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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:35 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Wednesday, April 22

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Heat look to get into the win column, the Habs try to avoid the loss column, and the Sox continue their set with the Twins.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

Dwyane Wade and the Heat will be trying to bounce back from an embarrassing Game 1 loss on Wednesday night when they play in Atlanta for the second time in the best-of-seven series. The Hawks pounded Miami 90-64 in the opener on Sunday, with Josh Smith picking up 23 points and 10 rebounds. Wade had 19 points for Miami in the loss; the Heat are listed as 5-point underdogs in Game 2.

Along with the Heat, the Magic and Hornets are also down 1-0 in their first-round series heading into play on Wednesday. Orlando was upset 100-98 in the opener by Philadelphia on Sunday, with Andre Iguodala scoring 20 points for the Sixers. New Orleans was blasted 113-84 by Denver in Game 1 on Sunday. The Magic are favored by 10 points in Game 2 Wednesday; Denver is favored by 5.5 points.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Twins and Red Sox are scheduled to play twice on Wednesday (a day/night doubleheader), as their Tuesday night matchup at Fenway Park was rained out. Also on the American League schedule for Wednesday: Oakland at the Yankees, the White Sox at Baltimore, Kansas City at Cleveland, Texas at Toronto, Tampa Bay at Seattle, and Detroit at the Angels. The Tigers will use Justin Verlander (0-2, 7.88 ERA) on Wednesday; the Angels go with Joe Saunders (2-1, 2.18 ERA).

Meanwhile, 2-0 Paul Maholm and his microscopic 0.87 ERA will take the mound for Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon in their meeting with the Marlins in one of the eight games on the NL schedule. Also on tap: Colorado at Arizona, San Diego at San Francisco, Milwaukee at Philadelphia, Atlanta at Washington, the Dodgers at Houston, Cincinnati at the Cubs, and finally the Mets at St. Louis.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The Bruins will be looking to deal a death blow to the rival Canadiens on Wednesday night, as they take a commanding 3-0 series lead into the 7:00pm ET puck drop. Boston doubled up Montreal 4-2 in Game 3 on Monday night, as Phil Kessel scored his third goal of the playoffs and Tim Thomas made 23 saves. Carey Price stopped 26 of 29 Boston shots in a losing cause for the Canadiens.

There are two other games on the NHL's playoff schedule for Wednesday, with Washington at the Rangers and Chicago at Calgary. The Capitals cut their series deficit to 2-1 on Monday night with a 4-0 road win behind the goaltending of Simeon Varlamov. The Flames also showed some life on Monday night, topping the Blackhawks 4-2; Calgary is down 2-1 in that series heading into Wednesday.

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:36 AM

Six-pack for Wednesday

Eight leading goal scorers in the NHL this season...........

T5) Vanek, Buff-- 40

T5) Staal, Car-- 40

T5) Nash, Cbs-- 40

T5) Hossa, Det-- 40

4) Kovalchuk, Atl-- 43

3) Parise, NJ-- 45

2) Carter, Phil-- 46

1) Ovechkin, Wash-- 56

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Late Night Update

-- High drama in Raleigh last night, as Carolina scored with 0:00.2 to play, giving host Hurricanes a 4-3 win, evening their series with New Jersey at two games apiece. Since last two games went to OT, you'd figure this series will wind up in a seventh game.

-- Vancouver scored in OT to sweep the Blues four straight games.

-- Cavaliers, Lakers yawned their way to Game 2 wins in the NBA. Well, Utah briefly made it a game. Roy scored 42 points as Blazers evened their series with Houston.

-- Houston snapped the Dodgers' win streak behind Russ Ortiz.

-- Tampa Rays lost again, their sixth loss in last seven games. Hard to say why they're off to slow start, they just look sluggish.

-- Edgar Renteria knocked in five runs as Giants beat San Diego.

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Wednesday's List of 13: Random mid-week facts, thoughts.....

13) One storyline for 2009 NFL season will be Mike Shanahan being mentioned for coaching jobs every time a team loses a big game. First set of rumors involve the Redskins, who never seem happy with any coach or any quarterback. Stay tuned.

12) Mets are supposed to be a contending team, right? Tuesday, they brought in Casey Fossum/Brian Stokes in as relievers; a couple years ago, those two were part of the worst bullpen in baseball history for the Devil Rays (Fossum had 7.70 ERA, Stokes 7.07). You'd think a contender could come up with better pitchers than those two.

11) Cardinals played their 14th game last night, and used their 14th different starting lineup; thats just the way Tony Larussa manages.

10) Jets built a $75M practice facility in Florham Park, NJ, but will have training camp at Cortland State (south of Syracuse) because the new coach wants "team bonding". It is 197 miles from Florham Park to Cortland. Cortland, by the way, is Buffalo Bills' country.

