“I don’t feel a lot of panic here, that’s for sure,” Ryan Clowe told reporters. “We’re going to go on the road, and maybe we’ll be a little more relaxed. We’ll probably get some of those bounces. That’s the way it goes sometimes in a long series. I thought we worked hard enough to get some bounces, but obviously we were hitting posts like there’s no tomorrow. That’s the playoffs.”

Pick: Sharks

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 08:30 AM

NBA
Dunkel Index

Utah at LA Lakers
The Lakers are coming off a 113-100 win in Game One and are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games after scoring 100 or more points in the previous game, while the Jazz are 1-9 ATS in their last 10 games after allowing 100 or more points. Los Angeles is the pick (-11 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Lakers favored by 13. Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-11 1/2). Here are all of today's playoff picks.

TUESDAY, APRIL 21

Game 721-722: Detroit at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit 117.944; Cleveland 128.146
Dunkel Line & Total: Cleveland by 10; 184
Vegas Line & Total: Cleveland by 11 1/2; 177 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (+11 1/2); Over

Game 723-724: Houston at Portland
Dunkel Ratings: Houston 126.749; Portland 128.875
Dunkel Line & Total: Portland by 2; 192
Vegas Line & Total: Portland by 6; 184
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+6); Over

Game 725-726: Utah at LA Lakers
Dunkel Ratings: Utah 114.871; LA Lakers 127.986
Dunkel Line & Total: LA Lakers by 13; 208
Vegas Line & Total: LA Lakers by 11 1/2; 211 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Lakers (-11 1/2); Under

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**pm530** · 04-21-2009, 08:30 AM

MLB
Dunkel Index

Colorado at Arizona
The Rockies are 6-2 in Franklin Morales' last 8 starts as an underdog, while the Diamondbacks are 1-6 in their last 7 starts as a home favorite between -110 and -150. Colorado is the underdog pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Rockies favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+110). Here are all of today's games

TUESDAY, APRIL 21

Game 951-952: Florida at Pittsburgh
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Sanchez) 15.954; Pittsburgh (Karstens) 14.917
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Florida (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-130); Under

Game 953-954: Atlanta at Washington
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Kawakami) 14.517; Washington (Martis) 15.670
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-135); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+125); Over

Game 955-956: Milwaukee at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Parra) 14.846; Philadelphia (Moyer) 15.999
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 10
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 957-958: LA Dodgers at Houston
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 15.356; Houston (Ortiz) 15.402
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-140); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+130); Over

Game 959-960: Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Owings) 14.662; Cubs (Harden) 15.645
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-230); No Total
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-230); N/A

Game 961-962: NY Mets at St. Louis
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Perez) 15.939; St. Louis (Wellemeyer) 14.650
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-135); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+125); Under

Game 963-964: Colorado at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Morales) 15.039; Arizona (Petit) 13.876
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 11
Vegas Line: Arizona (-120); 10
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+110); Over

Game 965-966: San Diego at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Peavy) 14.366; San Francisco (Cain) 14.444
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: San Diego (-115); 7
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+105); Over

Game 967-968: Texas at Toronto
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (McCarthy) 15.417; Toronto (Halladay) 16.515
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Toronto (-230); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-230); Under

Game 969-970: Oakland at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Eveland) 15.054; NY Yankees (Pettitte) 15.912
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 10
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-210); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-210); Over

Game 971-972: Kansas City at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Ponson) 17.204; Cleveland (Laffey) 15.963
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 11
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-175); 10
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+165); Over

Game 973-974: Chicago White Sox at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Contreras) 15.534; Baltimore (Bergesen) 15.947
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-120); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+110); Under

Game 975-976: Minnesota at Boston
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Baker) 16.315; Boston (Wakefield) 14.749
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Boston (-170); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+160); Over

Game 977-978: Detroit at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Galarraga) 15.397; LA Angels (Weaver) 15.707
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-110); Under

Game 979-980: Tampa Bay at Seattle
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Sonnanstine) 15.641; Seattle (Washburn) 14.008
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Seattle (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (+105); Under

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Announcement

Tuesday Trends and Indexes 4/21 (NBA, MLB, NHL, Misc.)

Tuesday Trends and Indexes 4/21 (NBA, MLB, NHL, Misc.)

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