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**pm530** · 05-26-2009, 12:23 PM

Daily Sports Roundup

Tuesday, May 26

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Penguins try to close out the Canes, while the Cavaliers will try to avoid sinking into a deeper hole against the Magic.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The Magic can go up 3-1 on the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night if they can pick up a second straight home win over LeBron James and company. Orlando got 24 points and nine rebounds from Dwight Howard on Sunday as they surged to a 99-89 win over Cleveland in Game 3. James had 41 points in the loss for the Cavaliers, but went just 11-of-28 from the field. Orlando was favored by 1.5 points Sunday, and they're a slim favorite again for Tuesday.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

Coming off a rare non-win, Royals starter Zack Greinke will return to the mound at home on Tuesday night as his team hosts the Tigers. Greinke took a no-decision against the Indians last time out despite surrendering just two earned runs over six innings of work. The righthander is now 7-1 with an 0.82 ERA on the season, and he picked up a complete-game win over the Tigers back in April. Detroit counters Greinke with Edwin Jackson, who is 4-2 with a 2.55 ERA in 2009.

Also on tap in the American League on Tuesday: Toronto at Baltimore, Tampa Bay at Cleveland, the Yankees at Texas, Boston at Minnesota, Seattle at Oakland, and the White Sox at the Angels. Projected Los Angeles starter Joe Saunders is 6-2 with a 3.17 ERA, and he tossed seven scoreless innings vs. the Mariners last time out. Chicago's Bartolo Colon (2-4, 4.23 ERA) is his opponent.

Making up the National League's full slate for Tuesday: Florida at Philadelphia, Washington at the Mets, Houston at Cincinnati, Pittsburgh at the Cubs, St. Louis at Milwaukee, the Dodgers at Colorado, San Diego at Arizona, and Atlanta at San Francisco. The Giants will turn to ace Tim Lincecum for Tuesday night's contest; the righthander is 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA this season, but he's on a streak of three straight no-decisions. Atlanta will go with Kris Medlen (0-1, 15.00 ERA).

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The Penguins can sweep their way into the Stanley Cup final on Tuesday night when they take on the Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final in Carolina. Pittsburgh rolled over the Canes 6-2 on the road in Game 3 on Saturday night, with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin combining for three goals and two assists. The oddsmakers like the Penguins' chances of finishing off this series on Tuesday, as they've been pegged as -130 road faves (with total at 5.5).

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**pm530** · 05-26-2009, 12:24 PM

Six-pack for Tuesday

Six teams that spent the least in bonus money after last year's free agent baseball draft........

T25) Washington Nationals, $4.4M

T25) Los Angeles Dodgers, $4.4M

27) Colorado Rockies, $4.2M

28) Detroit Tigers, $3.7M

29) Los Angeles Angels, $2.7M

30) Seattle Mariners, $2.5M

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Tuesday's List of 13: Wrapping up a memorable Memorial Day

13) Padres came off a 9-0 homestand but had lost eleven road games in a row; they trailed 7-1 in 8th inning, then rallied to win 9-7 in 10 innings at Arizona, another demoralizing day for the Diamondbacks.

12) Tampa Bay led 10-0 at Cleveland and lost 11-10, with Indians scoring seven runs in the bottom of the ninth. Prize rookie Price had his second major league start, walking five, striking out six in 3.2 IP. He was removed after throwing 95 pitches.

11) More bad news for Rays is that 2B Iwamura is out for year with a torn ACL-- he was hitting .310, so thats a big blow for Tampa.

10) Russell Martin stole second for Dodgers when they led 7-0, and you're thinking, whats he doing? Then Colorado cuts lead to 7-6 and you realize that all is fair at Coors Field. LA wound up pulling away for a 16-6 win, as they improved to 10-7 without Manny Ramirez.

9) All in all, seven teams scored double figure runs on Monday.

8) Then there was Milwaukee, where Carpenter was perfect for six innings, but Cardinals still lost 1-0 in 10 innings at Miller Park.