9) By way of comparison, the Giants train here in Albany, which is 137 miles from Giants Stadium; most think they'll stop coming here after the new stadium is built, since they can have training camp right in the new stadium and their new practice facility, but we'll see.

8) Weird/stupid injury of last week was Doug Mientkiewicz of the Dodgers, who doubled down rightfield line in a one-sided game, dove headfirst into second base, even though there was no play on him, in the process dislocated his right shoulder. It looked really painful.

7) Florida International claims they've gotten around 1,000 calls for basketball season tickets next year, since they hired Isiah Thomas as head coach. Last year, FIU averaged 693 fans per home game.

6) Didn't realize that Stephen Curry is only 1,032 points behind Pete Maravich as all-time NCAA scoring leader, so if he comes back and plays for Davidson next season, he could wind up as #1, even if he would've done it in one extra season (freshmen couldn't play back in the 60's). Money isn't an issue-- interesting decision for the kid.

5) 18-year old Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio may enter the NBA Draft this year, which would push most everyone else down one slot except maybe Blake Griffin. Rubio is under contract in Spain for two more years, and has a $7.8M buyout.

4) There is a high school kid in the Tampa area who has thrown four consecutive no-hitters-- he is signed to play for Florida Gators, but hard to believe he won't be drafted by the pros in June.

3) Florida State has only one player listed in top 100 of NFL Draft, which is why their program has sagged last few years-- their talent is down. Now, supposedly they've recruited better the last couple of years, since Jimbo Fisher/Chuck Amato have come onboard, so they should have a revival in the next few years, but don't expect to see too many Seminoles getting their names called this weekend.

2) When David Eckstein played for the Angels, he got fined for each home run he hit in batting practice; Mike Scioscia wanted him hitting line drives, which is part of why he's become such a pesky player.

1) Cardinal reliever Motte threw one pitch Tuesday, recorded couple of outs on an odd double play (fly to right, runner wound up tossed out at home trying to score after an errant throw), and was a winning pitcher for St Louis. Baseball is a strange game sometimes.

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:37 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

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Wednesday, April 22
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PHILADELPHIA (42 - 41) at ORLANDO (59 - 24) - 4/22/2009, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 10-22 ATS (-14.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
ORLANDO is 50-33 ATS (+13.7 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 38-29 ATS (+6.1 Units) as a favorite this season.
ORLANDO is 50-36 ATS (+10.4 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 21-6 ATS (+14.4 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
ORLANDO is 23-12 ATS (+9.8 Units) off a upset loss as a favorite over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 23-12 ATS (+9.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 82-57 ATS (+19.3 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 6-5 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 8-3 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
7 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MIAMI (43 - 40) at ATLANTA (48 - 35) - 4/22/2009, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 73-90 ATS (-26.0 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 45-36 ATS (+5.4 Units) in all games this season.
ATLANTA is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in home games after allowing 85 points or less this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 8-5 against the spread versus ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 7-6 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
10 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NEW ORLEANS (49 - 34) at DENVER (55 - 28) - 4/22/2009, 10:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ORLEANS is 36-46 ATS (-14.6 Units) in all games this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 7-15 ATS (-9.5 Units) as an underdog this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 22-40 ATS (-22.0 Units) as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points since 1996.
NEW ORLEANS is 16-25 ATS (-11.5 Units) in road games this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 19-28 ATS (-11.8 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 12-25 ATS (-15.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 7-15 ATS (-9.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
DENVER is 46-36 ATS (+6.4 Units) in all games this season.
DENVER is 32-23 ATS (+6.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
NEW ORLEANS is 61-39 ATS (+18.1 Units) when playing with 2 days rest since 1996.
NEW ORLEANS is 64-44 ATS (+15.6 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 37-21 ATS (+13.9 Units) after a loss by 10 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 16-4 ATS (+11.6 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 7-5 against the spread versus DENVER over the last 3 seasons
DENVER is 6-6 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Thursday, April 23
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BOSTON (63 - 21) at CHICAGO (42 - 42) - 4/23/2009, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 7-5 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 7-5 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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SAN ANTONIO (55 - 29) at DALLAS (51 - 33) - 4/23/2009, 8:35 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 8-6 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 7-7 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
7 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:38 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Wednesday, April 22

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Round One
Game Two
Philadelphia Leads, 1-0
Philadelphia at Orlando, 7:05 ET

Philadelphia:
13-5 Over in road games 2nd half of season
29-14 Over off BB wins by 6pts or less

Orlando:
41-16 ATS off SU loss
8-1 Over off home loss

Western Conference Playoffs - Round One
Game Two
Atlanta Leads, 1-0
Miami at Atlanta, 8:05 ET

