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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:21 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Friday, April 24

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Fenway Park gets a Yankees/Red Sox series, the Cavaliers travel to Detroit, and the Rangers try to bounce the Capitals.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

LeBron James and the Cavaliers hold a 2-0 lead in their first-round series with the Pistons heading into Game 3 in Detroit on Friday night. James poured in 29 points and added 13 rebounds in Game 2 on Tuesday as Cleveland held on for a 94-82 victory. Richard Hamilton led the way with 17 points for the Pistons, who outscored the Cavs 32-17 in the fourth quarter. The Cavs are 4.5-point favorites.

The other Eastern Conference matchup on tap for Friday has Orlando at Philadelphia, with that set tied at a game apiece. The Magic grabbed their first win of the series on Wednesday night, getting 24 points from Courtney Lee in a 96-87 decision. Dwight Howard fouled out with 11 points. Andre Miller led the Sixers with 30 points in the loss, while Andre Iguodala pitched in with 21 points.

Finally, the lone Western game on the Friday schedule has Portland at Houston, with the Trail Blazers coming off a series-tying 107-103 win on Tuesday night. Brandon Roy poured in 42 points in the win for Portland, while LaMarcus Aldridge picked up 27 points and 12 boards. Aaron Brooks had a game-high 23 points for the Rockets, who are listed as 5.5-point favorites for Friday's meeting.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Yankees will head to Fenway Park on Friday for baseball's marquee weekend series against the Red Sox. New York will start righthander Joba Chamberlain in Friday's opener; Chamberlain is still 0-0 after two outings, with a 5.07 ERA. Boston will counter with Jon Lester, with the lefthander coming off seven shutout innings against Baltimore. Lester is 1-2 with a 5.50 ERA this year.

Elsewhere on the American League schedule for Friday: Texas at Baltimore, Minnesota at Cleveland, Detroit at Kansas City, Toronto at the White Sox, Seattle at the Angels, and Tampa Bay at Oakland. The Rays will go with lefthander Scott Kazmir in that contest; Kazmir is 2-1 but has posted a 5.40 ERA in three outings.

Over in the National League on Friday it's Philadelphia at Florida, Atlanta at Cincinnati, Milwaukee at Houston, the Cubs at St. Louis, the Dodgers at Colorado, San Francisco at Arizona, Pittsburgh at San Diego, and Washington at the Mets. The Nationals will go with Scott Olsen (0-2, 9.00 ERA) in that NL East matchup, and he'll contend with New York ace Johan Santana (2-1, 0.46 ERA).

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The Rangers will try to finish off a first-round upset on Friday night when they take on the Capitals in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series. New York took a commanding 3-1 series lead on Wednesday night with a 2-1 win at Madison Square Garden. Paul Mara and Chris Drury provided the goals for the Rangers in that contest, while Henrik Lundqvist made 38 saves. Alexander Ovechkin had the lone Washington tally, and netminder Simeon Varlamov stopped 19 of 21 shots.

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:22 AM

Six-pack for Friday

-- In pro sports, sub-.500 teams shouldn't be allowed in playoffs.

-- A 6-11 high school junior from San Diego will skip senior year in high school to play pro ball in Europe. Wish I was making that up.

-- Rams' coach Steve Spagnuolo got married in the Vatican, in Italy, where the Pope lives. Now that's a serious wedding.

-- Draft guru Gil Brandt says Kansas State QB Freeman will be a top-ten pick in Saturday's draft. Brandt really knows his stuff.

-- Falcons traded a 2010 second round pick to Chiefs for TE Tony Gonzalez, which had to make Atlanta's young QB Ryan smile.

-- It is a pleasure to listen to Mets' radio announcer Howie Rose; he loves the Mets, is very knowledgeable, but he is fair to both sides.

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Late Night Update

-- Anaheim Ducks blanked San Jose 4-0, now lead series 3-1, with series heading north for Game 5. Very ugly series for the Sharks.

-- Also in Anaheim, the Angels had six infield hits, broke open tight game with five-run 7th inning and beat the Tigers, 10-5. They even got a two-run bunt single from Chone Figgins.

-- Lakers went to Utah, lost 88-86 after Deron Williams hit a tough fadeaway jumper from right side of lane with 0:02.2 left to play.