7) Boston-Minnesota game was first major league game in 12 days with no walks by either side-- there were 18 strikeouts, as Red Sox shredded Liriano for 11 hits in four innings in their 6-5 win.

6) Astros-Reds game was first big league game in nine days where both starting pitchers gave up 10+ hits; oddly, the last one was the southpaw matchup between Santana and Randy Johnson May 16.

5) Freddy Sanchez had six hits in Pirates 10-8 win at Wrigley; he is first Pirate since Wally Backman in 1990 to get six hits in a game.

4) White Sox had 16 hits Monday at Anaheim....in first four innings.

3) Hard to believe teams that led 10-2 and 7-1 in 8th inning both got beat Monday, but they did.

2) Right now, Jason Bohn is 125th on the PGA Tour money list with $284,935 in earnings this year-- 37 golfers have earned $1M+ in '09.

1) Nuggets had 20 offensive rebounds, were +18 on boards in their Game 4 win over Lakers, evening series 2-2. If you like watching a bunch of guys shooting foul shots, the NBA is for you-- 84 charity tosses were attempted, 49 by Denver, 35 by the Lakers. Terrific.

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**pm530** · 05-26-2009, 12:25 PM

Len’s Top Five

Tuesday, May 26

Len's Top 5

Happy Tuesday everyone, hope you all had a great holiday. Here's my Top 5 for May 26, 2009 from Len Berman Sports.

1. Quick Hits

Nuggets even series with Lakers at 2 games apiece after 120-101 winin Denver.

At the NASCAR race in North Carolina a wonderful scene. The race came to a halt at 3pm for a moment of silence on Memorial Day.

At French Open, Maria Sharapova ranked 102nd in the world returns from shoulder surgery after 9 month absence. Wins first round match.

Syracuse beats Cornell in overtime to win their 2nd straight national lacrosse title. Now all we need at Syracuse is a football team.

Mr. T leads singing of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Wrigley Field yesterday. His version: "For it's one, two, three strikes you out at da old ball game."

2. Mystique and Aura

Yankee Stadium was a special place. The history, the monuments, that roar of the crowd that was distinctly New York. "Was" is the operative word. The new Stadium is an overpriced band-box with home runs
routinely flying out, even on a broken bat. (Mark Teixeira Sunday) As a Top 5 subscriber wrote last week, some day you won't see kids at the ballpark. It's too expensive. Here's the ultimate insult. Over the weekend there were tons of Phillies fans on hand. All those empty seats make it easy to get tickets. So forget about a real "home field
edge." As Curt Schilling famously sniped about the old Stadium, "mystique and aura are dancers at a nightclub." It's now true more than ever.

3. Dogfight

It's a raging debate. Now that quarterback Michael Vick is out of prison should he be allowed to resume his football career? What kind of role model would he be? My response is simple. He did the crime, he paid his time. He's perfectly free to get on with his life any way that he chooses.

4. The Customer always Comes First

Thanks to reader J.C. for alerting us to golfer D.A. Points. He finished a career best third at the Byron Nelson Sunday. After his birdie on 18 he yelled to the crowd "thanks for coming, thanks for supporting us." Compare that with the Yankees who drive right into the Stadium so they won't have to come face to face with the riff-raff.

5. That Elusive Ace

Did you just golf your way through another holiday weekend without your first hole in one? Just like me? We still have plenty of chances left. Dean Gorman scored an ace recently in Lexington Kentucky. His eyesight ain't what it used to be. In fact he can't see what happens when the ball reaches the green. But he heard the shouts from the guys on the next tee. Dean Gorman is 97 years old. He was asked if this was a big thrill? He said. "At my age, getting out of bed each day is a pretty good thrill."

Today's Birthday: Sportscaster Brent Musburger. 70.
Bonus Birthday: Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. 61.

Today in Sports: Pittsburgh's Harvey Haddix pitches a perfect game for 12 innings and loses in the 13th to the Milwaukee Braves. 1959.
Today in Spanning the World: Carlos Martinez of Cleveland hits a fly ball to right. It hits Jose Canseco on his head and bounces over the fence for a home run. 1992.
Bonus Event: May the force be with you. The debut of Star Wars. 1977.