Miami:
1-5 ATS revenging loss of 20+ points
2-9 ATS revenging loss where they scored 75pts or less

Atlanta:
5-1 ATS off DD division win
10-3 ATS if both teams scored 90pts or less last game

Western Conference Playoffs - Round One
Game Two
Denver Leads, 1-0
New Orleans at Denver, 10:35 ET

New Orleans:
11-1 ATS off road loss by 20+ points
16-4 ATS off 3 or more losses

Denver:
2-8 ATS in 1st Rd of Playoffs
8-2 Under in 1st Rd of Playoffs

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Thursday, April 23rd

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Round One
Game Three
Series Tied, 1-1
Boston at Chicago, 8:05 ET

Boston:
24-11 ATS as an underdog
11-2 ATS off home win scoring 110+ points

Chicago:
1-11 ATS at home off BB ATS wins
21-10 Over playing with same season revenge

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Round One
Game Three
Series Tied, 1-1
San Antonio at Dallas, 8:35 ET

Dallas:
3-17 ATS after 3 straight games w/ 11 or less turnovers
25-14 Under off an Over

San Antonio:
18-6 ATS when tied in a playoff series
25-12 Under Away if the total is between 180 and 189.5

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:39 AM

NBA
Write-up

Wednesday, April 22

First round, NBA playoffs

Orlando lost four of last five games; they blew 18-point lead in Game 1 loss to 76ers-- six of its last eight games stayed under total. 76ers lost six of last eight games, their last seven games went over the total. Marshall was +18, Ratliff +17 in Game 1, as veteran Philly subs fueled comeback. There was total of only seven turnovers in Game 1 (Phil 4, Orl 3).

Miami lost four of five to Atlanta this season, dropping games here by 8-2-26 points; all five series games stayed under total, with an average total of 163.6. Hawks won five of last six games. Miami covered four of last six as the underdog-- they shot 36.6% from floor in Game 1, 4-23 from arc, and were down 20 points at halftime, 59-39.

Denver won 15 of last 17 games, covered six of last eight as a favorite. Six of its last seven games went over the total. New Orleans lost seven of its last nine games- they're 5-11 against spread in last 16 games as an underdog. Billups was 8-9 from arc in Game 1, as Nuggets shot 51% on night, winning despite forcing only three Hornet (37% FG) turnovers.

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:39 AM

NBA

Wednesday, April 22

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Trend Sheet
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7:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. ORLANDO
Philadelphia is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Orlando
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Orlando
Orlando is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games
Orlando is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games

8:00 PM
MIAMI vs. ATLANTA
Miami is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Miami is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 6-13-1 ATS in its last 20 games when playing Miami
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Miami

10:30 PM
NEW ORLEANS vs. DENVER
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans's last 6 games when playing Denver
New Orleans is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Denver is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against New Orleans
Denver is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against New Orleans

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:40 AM

NBA

Wednesday, April 22

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Pick ‘n’ Roll: NBA best bets
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Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks (-5, 184)

A lot of athletes and teams make up the whole “no respect” angle to motivate themselves. Even elite teams like the Lakers are known to rant into a reporter’s microphone from time to time about how no one believes in them.

While most times these fictional haters are just a ploy, the Atlanta Hawks have a legitimate case in the opening round of the postseason. Atlanta finished fourth in the Eastern Conference and was lethal at home with a 31-10 (22-18-1 ATS) record. Yet still, bettors are counting them out against the Miami Heat.

Even after smashing the Heat 90-64 in Game 1 and covering as measly 5-point chalk, the Hawks are still getting the Rodney Dangerfield treatment. Books aren’t budging from the 5-point spread for Game 2 Wednesday night.

“I like that, I do,” coach Mike Woodson told reporters about Atlanta’s doubters. “When we started this thing, I made sure to let them know it’s about these 15 guys in that locker room and these coaches. And I don’t care what all the naysayers say or about any of the negativity out there. I don’t care about that. It’s about us as a group figuring out what we’re supposed to do.

“And we’ve done that so far. We’re just trying to handle our own business. … These guys are trying to play for something, and that’s what playoff basketball is all about.”

The Hawks know they have to keep that motivation and not get complacent, like the Boston Celtics did against them last postseason. Atlanta went down 0-2 in Boston but stormed back, forcing the series to seven games.

“They’re (the Heat) not going to just roll over and die because of one game,” Marvin Williams told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We know they’re going to play way better than they played the other night. And we have to be ready to play, as well.”

Pick: Atlanta -5

Philadelphia 76ers at Orlando Magic (-10, 193.5)

It was an eye rake that would make Ric Flair proud.