-- Is it me, or is every last-second shot in NBA a fadeaway jumper?

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Friday's List of 13: Our major league baseball List of 13....

13) White Sox-- Rangers always need pitching-- they traded Danks to White Sox for McCarthy, another blunder by pitching-poor Texas.

12) Royals-- Best pitcher in baseball right now is Zack Greinke, who puts his 34-inning scoreless streak on line against Tigers Friday.

11) Padres-- Chris Young has three great starts out of four, they have five hitters batting .302+, including Gonzalez, one of the game's best.

10) Pirates-- 6-3 at home, lefty Maholm is turning into an ace under tutelage of veteran pitching coach Kerrigan, who Bronx Bombers had wasting away as a bullpen coach last couple years.

9) Cubs-- Bullpen is unsettled, but five of their first six hitters have a batting average if .317+. That said, NL Central looks to be lot better.

8) Reds-- Just won two of three in Wrigley, are 7-3 in last ten games. Now return home after their very successful road trip.

7) Florida-- Were 11-1, then got swept three straight by the Pirates. Interesting to see how they do with the Phillies this weekend.

6) Bronx-- Hughes should replace Wang in rotation next week, and good ol' A-Rod should be back soon. What about all the empty seats in the prime locations? Talk about mismanaging a business.......

5) Seattle-- 5-2 on road, 4-2 in 1-run games, surprising 3.5-game lead in AL West. Bedard is healthy now and is looking very strong.

4) Red Sox-- Won last seven games-- I'm not going to be very happy next year if they let Bronx Bombers sign Matt Holliday as free agent.

3) Cardinals-- Pujols is pretty good; they just swept Mets three in a row. Still need a fifth starter to replace injured Carpenter.

2) Blue Jays-- Bullpen is now a concern with closer Ryan hurt, but they're first team since '03 Giants to win first five series of season.

1) Dodgers-- Manny continues to crush the ball; wait until Martin starts hitting. Shaky rotation has been fine so far.

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:23 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Friday, April 24th

Eastern Conference Playoffs - Round One
Game Three
Cleveland Leads, 2-0
Detroit at Cleveland, 7:05 ET

Cleveland:
18-8 ATS playing only their 2nd game in 5 days
12-4 ATS off cover as a DD favorite

Detroit:
0-10 ATS off a division loss
3-12 ATS revenging a road loss
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Eastern Conference Playoffs - Round One
Game Three
Series Tied, 1-1
Orlando at Philadelphia, 8:05 ET

Orlando:
11-5 Over on Friday nights
27-14 ATS in road games

Philadelphia:
6-0 Over if road underdog L2 games
13-6 Over off BB ATS wins
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Western Conference Playoffs - Round One
Game Three
Series Tied, 1-1
Portland at Houston, 9:35 ET

Portland:
21-12 ATS off a home win
26-10 ATS if home favorite last game

Houston:
6-14 ATS if road underdog last game
13-28 ATS off ATS win

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:23 AM

NBA
Write-up

Friday, April 24

First round, NBA playoffs

Cavaliers are 5-1 against Detroit this year- five of six series games this season went under total. Cavs covered seven of eight games. Detroit lost its last five games, is 5-11 in its last 16, 1-7 vs spread in their last eight games as a dog. James was 13-17 from foul line in Game 2; entire Piston squad was 13-16. Pistons shot just 39.5% in Game 2.

Orlando lost four of last six games; they blew 18-point lead in Game 1 loss to 76ers, but had 14 offensive rebounds in Game 2; seven of its last nine games stayed under total. 76ers lost seven of last nine games, seven of their last eight games went over total. Magic is just 11-41 from arc in series, and forced total of only six Philly turnovers in the two games.

Rockets won five of last six games; Portland won six of last seven and 10 of last 12 games. Houston shot 50%+ in both series games, but shot 8% less in Game 2, while Blazers made 51.4% in Game 2, after making only 41.7% in Game 1. Roy had 42 points, 7 rebounds, one assist in Game 2; Houston's job here is to make him give ball up instead of shooting it.