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**pm530** · 05-26-2009, 12:27 PM

NBA
Dunkel Index

Cleveland at Orlando
The Cavs look to even up the series and build on their 8-0 ATS record in their last 8 playoff games as a favorite between 1 and 4 1/2 points. Cleveland is the pick (-1) according to Dunkel, which has the Cavaliers favored by 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-1). Here are all of today's playoff picks.

TUESDAY, MAY 26

Time Posted: 8:00 a.m. EST
Game 515-516: Cleveland at Orlando
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland 129.936; Orlando 125.483
Dunkel Line & Total: Cleveland by 4 1/2; 183
Vegas Line & Total: Cleveland by 1; 188
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-1); Under

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NBA
Long Sheet

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Tuesday, May 26
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CLEVELAND (75 - 18) at ORLANDO (69 - 29) - 5/26/2009, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 59-39 ATS (+16.1 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 42-33 ATS (+5.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
ORLANDO is 54-38 ATS (+12.2 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 30-17 ATS (+11.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ORLANDO is 30-13 ATS (+15.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
CLEVELAND is 56-36 ATS (+16.4 Units) in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 42-27 ATS (+12.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 12-1 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 9-4 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
8 of 13 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Short Sheet

Tuesday, May 26th

Eastern Conference Finals
Game Four
Orlando Leads, 2-1
Cleveland at Orlando, 8:35 ET

Cleveland:
13-1 ATS off a road loss
14-3 ATS after 1+ consecutive losses

Orlando:
11-2 UNDER off 4+ consecutive ATS wins
31-15 Under as home favorite

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NBA
Write-up

Tuesday, May 26

NBA playoffs

Does Magic have Lebron's number? In only Cleveland win this series, James was still -7 (Cavs were +8 in 5:28 he was off floor). Orlando was down 16 in Game 1, rallied to win by a point; they were down 23 in Game 2, lost by one, then throttled Cleveland by 10 in Game 3, holding Cavs to 37% from floor. Magic got to foul line 51 times in Game 3, as FTs increase as series go on, which is typical. Orlando is 5-2 at home in playoffs, with two losses by combined total of three points.

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NBA

Tuesday, May 26

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Trend Report
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8:30 PM
CLEVELAND vs. ORLANDO
Cleveland is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Orlando
Cleveland is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Orlando
Orlando is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games

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NBA

Tuesday, May 26

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Tips and Trends
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Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic [TNT | 8:35 PM ET]

Cavaliers (-1.5, O/U 187.5): "They deserve respect," Mo Williams said. "They are a good team. But we are the best team in basketball. I don't feel that they've had to adjust to us one time in the series." LeBron James is averaging 41.7 points in the series, but Williams (32.1%), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (38.2%) and Delonte West (41.9%) are not shooting up to their standards. "It's going to be tough," James said. "I know they can play a lot better. They know they can play a lot better. I don't want to put pressure on those guys. They've just got to come out and do it. We just got to knock shots down."

The Cavaliers are 10-2-1 ATS in their last 13 games as a favorite.
The Cavaliers are 3-13 ATS in the last 16 meetings.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 97 (Side Play of the Day)

Magic: The Magic brushed off Mo Williams' boast that the Cavs would win the series. "We just got to go out there and play," Dwight Howard said. "We can't worry about what other guys are saying. It's disrespectful when everybody's counting us and Denver out trying to win a championship," said Howard, who made the Cavs pay for fouling him by making 14 of 19 free throws in Game 3. "It's like, forget the Magic, forget Denver. They want to see LeBron and Kobe go at it. So that is disrespectful. The only way you get respect is by going out there and taking it. My mind-set is making people respect us."