Samuel Dalembert’s shot to Dwight Howard’s peepers changed the tone of Sunday’s series opener, allowing Philadelphia to bully its way back in the ball game and steal a two-point Game 1 win in Orlando.

The Magic’s 18-point lead disappeared along with their toughness as the Sixers turned up the intensity. Orlando gave up numerous second chances and was timid with the basketball, settling for a 5-for-18 shooting night from beyond the arc.

Even coach Stan Van Gundy is being called out for his decisions down the stretch. Usually the brunt of reporters’ or Shaquille O’Neal’s comments, Van Gundy was questioned by his backup center.

"The nature of our coach, he panics very often during games," Marcin Gortat told a Polish newspaper. "He's got some behavior which is not good for us. With his gestures he makes us nervous on the floor."

While comments coming from a guy who failed to score a point in under 10 minutes of action Sunday don’t hold a lot of water, it is just a matter of time until the rest of the team voices their frustrations with Van Gundy.

The Sixers hard-nosed defense will come at Orlando Wednesday, trying to again intimidate their opponents and get the Magic playing on their heels. Orlando is 20-4 SU off of loses this season but playing scared won’t climb the mountain of points books are giving Philadelphia.

Pick: Philadelphia +10

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:42 AM

MLB
Write-up

Wednesday, April 22

Hot Pitchers
-- Pirates won all three Maholm starts (2-0, 1.31).
-- Haren is 0-3, 1.89; Arizona scored two runs in the three games.
-- Padres are 3-0 in Young starts (2-0, 5.40) scoring 18 runs.
-- Milwaukee won both Looper starts (1-0, 3.27) scoring 13 runs.
-- Jurrjens is 2-1, 2.55 in three starts this season.
-- Cubs won both Lilly starts (2-0, 3.86) scoring 15 runs.
-- Wolf is 1-0, 2.77 in his last two starts.
-- Cardinals won both Pineiro starts (2-0, 5.73) scoring 17 runs.

-- Sabathia has 0.63 RA in his last two starts.
-- Guthrie is 2-0, 5.94 in his first three starts. Danks is 1-0, 0.75 in 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.
-- Saunders is 2-1, 2.18 in three starts this season.
-- Jakubauskus allowed two runs in 5.1 IP in his first big league start.

Cold Pitchers
-- Nolasco has 6.60 RA in his first three '09 starts.
-- de la Rosa is 0-1, 4.50 in two starts this season.
-- Zito is 0-2, 9.00 in two starts this season.
-- Blanton is 0-1, 9.00 in two starts this season.
-- Lannan is 0-2, 6.46 in three starts this season.
-- Cueto is 0-1, 4.22 in two starts this season.
-- Astros are 0-3 in Oswalt starts (0-2, 4.26), scoring five runs.
-- Maine is 0-1, 6.75 in two starts this season.

-- Anderson is 0-2, 4.85 in his first two big league starts; all seven runs he allowed scored in the second inning of the two games.
-- Lee is 1-2, 6.75 so far this season. Bannister is 0-1, 3.75 in his three AAA starts this year; he has career mark in big leagues of 23-26, 4.81 in 65 starts.
-- Penny has 9.00 RA in two starts, but Boston won both, scoring total of fifteen runs. Twins were outscored 23-3 in Liriano's three starts.
-- Harrison is 0-2, 8.44 in his first two '09 starts. Purcey is 0-1, 7.63 in three starts this season.
-- Verlander 1-2, 9.56 in three starts this season.
-- Niemann is 0-2, 6.35 in his first two starts.

Hot Teams
-- Marlins won eleven of their first fourteen games, but lost last two. Pirates won four of their last five games.
-- Dodgers won eight of their last nine games.
-- Cubs won six of their last eight games. Cincinnati won six of its last nine games.
-- Cardinals won six of their last seven home games.
-- San Diego won eight of its last eleven games. Giants won four of their last five home games.

-- Toronto won four of its last six games.
-- White Sox won six of their last nine games.
-- Red Sox won last five games, scoring 38 runs. Twins won last three games, scoring 23 runs.
-- Bronx is 8-0 if they allow less than six runs, 0-6 if they don't.
-- Tigers won six of their last nine games.
-- Mariners won eight of their last eleven games.

Cold Teams
-- Nationals lost ten of their first 13 games, but won last two. Braves lost seven of their last eight games. .
-- Brewers lost seven of their last nine games.
-- Astros lost four of their last six home games.
-- Mets lost four of their last five road games.
-- Rockies lost seven of their last nine games. Arizona lost nine of its last thirteen games.