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:24 AM

NBA

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Trend Sheet
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Friday, April 24

7:00 PM
CLEVELAND vs. DETROIT
Cleveland is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Cleveland is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Detroit is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Detroit is 18-5 SU in its last 23 games when playing at home against Cleveland

8:00 PM
ORLANDO vs. PHILADELPHIA
Orlando is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games
Orlando is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
Philadelphia is 5-14 ATS in its last 19 games when playing at home against Orlando
Philadelphia is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Orlando

9:30 PM
PORTLAND vs. HOUSTON
Portland is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Houston
Portland is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing Houston
Houston is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 14 of Houston's last 20 games when playing at home against Portland

Saturday, April 25

1:00 PM
DENVER vs. NEW ORLEANS
Denver is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
Denver is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
New Orleans is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of New Orleans's last 9 games at home

4:00 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. DALLAS
San Antonio is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
San Antonio is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

6:30 PM
ATLANTA vs. MIAMI
Atlanta is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Miami is 11-3-1 ATS in its last 15 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Miami is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Atlanta

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:24 AM

NBA

Friday, April 24

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Pick ‘n’ Roll: NBA best bets
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Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons (+4.5, 178)

The Pistons can’t hang with the Cavaliers. Detroit's players know it, so do the Cavs and everyone who’s watched a minute of this Eastern Conference playoff series.

Former Piston and current Cleveland forward Ben Wallace is warning his teammates not to get overconfident.

“I know that team, [the Pistons] never lacked confidence,” Wallace told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “They always believe they can win, regardless of what the situation is.”

That may have been the case on some of those past Detroit teams that Wallace was a part of, but defeat is on the face of all these Pistons.

LeBron James and Co. have led by double digits at the half in each of the first two games. The Pistons haven’t found a way to slow down James and they won’t have any answers Friday night either.

Look for Cleveland to take the third step towards sweeping the uninterested Pistons.

Pick: Cleveland -4.5

Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets (-5.5, 184.5)

The Rockets aren’t going when Ron Artest takes 20 shots and Yao Ming only gets six. Yao was a perfect 9-of-9 from the field and 6-for-6 at the free throw line in Game 1, but he wasn’t able to duplicate the performance in the second game of the best of seven series. Portland did a much better job denying the All-Star center the ball in Game 2.

Houston returns home after getting a split in Portland, but the club has to feel somewhat disappointed knowing it could be up 2-0.

“They’re a great team,” Rockets guard Aaron Brooks said of the Trail Blazers, “but we came in here and stole one and now it’s time to go home.”

Backup center Dikembe Mutombo won’t be joining his teammates. The 18-year veteran injured his left leg in the first quarter of Game 2 and told reporters afterwards that his career was over.

Mutombo’s contributions will be missed, especially if Yao gets in foul trouble.

The Blazers’ youth will show in the franchise’s first road playoff game since 2003. Expect Houston to get Yao more involved and the club to win by double digits.

Pick: Houston -5.5

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:25 AM

MLB
Write-up

Friday, April 24

Hot Pitchers
-- Vazquez is 1-1, 3.00 in three starts this season.
-- Santana is 2-1, 1.37 in three starts this season.
-- Florida is 3-0 in Johnson starts (2-0, 2.91).
-- Paulino tossed six shutout innings in his first '09 start. Gallardo is 1-0, 1.42 in two road starts this season.
-- Wainwright is 2-0, 3.31 in three starts this season.
|-- Stults is 2-0, 2.61 in two starts this season.
-- Davis has 1.13 RA in his last two starts.
-- Snell is 1-1, 1.38 in his last two starts.

-- White Sox won Floyd's last two starts, scoring 22 runs. Tallet gave up two runs in 5.1 IP in his first '09 start.
-- Greinke is 3-0, 0.00; he has 34-inning scoreless streak. Porcello is 1-1, 3.75 in first two big league starts.
-- 21-year old Cahill is 0-1, 3.12 in his first three big league starts.
-- Bedard is 1-1, 2.33 in three starts this season.

Cold Pitchers
-- Volquez has 6.75 RA in his first three starts.
-- Olsen is 0-2, 9.60 in three starts this season.
-- Myers is 1-1, 5.03 in three starts this season.
-- Dempster has 5.00 RA in three starts this season.
-- Colorado is 0-3 in Cook starts (0-1, 10.22).
-- Lincecum is 0-1, 3.86 in three starts this season.
-- Correia is 0-1, 4.09 in two starts this season.