The Under is 11-2 in the Magic's last 13 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
The Magic are 20-7-1 ATS in their last 28 games as a home underdog of 4.5 or less.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 91

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NBA

Tuesday, May 26

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Pick ‘n’ Roll: NBA best bets
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Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic (+1, 188)

Tinted sunglasses concealing the cuts and bandages framing his puffy left eye, struggling Cleveland guard Mo Williams plopped down on a table inside a ritzy hotel ballroom on Monday and quickly proclaimed the Cavaliers were not in any trouble.

Far from it."We're the best team in basketball," he said.

Really? The Cavaliers, winners of 66 regular-season games and their first eight straight in the playoffs, certainly haven't looked superior to the Orlando Magic.

They can't stop Dwight Howard inside. They can't contain Orlando's squadron of outside shooters. They are missing easy, open shots. They're not giving LeBron James enough support, and they trail 2-1 in the Eastern Conference finals.

Williams remains confident.

"They deserve respect," he said. "They are a good team. But we are the best team in basketball. I don't feel that they've had to adjust to us one time in the series."

So, Mo. You're sure the Cavaliers will win Game 4 on Tuesday night and rally to win the best-of-seven series. Willing to guarantee it?

"Guarantee we're going to win the series? Yeah, yeah," he said. "We are down 2-1. But there is nobody on this team and definitely not myself that says we are not going to win this series. Yeah, it is going to be tough. We know that. We get this game tomorrow, go home, still got home-court advantage.

"We don't see ourselves losing two out of three at home."

The Magic brushed off Williams' boast.

"We just got to go out there and play," Howard said. "We can't worry about what other guys are saying."

James didn't flinch when told Williams had guaranteed the Cavaliers would advance.

"He should. There's no other reason why we should be here," he said.

Orlando, relishing the underdog role in its first conference finals appearance since 1995, won 99-89 on Sunday night in a disjointed Game 3 that included personal fouls, technicals and a flagrant on Magic reserve guard Anthony Johnson for his elbow to Williams' face in the second quarter.

The blow opened cuts above and below Williams' eye, and Cleveland's point guard said he was still feeling a little woozy from an unexpected shot he felt was intentional.

"My head's still ringing," said Williams, who refused to take off his shades to show the wounds. "The game of basketball is not played with throwing punches, throwing elbows."

Johnson refused to get drawn into a verbal war with Williams, who was called for a block on the play that bloodied him.

"I was trying to get to the rim and make a play and I drew a foul," Johnson said. "Elbows are a part of the game - good and bad. Sometimes it turns out in a bad manner as last night. Elbows are a part of the game, as it is in hockey, as it is in other sports."

Never one to miss a chance to state his case, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy defended Johnson and challenged the Cavaliers' contention that it was a cheap shot.

"They can say whatever they want," he said. "It's one of the few times you'll see a guy with the ball in his hands driving to shoot getting a flagrant foul. I'm not saying he deserved it or didn't deserve it, it's just a rare play. It's usually the guy on defense making it. There's a lot of things go on we can complain about and they can complain about.

"I was upset at the number of times that they flopped last night. I mean, Ben Wallace and Mo Williams fell down more times than a baby learning to walk."

James was asked if the Cavaliers would retaliate.

"For what?" he said. "We're just trying to get wins."

James has been doing his part. His teammates have not.

The league's MVP is averaging 41.7 points in the series. But there have been extended periods when it's LeBron and only LeBron vs. the Magic. The Cavs, so together on and off the court all season, have become a one-man show at the worst time possible.

Williams (32.1 percent), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (38.2) and Delonte West (41.9) are not shooting up to their standards, and James had his first "off" night in Game 3 (11 of 28), but he scored 41 and had the Cavaliers within five points in the final minute.

James understands he can't win a championship by himself.

"It's going to be tough," he said. "I know they can play a lot better. They know they can play a lot better. I don't want to put pressure on those guys. They've just got to come out and do it. We just got to knock shots down."

The Magic feel as though they haven't gotten their proper due all season. While a potential James-Kobe Bryant showdown in the NBA finals has been fueled by popular TV commercials featuring puppets of the superstars, Orlando's players have been wondering: Hey, what about us?