-- Rangers lost seven of their last ten games, but won last two.
-- Orioles lost four of their last five games.
-- Cleveland is 1-3 in game following a win this season. Royals lost last two games, allowing 14 runs.
-- Oakland lost four of its last five games.
-- Angels lost five of their last seven games.
-- Rays lost six of their last seven games.

Totals
-- Eight of last eleven Pittsburgh games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 8-4-1 in Washington games.
-- Over is 8-1-1 in Philadelphia's last ten games.
-- Eight of last nine Houston games stayed under the total; eight of last ten Dodger games went over.
-- Six of Cincinnati's last seven games stayed under the total.
-- Three of Mets' last four games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last nine Arizona games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five San Diego games went over the total.

-- Over is 10-2-1 in Texas games this season.
-- Last three Oakland games stayed under the total, after eight of their previous nine had gone over.
-- Eleven of fourteen Cleveland games went over the total.
-- Eight of last nine Baltimore games went over the total.
-- Seven of last eight Boston games went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Detroit road games stayed under the total.
-- Three of last four Tampa Bay games went over the total.

Umpire stats
-- Fla-Pitt-- Average of just 6.7 rpg scored in first three Joyce games.
-- Colo-Az-- Underdog won Scott's first two games behind the plate.
-- SD-SF-- Not enough data to give you anything on umpire Carlson
-- Mil-Phil-- Favorite won Rapuano's first four games behind dish.
-- Atl-Wsh-- Underdog won Onora's first two games, 3-0/6-1, with a total of 8 walks, 37 strikeouts.
-- Cin-Chi-- Both Barksdale games went over the total.
-- LA-Hst-- Two of Layne's three games stayed under the total (8.7).
-- NY-StL-- Underdog won all three Barrett games (32 walks, 45 Ks).

-- A's-NY-- All three Bucknor games went over the total.
-- Chi-Balt-- Not enough data yet this season for umpire Diaz
-- KC-Clev-- Hudson's first two games (2-1/2-0) stayed under total.
-- No idea who umpire is for Minnesota-Boston game.
-- Tex-Tor-- Home side won two of three Eddings games (8.0).
-- Det-LAA-- Last two Wegner games went over the total.
-- TB-Sea-- Underdog won first three Vanover games.

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:42 AM

MLB

Wednesday, April 22

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Trend Sheet
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12:35 PM
FLORIDA vs. PITTSBURGH
Florida is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games
Florida is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Florida
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Florida

12:35 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 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games when playing Minnesota

1:05 PM
OAKLAND vs. NY YANKEES
Oakland is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Yankees
Oakland is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
NY Yankees are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games at home
NY Yankees are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games

3:40 PM
COLORADO vs. ARIZONA
Colorado is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Arizona
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Arizona is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Arizona is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home

3:45 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. SAN FRANCISCO
San Diego is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
San Diego is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games when playing San Francisco
San Francisco is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Diego
San Francisco is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing San Diego

7:05 PM
ATLANTA vs. WASHINGTON
Atlanta is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Atlanta is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Washington is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games when playing Atlanta

7:05 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. BALTIMORE
Chi White Sox are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
Chi White Sox are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games
Baltimore is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
Baltimore is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games

7:05 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. CLEVELAND
Kansas City is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Cleveland
Kansas City is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games on the road
Cleveland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Cleveland is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games

7:05 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. PHILADELPHIA
Milwaukee is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
Milwaukee is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
Philadelphia is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing Milwaukee

7:07 PM
TEXAS vs. TORONTO
Texas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Texas is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Toronto is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Texas
Toronto is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games

7:10 PM
MINNESOTA vs. BOSTON
Minnesota is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Minnesota is 1-5-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 4-0-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Boston is 5-0-1 SU in its last 6 games

8:00 PM
LA DODGERS vs. HOUSTON
LA Dodgers are 8-1 SU in their last 9 games
Houston is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home

8:05 PM
CINCINNATI vs. CHI CUBS
Cincinnati is 3-8 SU in their last 11 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
Cincinnati is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Chi Cubs are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games
Chi Cubs are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games at home

8:15 PM
NY METS vs. ST. LOUIS
NY Mets are 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
NY Mets are 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against NY Mets
St. Louis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

10:05 PM
DETROIT vs. LA ANGELS
Detroit is 1-7 SU in their last 8 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
Detroit is 3-10 SU in their last 13 games when playing LA Angels
LA Angels are 10-3 SU in their last 13 games when playing Detroit
LA Angels are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games

10:10 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. SEATTLE
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
Tampa Bay is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home
Seattle is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:43 AM

MLB

Wednesday, April 22

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Hot lines: Today’s best MLB bets
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San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants (-120, 8.5)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito wishes he could just hibernate through April and start his season in May.