-- Uehara has 5.29 RA in his first three American starts. Padilla has 9.64 RA in his three starts this season.
-- Carmona is 1-2, 7.88 so far this season. Blackburn is 0-1, 6.11 in three starts this season.
-- Lester is 1-2, 5.50 so far this season. Chamberlain is 0-0, 6.75 in two starts this year.
-- Kazmir has 6.75 RA in his last two starts.
-- Angels lost both Loux starts, scoring total of three runs.

Hot Teams
-- Reds won eight of their last eleven games.
-- Brewers won three of their last four games.
-- Cardinals won five of their last seven games.
-- Dodgers won nine of their last eleven games.
-- Giants won four of last five games, with three shutouts.
-- Pirates won five of their last six games.

-- Red Sox won their last seven games, scoring 55 runs. Bronx won last three games, scoring 21 runs.
-- White Sox are 4-0 in game following their last four losses.
-- Mariners are 9-4 in last thirteen games. Angels are 3-0 in home series openers.

Cold Teams
-- Braves lost five of their last seven road games.
-- Mets lost their last four games, allowing 27 runs. Nationals are 0-6 on the road, outscored 45-26.
-- Marlins lost their last three games, outscored 18-6. Phillies lost five of their last seven games, scoring one run in last two.
-- Astros are 4-6 at home this season.
-- Cubs lost last two games, 3-0/7-1, but won three of last four on road.
-- Rockies lost eight of their last ten games.
-- Arizona is 0-5 in game following a win this season.
-- Padres lost their last three games, scoring seven runs.

-- Orioles lost six of their last eight games. Rangers are 1-5 on the road.
-- Twins lost last four road games, outscored 31-5.
-- Indians lost three of their last four games.
-- Royals lost three of their last four games. Detroit is 0-3 in road series openers.
-- Oakland lost its last four games, scoring total of 12 runs. Rays lost seven of their last nine games.

Totals
-- Five of last seven Atlanta games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Washington road games went over the total.
-- Over is 4-0-1 in Philadelphia road games.
-- Under is 7-3 in Houston home games.
-- Three of Cubs' last four road games went over the total.
-- Seven of last nine Dodger games went over the total.
-- Five of last six Arizona games stayed under the total.
-- Eight of last ten Pittsburgh games stayed under the total.

-- Nine of last eleven Baltimore games went over the total.
-- Over is 11-5 in Cleveland games this season.
-- Nine of last ten Boston games went over the total.
-- Over is 9-4 in last thirteen Toronto games.
-- Three of last four Detroit games went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Tampa Bay road games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 5-1-2 in Angels' last eight home games.

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:26 AM

MLB

Friday, April 24

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Trend Sheet
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7:05 PM
TEXAS vs. BALTIMORE
Texas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas's last 5 games when playing Baltimore
Baltimore is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
Baltimore is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home

7:10 PM
ATLANTA vs. CINCINNATI
Atlanta is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Atlanta's last 10 games on the road
Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Cincinnati's last 14 games when playing at home against Atlanta

7:10 PM
NY YANKEES vs. BOSTON
NY Yankees are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 18 of NY Yankees's last 25 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston's last 9 games

7:10 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. FLORIDA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing Florida
Philadelphia is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Florida is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games
Florida is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

7:10 PM
WASHINGTON vs. NY METS
Washington is 3-15 SU in its last 18 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games
NY Mets are 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of NY Mets's last 8 games when playing Washington

8:00 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. HOUSTON
Milwaukee is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing Houston
Milwaukee is 6-15 SU in its last 21 games on the road
Houston is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing Milwaukee
Houston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Milwaukee

8:05 PM
MINNESOTA vs. CLEVELAND
Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland
Minnesota is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home
Cleveland is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Minnesota

8:10 PM
DETROIT vs. KANSAS CITY
Detroit is 5-14 SU in its last 19 games on the road
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Kansas City is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Kansas City's last 11 games when playing Detroit

8:11 PM
TORONTO vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Toronto is 8-1 SU in their last 9 games when playing Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Toronto's last 12 games when playing Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Chi White Sox's last 9 games at home
Chi White Sox are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto

8:15 PM
CHI CUBS vs. ST. LOUIS
Chi Cubs are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games on the road
Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis's last 7 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs

9:10 PM
LA DODGERS vs. COLORADO
LA Dodgers are 5-10 SU in their last 15 games when playing on the road against Colorado
LA Dodgers are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Colorado is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home

9:40 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. ARIZONA
San Francisco is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco's last 5 games when playing on the road against Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games
Arizona is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Francisco

10:05 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. SAN DIEGO
Pittsburgh is 5-13 SU in its last 18 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games on the road
San Diego is 14-4 SU in its last 18 games when playing Pittsburgh
San Diego is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

10:05 PM
SEATTLE vs. LA ANGELS
Seattle is 4-12 SU in their last 16 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing LA Angels
LA Angels are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games
LA Angels are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games at home

10:05 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. OAKLAND
Tampa Bay is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing Oakland
Oakland is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Oakland's last 13 games

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:27 AM

MLB

Friday, April 24

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Hot lines: Today’s best MLB bets
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Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals (-148, 8.5)

A few seasons back, Zach Greinke was viewed as more of head case than a Cy Young prospect. But after building a 20-16 record and 3.56 ERA over the past two seasons, the Royals young righty is on his way to proving many people wrong.

Greinke is the biggest reason for Kansas City’s steady start to the season. He’s won his first three starts and has yet to give up a single run in 20 innings of work. Going back to the end of 2008, Greinke has held opponents scoreless for 34 innings.

"I just heard about it," Greinke told reporters of his streak. "It kind of blew me away. I think it's almost impossible to do 34 scoreless innings in these days. I would have taken the 20 as a career high."

In his most recent appearance, Greinke shut down the Texas Rangers for just seven hits and struck out 10 batters in a complete-game shutout. That effort won Greinke the American League Player of the Week Award. It has also started some early Cy Young buzz around the 25-year-old hurler.

"A lot of my pitches were working," he said. "My pitches were all complementing each other. Usually I don't have the slow curve working like I did tonight."

Greinke is 3-3 with an ERA just over 4.00 in 10 starts versus the Tigers over the past three years. He pitched seven scoreless innings against Detroit back in September for 5-0 Royals win.

Pick: Under 8.5

Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins (-126, 9)

There was a thud heard around Major League Baseball, resonating out of South Florida this week. It was the Florida Marlins falling to earth.

The Fish were swept in a three-game series by the equally-surprising Pittsburgh Pirates. Florida was outscored 18-6 and hit just .191 BA for the series.

"They played better the whole series, they ran the bases and got key hits when they had to and they pitched real good," Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez told the press. "But I think we'll be fine, we'll get recharged when we get back home (Friday)."

The Marlins send Josh Johnson to the bump versus the Phillies. The right hander is coming off a rough start against Washington Saturday. He gave up six runs on six hits, including a Grand Slam, in six innings. Johnson settled in after the first two innings to salvage a no-decision.

Johnson was 2-0 in three starts against Philadelphia last season, but served up two taters and five earned runs in five innings during a 14-8 slugfest September 19.

Pick: Philadelphia +118

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:28 AM

MLB

Friday, April 24

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MLB weekend cheat sheet
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In this week’s edition of the MLB Cheat Sheet, a guide designed to help you isolate a few key best bets, we focus on the two top series in both leagues this weekend. Keep in mind that all pitcher records are ‘team starts’ unless noted otherwise.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Philadelphia Phillies at Florida Marlins

Most Recent Series Result: Marlins 7-4 last 11 games vs. Phillies

Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Marlins 11-6 last 17 home games vs. Phillies

Key Day/Month Stat: Marlins 6-0 last six Fridays

Best Arm in the Series: Phillies’ Moyer 11-1 2.95 ERA lifetime vs. Marlins, including 6-0 away with 1.59 ERA

Worst Arm in the Series: Phillies’ Myers 1-10 6.04 ERA away lifetime vs. Marlins; Marlins’ Sanchez 0-5, 8.75 ERA lifetime vs. Phillies

Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals

Most Recent Series Result: Cubs 4-1 last five games vs. Cardinals

Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Cubs 12-6 last 18 away games vs. Cardinals