"It's disrespectful when everybody's counting us and Denver out trying to win a championship," said Howard, who made the Cavs pay for fouling him by making 14 of 19 free throws in Game 3. "It's like, forget the Magic, forget Denver. They want to see LeBron and Kobe go at it. So that is disrespectful. The only way you get respect is by going out there and taking it."My mind-set is making people respect us."

James is locked in on ending Cleveland's 45-year title drought. A loss in Game 4 would place the greatest season in Cavaliers' history on the brink of collapse.

"I think we're fine. I'm fine," he said. "I'm excited about Game 4, and as long as I stay upbeat we have a chance - of course. I'm confident and I'll make sure the rest of the guys are confident."

Pick: Cleveland

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NBA

Monday, May 25

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Game of the Day: Cavaliers at Magic
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Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic (+1, 188)

The series

Hard to believe oddsmakers have so little faith in Orlando, which has covered in each game of this series. But when the Magic had back-to-back home games in the first two rounds, they weren’t able to sweep both against either the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers. Ninety points is clearly the magic number for this team, no pun intended, as Orlando is 8-0 this postseason when holding the opposition to 90 or fewer points.

Orlando got off to a good start in Game 3 and built its lead in the fourth quarter. In the first two games of the series, the Magic had been outscored 63-35 in the first quarter by the Cavaliers. In Game 3, Orlando led 24-17 after the first 12 minutes.

Orlando has won 10 of its past 14 meetings with Cleveland and six of the past seven at home. The Cavs haven’t lost four games in a row against the spread since mid-March (and they won all those straight up).

Let’s get physical

It will be interesting to see if the referees take control of Tuesday’s game early in the wake of the Game 3 foul-fest. Fifty-eight personal fouls were called and Cleveland’s Mo Williams had his eye bashed in by an Anthony Johnson elbow.

Both Williams and James called it a cheap shot, although an original Flagrant 2 foul call was downgraded to a Flagrant 1 and Johnson stayed in the game.

"You see Mo's face and it's not a pretty sight. It's not called for in this game," James said.

Dwight Howard also got a technical in Game 3, and two more means an automatic suspension for the following game.

Howard played just 28 minutes in Game 3 because of fouls, but he made the Cavs pay for all the fouls on him, hitting 14-for-19 from the line. His free-throw shooting percentage is 10 points higher in this series than it was in the regular season, although he had just 10 total attempts in the first two games in Cleveland.

The Cleveland media is calling the strategy “Slap a Superman” and both Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao fouled out in Game 3 while hacking Howard.

“That was a great strategy until he started making them," Williams said to reporters. "If he's clanging them off the backboard it'll work to perfection. Unfortunately for us and fortunately for them, he made them."

One-man show

James has been stellar in this series, averaging 41.7 points per game. Problem is, that’s about 43 percent of his team’s total output. Guards Williams and Delonte West are shooting a combined 28 percent in the series, yet Cleveland coach Mike Brown has pretty much kept Daniel Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak - two guys who can get hot from outside - tied to the bench.

Williams is shooting just 32.1 percent from the field in this series and 25 percent from 3-point range. Those numbers in the regular season were 46.7 percent and 43.6 percent, respectively. Pretty much all his numbers are down this postseason.

"If I do make a shot, I can hear Stan (Van Gundy) screaming at them, 'Get up closer, get up closer' so they're trying to make an effort to not give me open looks," Williams said to reporters.

No Cavalier managed more than 15 points in Game 3 outside of James, and the bench had just eight total. That simply won’t get it done. The Cavs’ perceived edge in this series was definitely in the backcourt, but West (13-for-31 in the series) and Williams (18-for-55) are being outplayed.

That’s in large part to Orlando’s big swingmen like Rashard Lewis (6-foot-10), Mickael Pietrus (6-6) and Hedo Turkoglu (6-10) closing fast on defense. And really it’s those three guys who are giving the Cavs the most problems on offense and defense.