The left hander has lost his first two starts to fall to 3-12 in the first month of the schedule over the past four seasons. For his career, Zito is 13-25 with a 5.28 ERA in April.

Zito is fresh off a poor effort against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday. He allowed six runs on four hits in five innings of work. That has blown his ERA to an even 10.00 heading into Wednesday’s start against the Padres.

"I'm going out and fighting, and I'm in the right place in where I have to be, but the results don't show that," Zito told reporters after the game. "Sometimes you get results and you're not where you have to be. Ultimately, you're judged on results. For me, I'm eager to get out there the next time and prove myself."

Zito has respectable numbers in his 11 career appearances versus San Diego, posting a 3-3 record with a 3.98 ERA. However, he lost his first game of the season to the Padres April 10. Zito allowed four runs on seven hits in just four innings.

San Diego gets a second look at the southpaw and has been knocking the cover off the ball in recent games. The Padres have won three of their last four games, averaging 6.5 runs during this stretch. They also send towering righty Chris Young to the bump, who has pitched well in his first outings of the season.

Young is 2-0 with a 4.86 ERA in three starts and bouncing back from a rough appearance in Philadelphia Friday. One of his wins came on April 12 when he held the Giants to seven shutout innings.

Pick: San Diego -120

Oakland Athletics at New York Yankees (-260, 9)

Construction error or brilliant marketing tool?

The new Yankee Stadium is getting a lot of attention, especially its right field since opening last Thursday. Twenty home runs carried past the outfield walls during the Yankees’ series with the Cleveland Indians, 14 of them over the wall in right.

Three of the four games against Cleveland played over the total including Saturday’s 22-4 flogging in which eight total home runs were hit. Even Sunday’s game, which played under the total, tallied 10 runs and three big flys.

The organization says the new stadium is set up in a similar manner as the old one, but AccuWeather's Gina Cherundolo believes the different seating isn’t blocking the breeze like in the old stadium and could be creating a wind-tunnel into right field.

''It's not something that I want to see a lot, unless it's all ours. But it was an interesting four days,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters. ''I didn't think the ball carried yesterday. I thought it was different yesterday than it was the first three days. So who knows what's going to happen? I mean, it's a small sample.''

New York hosts Oakland for two games starting Tuesday. Heading into the opener, the over/under was 3-13 the past 16 times these teams meet in the Big Apple. Oakland is coming off two straight under paydays against Toronto.

Wednesday’s probable starters C.C. Sabathia and Brett Anderson are coming off solid showings. Sabathia has allowed just one earned run in his last two starts and Anderson was sharp against Boston, giving up just two runs in seven innings before his bullpen blew the win.

Pick: Under 9

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:48 AM

MLB
Baseball Today

SCOREBOARD

Wednesday, April 22

Kansas City at Cleveland (7:05 p.m. EDT). Indians ace Cliff Lee (1-2) tries for his second straight strong start when the Indians visit the surprising Royals.

STARS

Tuesday

— Edgar Renteria, Giants, hit a grand slam off Jake Peavy and matched his career high with five RBIs, leading San Francisco to an 8-3 victory over San Diego.

— Grady Sizemore, Indians, hit a three-run homer in Cleveland’s 8-7 victory over Kansas City.

— Johnny Damon, Yankees, hit a solo drive for the only home run in the first night game at the new Yankee Stadium, leading New York to a 5-3 win over Oakland.

— Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz, Rangers, each hit a two-run homer in Texas’ 5-4 win over Toronto.

— Torii Hunter, Angels, homered to help Los Angeles edge Detroit 4-3.

— Rick Ankiel, Cardinals, hit a go-ahead RBI double among his three hits, and St. Louis rallied from four runs down for a 6-4 win over the New York Mets.

— Todd Helton, Rockies, broke out of a slump with three hits, including his first homer, and drove in three runs as Colorado rallied for a 9-6 victory over Arizona.

— Jarrod Washburn, Mariners, allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings as Seattle beat Tampa Bay 4-2.

— Aubrey Huff, Orioles, homered twice and drove in four runs in Baltimore’s 10-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

DOUBLE YOUR FUN

The Cleveland Indians turned double plays in six straight innings in an 8-7 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The six double plays tied a club record for the Indians and set a team mark for the Royals.

OUCH

Pittsburgh catcher Ryan Doumit needs an operation to repair a broken bone in his right wrist and will be out for at least eight to 10 weeks. Doumit, who led NL catchers with a .318 average last season, fractured the wrist bone while batting in Sunday’s 11-1 loss to Atlanta. … Plate umpire Kerwin Danley left the field on a stretcher after being hit in the head by a broken bat in the sixth inning of Tuesday night’s game between Texas and Toronto. Crew chief Dana DeMuth said Danley was taken to the hospital with a possible concussion but did not lose consciousness.