Key Day/Month Stat: Cardinals 30-10 home on weekends

Best Arm in the Series: Cubs’ Lilly 6-1, 3.18 ERA last seven games vs. Cardinals

Worst Arm in the Series: Cubs’ Dempster 0-4, 4.17 ERA last four away vs. Cardinals

AMERICAN LEAGUE

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox

Most Recent Series Result: Yankees 7-4 last 11 games vs. Red Sox

Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Yankees 4-2 last six away games vs. Red Sox

Key Day/Month Stat: Yankees 9-1 away Saturdays

Best Arm in the Series: Yankees’ Burnett 3-0, 0.40 ERA away lifetime vs. Red Sox; Red Sox’ Penny 3-0, 3.12 ERA lifetime vs. Yankees

Worst Arm in the Series: Yankees’ Sabathia 2-7, 5.06 ERA lifetime vs. Red Sox

Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels

Most Recent Series Result: Angels 15-5 last 20 games vs. Mariners

Most Recent Series Result at the Site: Angels 15-5 last 20 home games vs. Mariners

Key Day/Month Stat: Angels 11-1 last 12 home Sundays

Best Arm in the Series: Angels’ Weaver 4-0, 3.57 ERA home lifetime vs. Mariners

Worst Arm in the Series: Mariners’ Bedard 1-5, 6.68 ERA lifetime vs. Angels

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:29 AM

MLB
Baseball Today

SCOREBOARD

Friday, April 24

New York Yankees at Boston (7:10 p.m.). The AL East rivals meet for the first time this season. Joba Chamberlain (0-0, 5.06 ERA) starts for the Yankees against Boston’s Jon Lester (1-2, 5.50) in the opener at Fenway Park.

STARS

Thursday

— Grady Sizemore, Indians, hit a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the eighth inning and Cleveland beat Kansas City 5-2.

— Dave Bush, Brewers, held Philadelphia hitless for 7 1-3 innings in Milwaukee’s 6-1 victory.

— Albert Pujols, Cardinals, homered twice as St. Louis beat the New York Mets 12-8 to complete a three-game sweep.

— Joey Votto, Reds, homered, doubled twice and singled to match a career high for hits in Cincinnati’s 7-1 win over the Chicago Cubs.

— Chad Billingsley, Dodgers, pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning, leading Los Angeles to a 2-0 win over Houston.

— Felix Hernandez, Mariners, allowed four hits over seven innings in Seattle’s 1-0 victory against Tampa Bay.

LEADOFF HOMER

Ichiro Suzuki lined James Shields’ second pitch of the game for a home run, the only run of Seattle’s 1-0 victory over the Rays. It was the 22nd time a leadoff homer was the deciding run in a game, and it was just the second time it happened for the Mariners. Greg Briley’s shot provided the lone run June 19, 1992, against Minnesota.

DANGER ZONE

Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels left the game against the Milwaukee Brewers after being struck in the shoulder by a line drive in the fourth inning. One pitch after giving up a two-run homer to Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder laced an infield single that hit Hamels in the front of his left shoulder. Trainers immediately tended to Hamels, who left the game with what the team called a left shoulder contusion.

TURNAROUND

The Orioles’ Adam Eaton allowed six hits, struck out nine and walked none in 7 1-3 innings of a 6-2 win over the White Sox. The right-hander left with runners at the corners in the eighth, and Jim Thome ruined the shutout bid with a two-out, two-run single off Jim Johnson. Signed in March after being released by Philadelphia, Eaton had an 11.25 ERA in his first two starts with the Orioles and failed to last more than four innings.

SEARCHING STARTER

Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang threw 70 of 91 pitches for strikes over seven innings in an extended spring training game. Wang, who is 0-3 with a 34.50 ERA, was sent to the Yankees’ minor league complex to work on pitching consistency. He allowed five runs—four earned—nine hits and struck out 11 against Phillies minor leaguers. The right-hander has not been told if he will make his next start in the majors or the minors.