"They create a lot of matchup problems," James said. "The way Rashard spaces the floor, our bigs are not used to it.

It's also like the Cavs have forgotten who they are, as they have attempted 73 3-pointers in this series (making just 18), which is 10 more attempts than the Magic, who led the NBA in 3s during the regular season.

“They have to keep shooting,” Brown said.

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**pm530** · 05-26-2009, 12:28 PM

NHL
Dunkel Index

Pittsburgh at Carolina
The Penguins look to close out the series and build on their 18-5 record in their last 23 playoff games as a favorite. Pittsburgh is the pick (-130) according to Dunkel, which has the Penguins favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-130). Here are all of today's playoff picks.

TUESDAY, MAY 26

Game 15-16: Pittsburgh at Carolina
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh 13.987; Carolina 12.774
Dunkel Line & Total: Pittsburgh by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Pittsburgh (-130); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-130); Over

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NHL
Long Sheet

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Tuesday, May 26
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PITTSBURGH (56-32-0-10, 122 pts.) at CAROLINA (53-38-0-8, 114 pts.) - 5/26/2009, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CAROLINA is 53-46 ATS (-1.1 Units) in all games this season.
CAROLINA is 35-26 ATS (-2.3 Units) second half of the season this season.
CAROLINA is 11-6 ATS (+17.7 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.
CAROLINA is 48-35 ATS (+83.8 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
CAROLINA is 26-24 ATS (-1.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CAROLINA is 19-14 ATS (+35.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 117-83 ATS (+14.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 78-47 ATS (+17.7 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 20-9 ATS (+9.0 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 29-11 ATS (+15.4 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 64-50 ATS (+12.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 26-13 ATS (+10.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 8-7 (+0.3 Units) against the spread versus CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 8-7-0 straight up against CAROLINA over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+3.7 Units)

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NHL
Short Sheet

Tuesday, May 26th

Eastern Conference Finals
Game Four
Pittsburgh Leads, 3-0
Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:35 ET

Pittsburgh:
10-4 SU AWAY after scoring 3+ in 3 straight games
20-9 SU on Tuesday nights

Carolina:
2-8 SU at home revenging a loss by 2+ goals
4-11 SU after allowing 5+ goals

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NHL
Write-up

Tuesday, May 26

NHL Playoffs

Penguins scored 2-2-3 goals in first period in this series, which they can end with road win here; Pittsburgh scored 13 goals on 82 shots last two games, scored two power play goals in 4:51 with man edge in Game 3. Carolina needs win here to avoid sweep and send series back to Igloo in western PA. Hurricanes are 0-6 on power play last two games. Six of the last seven Pittsburgh games went over the total- they scored 22 goals in last four games. Penguin win here nets them rest before Finals.

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NHL

Tuesday, May 26

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Trend Report
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7:30 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. CAROLINA
Pittsburgh is 4-9-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Carolina
Pittsburgh is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Carolina
Carolina is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
Carolina is 16-4 SU in its last 20 games at home

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NHL

Tuesday, May 26

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Ice Picks: NHL best bets
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Pittsburgh Penguins at Carolina Hurricanes (+110, 5.5)

The Hurricanes find themselves trailing the Penguins 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals after suffering a 6-2 loss in Game 3 Saturday night. Although only two teams in Stanley Cup history have managed to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series, the Penguins aren’t discounting Carolina.

“The task at hand is clear,” Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma told reporters on Sunday. “We know the series is 3-0. We know this team is not going to quit. We know that’s their trademark. We know they’re going to keep coming at us. They’ve proven that in the games that ended up with lots of goals on the board. They’ve been fighting right to the end.”

The Hurricanes were basically their own worst enemy Saturday committing a costly turnover at the end of the first period which led to a Sidney Crosby goal and then allowing Evgeni Malkin to score 30 seconds later. The game went from being tied 1-1 to a 3-1 Pittsburgh lead and took the wind out of Carolina’s sail.

“We’re seeing a little different offensive machine here,” Carolina head coach Paul Maurice said. “I’m sure you go back to all those games and you think of the overtime game against New Jersey where they came out and had three or four great chances, and down we went and scored to win the game.