HELPING DUKES

When outfielder Elijah Dukes made a personal appearance at a Virginia Little League’s season-opening gathering for a little extra cash a few hours before a Washington Nationals game, he turned up late at his day job and was fined. Now the Great Falls, Va., Little League—already out the $500 Dukes was promised so he’d show up over the weekend—says it will raise another $500 to cover Dukes’ penalty for failing to arrive at Nationals Park on time.

GOOD COMPANY

Andy Pettitte pitched seven innings to get the win and Mariano Rivera got three outs to earn the save in the New York Yankees’ 5-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics. It was the 57th time Rivera has saved a win for Pettitte, tying Oakland Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley and starter Bob Welch for the highest total in major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

SEEING BETTER

Catcher Brian McCann returned to Atlanta’s lineup against Washington after visiting an eye doctor and getting a new contact lens to correct blurred vision in his left eye. After batting fourth for the Braves and going 0-for-2 with two walks in a 4-3 loss, McCann said he probably would sit out Wednesday’s game at Washington. He is mired in a 1-for-22 slump.

HIT MAN

Freddy Sanchez homered and had three hits in the Pirates 3-2 win over Florida and is batting .476 (10-for-21) over his past five games.

BARGAIN

Bernard Madoff’s Mets season tickets, two seats in the Delta Club Gold section behind home plate, sold for $38,100 on eBay, well below the list price for the pair of about $56,000. The sale by lawyer Irving H. Picard, the trustee overseeing the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, covers 75 remaining games this season at Citi Field.

STRONG IN DEFEAT

Ryan Braun had a career-high five hits, including two homers, for the Brewers in an 11-4 loss to the Phillies.

SNAPPED

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ eight-game winning streak ended with an 8-5 loss at the Houston Astros.

LET’S TRY AGAIN TOMORROW

The Minnesota Twins at Boston Red Sox game was postponed because of rain. It was rescheduled as the first game of a day-night doubleheader Wednesday.

SPEAKING

“It was crushed. Those balls, line drives right at the outfielders, are probably the hardest ones to get a read on. It was unfortunate that he just lost his footing and the ball got behind him.”—Mets reliever J.J. Putz on teammate Daniel Murphy, whose misplay on Brendan Ryan’s fly to left wound up a triple in New York’s 6-4 loss to St. Louis.

SEASONS

April 22

1876—In the first National League game, Joseph Borden of Boston beat the hometown Philadelphia team 6-5.

1898—Theodore Breitenstein of the Cincinnati Reds and James Hughes of Baltimore each pitched no-hitters. Breitenstein no-hit the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-0 and Hughes no-hit the Boston Braves 8-0.

1903—The New York Highlanders lost their first game at Washington 3-1 before 11,950 fans.

1915—Pinstripes first appeared on Yankees uniforms.

1922—Ken Williams of the St. Louis Browns hit three home runs against Chicago.

1934—Chicago’s Lon Warneke pitched his second consecutive one-hitter, beating St. Louis and Dizzy Dean 15-2.

1959—The Chicago White Sox scored 11 runs with only one hit in the seventh inning of a 20-6 rout of the Kansas City A’s. Johnny Callison had the hit—a single. In the inning, Chicago was the recipient of 10 walks—five with the bases loaded—three Kansas City errors and one hit batsman.

1966—The Braves won their first game in Atlanta by beating the New York Mets 8-4.

1970—Tom Seaver of the Mets struck out the last 10 Padres he faced for a 2-1 victory over San Diego. He gave up two hits and finished with a total of 19 strikeouts, tying Steve Carlton’s major league record.

1982—The Atlanta Braves’ major league record for the fastest start was stopped at 13 straight victories when they lost 2-1 to the Cincinnati Reds.

1993—Chris Bosio pitched a no-hitter to give the Seattle Mariners a 7-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.

2006—The Milwaukee Brewers became the first major league team in 40 years to hit five home runs in one inning, beating the Reds 11-0. Three other teams have accomplished the feat: the 1939 New York Giants, 1949 Philadelphia Phillies and 1961 San Francisco Giants—all against Cincinnati as well.

2007—The Boston Red Sox hit four straight home runs against the New York Yankees, tying a major league record. Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek connected in a span of 10 pitches during the third inning against Chase Wright, who was making his second major league start for New York. Boston won 7-6.

2008—Atlanta’s John Smoltz became the 16th pitcher in major league history to reach the 3,000-strikeout plateau in the Braves’ 6-0 loss to the Washington Nationals. Smoltz fanned Felipe Lopez in the third inning, his fourth of the game, to reach the mark.