BACK TO THE BENCH

After playing one game at far less than full speed, Milton Bradley is back on the Chicago Cubs’ bench, nursing a lingering groin injury. He had only one hit in the season’s first week before sustaining the groin injury April 12 at Milwaukee. After going hitless in two pinch-hitting appearances, he returned to right field Wednesday and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

SIDELINED

The Toronto Blue Jays put closer B.J. Ryan and starter Ricky Romero on the 15-day disabled list. The two left-handers joined four Toronto righties on the DL. Ryan was put on the DL with soreness between his shoulder and back, one day after he blew his second save chance of the season. Romero was put on the DL with a strained muscle in his right side, retroactive to April 20. … The Rangers put reliever Willie Eyre on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained right groin. They recalled Luis Mendoza from the minors to take Eyre’s spot.

HOW SWEEP IT IS

St. Louis beat the Mets 12-8 en route to sweeping New York in a three-game series at home for the first time since Aug. 6-8, 2004.

OFFENSIVE HELP

Cincinnati’s Aaron Harang finally got some run support in a 7-1 victory over the Cubs. The Reds had scored one, two and zero runs in his first three starts

SPEAKING

“A couple of years ago I was stuck in Double-A and I was throwing well, but I was never getting a shot. I thought I’d retire and go into horticulture, which was my major. But my wife said, `No, stick with it. I feel that this is going to be your year.’ I got to Triple-A and did very well. The big leagues came after that, and everything just kind of rolled from there.”—Angels starter Matt Palmer after he got his first big league victory, a 10-5 win over Detroit.

SEASONS

April 24

1901—Chicago defeated Cleveland 8-2 in the first American League game. Three other scheduled games were rained out. The game lasted 1 hour, 30 minutes in front of a reported crowd of 14,000 at the Chicago Cricket Club.

1911—Battle Creek of the South Michigan League turned two triple plays in the first two innings against Grand Rapids.

1917—George Mogridge of the New York Yankees pitched a no-hitter against the Red Sox in Boston, winning 2-1.

1931—Chicago’s Rogers Hornsby hit three consecutive homers to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-6 at Forbes Field.

1958—Lee Walls hit three homers and drove in eight runs as the Chicago Cubs routed the Los Angeles Dodgers 15-2 at the Coliseum.

1962—Sandy Koufax struck out 18 Chicago Cubs and pitched the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 10-2 victory at Wrigley Field.

1965—Casey Stengel recorded his 3,000th victory as a manager as the Mets beat the San Francisco Giants 7-6.

1996—Greg Myers and Paul Molitor each had five RBIs as the Minnesota Twins set a team record for runs and routed the Detroit Tigers 24-11. It was the highest run total against the Tigers in 84 years, matching the mark set in a 24-2 loss to the Philadelphia Athletics on May 18, 1912.

2007—Oakland set a major league record in a 4-2 win over Baltimore, keeping the Orioles off the scoreboard in the first inning. It was the 20th straight game in which the A’s did not allow a first-inning run, a record for the start of the season.

Today’s birthdays: Carlos Beltran 32; Chipper Jones 37; Omar Vizquel 42.

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:30 AM

NHL
Short Sheet

Friday, April 24th

Eastern Conference Playoffs - 1st Round
Game Five
NY Rangers lead, 3-1
NY Rangers at Washington, 7:05 ET

NY Rangers:
5-0 SU AWAY in the first round of the playoffs
12-3 SU when leading in a playoff series

Washington:
5-13 SU at home in the first round of the playoffs
2-7 SU as a # 2 seed in the playoffs

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:31 AM

NHL
Write-up

Friday, April 24

NHL Playoffs

Washington outshot New York 149-99 in first four series games, but are down 3-1, face elimination here. Rangers are 0-14 on power play in last three games (22:37), but they've won six of last seven games. Caps lost four of last five games against the Rangers-- Washington had won six of seven home tilts against Rangers before losing Games 1-2 in this series.

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**pm530** · 04-24-2009, 05:31 AM

NHL

Friday, April 24

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Trend Sheet
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7:00 PM
NY RANGERS vs. WASHINGTON
NY Rangers are 6-15 SU in their last 21 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of the NY Rangers last 10 games on the road
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 8 games at home

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Announcement

Friday Trends and Indexes 4/24 (NBA, MLB, NHL, Misc.)

Friday Trends and Indexes 4/24 (NBA, MLB, NHL, Misc.)

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