“With the shooters [the Penguins] have, that game may be over [before Carolina scores].”

Carolina has been outscored 16-8 in the first three games. Malkin and Crosby have combined for eight of Pittsburgh’s goals whereas Eric Staal and Ray Whitney have yet to put the puck in the net so far in this series. It feels like the Canes exhausted all their energy in their previous two series and are now running on empty.

“We’ve never been in this spot before, but if I was to pick a team to be in this spot to try and come back, this would be the one,” Staal said. “We’ve done it all year. We’ve done it in the playoffs. We’re going to take it one game at a time. We’re going to work our tails off, because that’s what we do, and we’re going to go from there.”

Expect the Canes to give a strong performance in what might be their last game in front of a home crowd this season.

Pick: Hurricanes

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**pm530** · 05-26-2009, 12:30 PM

MLB
Dunkel Index

NY Yankees at Texas
The Rangers look to bounce back from yesterday's 11-1 beating and build on their 7-1 record in Kevin Millwood's last 8 starts when their opponent allows 2 runs or less in the previous game. Texas is the pick (+105) according to Dunkel, which has the Rangers favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Texas (+105). Here are all of today's picks.

TUESDAY, MAY 26

Game 901-902: Florida at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Miller) 15.795; Philadelphia (Blanton) 14.813
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-150); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+140); Under

Game 903-904: Houston at Cincinnati
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Oswalt) 15.682; Cincinnati (Owings) 14.398
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Houston (-130); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (-130); Over

Game 905-906: Washington at NY Mets
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Stammen) 15.069; NY Mets (Hernandez) 14.511
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-145); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+135); Over

Game 907-908: Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Snell) 13.287; Cubs (Marshall) 14.527
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-150); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-150); N/A

Game 909-910: St. Louis at Milwaukee
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Wainwright) 15.086; Milwaukee (Suppan) 16.221
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (+110); Under

Game 911-912: LA Dodgers at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Milton) 15.216; Colorado (Cook) 15.864
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Colorado (-160); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-160); Under

Game 913-914: San Diego at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Correia) 14.668; Arizona (Scherzer) 15.594
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 11 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-150); Over

Game 915-916: Atlanta at San Francisco
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Medlen) 15.376; San Francisco (Lincecum) 14.604
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-170); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+160); Over

Game 917-918: Tampa Bay at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Garza) 15.451; Cleveland (Pavano) 16.479
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-140); 9
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+130); Under

Game 919-920: Toronto at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Romero) 14.485; Baltimore (Berken) 13.175
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-125); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-125); Under

Game 921-922: NY Yankees at Texas
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Chamberlain) 16.168; Texas (Millwood) 17.062
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-115); 10
Dunkel Pick: Texas (+105); Over

Game 923-924: Boston at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Lester) 17.592; Minnesota (Blackburn) 16.367
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-115); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-115); Over

Game 925-926: Detroit at Kansas City
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Jackson) 14.639; Kansas City (Greinke) 15.192
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-165); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-165); Under

Game 927-928: Chicago White Sox at LA Angels
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Colon) 15.202; LA Angels (Saunders) 16.623
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-205); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-205); Over

Game 929-930: Seattle at Oakland
Dunkel Ratings: Seattle (Washburn) 15.019; Oakland (Braden) 14.719
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-140); 8
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+130); Under

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MLB
Long Sheet

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Tuesday, May 26
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FLORIDA (21 - 25) at PHILADELPHIA (24 - 19) - 7:05 PM
ANDREW MILLER (L) vs. JOE BLANTON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
FLORIDA is 7-17 (-11.6 Units) against the money line in May games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 127-92 (+13.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 43-20 (+19.0 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 10 to 10.5 over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 91-62 (+14.3 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 104-100 (+15.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 10-3 (+8.9 Units) against the money line in road games after a win this season.
FLORIDA is 47-45 (+13.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 105-102 (+14.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 51-52 (+12.0 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 83-77 (+28.2 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Tuesday since 1997.
FLORIDA is 9-1 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 8-13 (-9.8 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 23-25 (-15.6 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 8-13 (-9.8 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 3-1 (+2.4 Units) against FLORIDA this season
3 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.0 Units)