Today’s birthday: David Purcey 27

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:51 AM

NHL
Write-up

Wednesday, April 22

NHL Playoffs

Washington has 35-35-40 shots in first three games, in series where road team won all three games. Rangers are 0-11 on power play in last couple games (18:16); Game 3 loss was their first loss in last six games overall. Capitols lost three of last four against Rangers; their win in Game 3 was just their second in last nine visits to Madison Square Garden.

Bruins are 10-2 in last dozen games vs Montreal, winning last eight, with two overtime wins, they're 11-2 in last 13 games overall, with the last six going over total. Montreal is 0-6 on power play in series (14:34)- they lost their last seven games, outscored 27-13. Bruins get F Lucic back for this game, after he was suspended for Game 3.

Chicago is 6-1 against Calgary this season; they've won won eight of last ten games, with under is 10-3-1 in their last fourteen. Flames are just 5-8 in last thirteen games; under is 12-3-1 in their last 16 games. Home team is 3-0 in series-- team that scored first lost all three games. Blackhawks are 2-13 on power play in series, scoring one goal in 11:51 in Game 3.

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:52 AM

NHL

Wednesday, April 22

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Trend Sheet
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7:00 PM
BOSTON vs. MONTREAL
Boston is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games
Montreal is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 5 games when playing Boston

7:00 PM
WASHINGTON vs. NY RANGERS
Washington is 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing NY Rangers
Washington is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games on the road
NY Rangers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the NY Rangers last 7 games

9:30 PM
CHICAGO vs. CALGARY
Chicago is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Chicago is 8-10-5 SU in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Calgary
Calgary is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Calgary's last 10 games

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**pm530** · 04-22-2009, 05:53 AM

NHL

Wednesday, April 22

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Ice Picks: NHL best bets
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Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens (+170, 5.5)

The Canadiens' task for Game 4 is plain and simple - win, or pack it in.

''Just as with our fans, with our team we're going to have to prove that we can stay alive by winning a game,'' GM and coach Bob Gainey said. ''If we win a game, then we play a game on Saturday where we can look to Tuesday. So, it's by small increments and without the first one it's hard to move to the second one or the third one, which has been our case since the beginning of the series.

''We need to win a game to get into it, whether it was the first, second, third or fourth, and right now we're sitting at the fourth, still waiting to get out of the gates as far as putting a win up on our side.''

Montreal was without defenseman Mathieu Schneider and left wing Alex Tanguay on Monday night, both key players sidelined by upper-body injuries. Top defenseman Andrei Markov has been out with a lower-body injury that cost him the last four games of the regular season.

''I can't really say that they will or won't be possibilities for (Wednesday),'' Gainey said.

The Canadiens held an optional skate at its suburban practice facility and nine players took to the ice, including goalies Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak.

Also taking part where defenseman Mike Komisarek, forwards Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec, Matt D'Agostini and Gregory Stewart, and rookie defenseman Yanick Weber, who had a goal and an assist in Monday's loss for his first playoff points.

''There's always a vein of optimism, there's always some hope, and until that's gone, that's what you play with, that's what you rely on,'' Gainey said.

Pick: Boston -200

Washington Capitals at New York Rangers (+130, 5)

Coming into the series, the seventh-seeded Rangers were the decided underdogs, but New York owned a clear advantage in goal where three-time Vezina Trophy finalist Henrik Lundqvist never has to worry about his starting status.

While Varlamov could be considered a good surprise, the Capitals aren't yet ready to say they've closed the gap on Lundqvist, who beat them 1-0 in Game 2.

''It's two games compared to a finalist for the Vezina,'' Boudreau said. ''Hopefully, someday three or four years down the road, Varly is in that situation. Right now he's a young goalie that the Rangers haven't seen before so they didn't know him. Lundqvist is an All-Star.

''I like our guy, but he's not in that class yet.''

Maybe not, but he and Lundqvist each have a shutout in the series, and now it's the Rangers who are dealing with a drought of 112 minutes, 16 seconds without a goal.

''It was probably one of our better games in generating offense, and offensive-zone time,'' Rangers coach John Tortorella said of Game 3. ''They defended well when we had opportunities to make the next play. We've spent more time in their end zone, but we forgot about the other end, and we need to have 'em both work.

''We're just trying to play. (Varlamov) is playing well, Hank's playing well and we need to get a big play at a key time.''

Rangers captain Chris Drury, believed to be nursing an injury to his hand or wrist, played very sparingly in the third period of Game 3. He practiced Tuesday and expects to be in the lineup Wednesday.

Pick: Under 5

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Announcement

Wednesday Trends and Indexes 4/22 (NBA, MLB, NHL, Misc.)

Wednesday Trends and Indexes 4/22 (NBA, MLB, NHL, Misc.)

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