ANDREW MILLER vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
MILLER is 0-1 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.222.
His team's record is 1-2 (-0.6 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

JOE BLANTON vs. FLORIDA since 1997
BLANTON is 2-0 when starting against FLORIDA with an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.400.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

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HOUSTON (18 - 25) at CINCINNATI (24 - 20) - 7:10 PM
ROY OSWALT (R) vs. MICAH OWINGS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 171-191 (-48.2 Units) against the money line in May games since 1997.
OSWALT is 17-26 (-19.1 Units) against the money line in May games since 1997. (Team's Record)
CINCINNATI is 19-7 (+11.8 Units) against the money line in home games in May games over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 102-99 (+13.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 104-100 (+15.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 18-12 (+10.9 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 222-258 (-67.3 Units) against the money line in home games after a win since 1997.
CINCINNATI is 70-94 (-32.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 39-51 (-24.9 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CINCINNATI is 5-3 (+2.3 Units) against HOUSTON this season
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+3.8 Units)

ROY OSWALT vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
OSWALT is 22-1 when starting against CINCINNATI with an ERA of 2.42 and a WHIP of 1.102.
His team's record is 23-5 (+13.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 12-14. (-3.1 units)

MICAH OWINGS vs. HOUSTON since 1997
OWINGS is 1-0 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 1.00 and a WHIP of 1.111.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

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WASHINGTON (13 - 31) at NY METS (24 - 20) - 7:10 PM
CRAIG STAMMEN (R) vs. LIVAN HERNANDEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 42-90 (-37.9 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 29-71 (-32.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 13-31 (-16.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 8-24 (-13.4 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +150 over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 31-71 (-22.6 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 5-20 (-13.2 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
WASHINGTON is 13-31 (-16.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
WASHINGTON is 9-22 (-12.3 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
WASHINGTON is 9-24 (-14.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
HERNANDEZ is 23-16 (+12.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HERNANDEZ is 14-6 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HERNANDEZ is 19-11 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HERNANDEZ is 17-7 (+14.0 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WASHINGTON is 97-92 (+35.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 55-51 (-24.0 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 40-49 (-24.3 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 21-24 (-16.3 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 41-43 (-28.5 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY METS is 3-1 (+1.4 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+3.0 Units)

CRAIG STAMMEN vs. NY METS since 1997
No recent starts.

LIVAN HERNANDEZ vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
HERNANDEZ is 8-5 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 4.28 and a WHIP of 1.246.
His team's record is 9-5 (+3.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-9. (-4.9 units)

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PITTSBURGH (21 - 24) at CHICAGO CUBS (21 - 22) - 8:05 PM
IAN SNELL (R) vs. SEAN MARSHALL (L)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 22-6 (+12.1 Units) against the money line in home games in May games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 485-461 (-102.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 978-1031 (-191.7 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 525-478 (-110.5 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 134-163 (-55.7 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 243-216 (-59.8 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 921-947 (-169.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 723-762 (-132.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters since 1997.
MARSHALL is 2-11 (-9.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MARSHALL is 3-11 (-11.2 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
MARSHALL is 2-11 (-9.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 1-0 (+1.3 Units) against CHICAGO CUBS this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

IAN SNELL vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
SNELL is 1-5 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 6.70 and a WHIP of 1.611.
His team's record is 2-7 (-4.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-4. (-0.6 units)

SEAN MARSHALL vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
MARSHALL is 1-0 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 5.51 and a WHIP of 1.225.
His team's record is 2-1 (+0.6 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.1 units)

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ST LOUIS (26 - 19) at MILWAUKEE (27 - 18) - 8:05 PM
ADAM WAINWRIGHT (R) vs. JEFF SUPPAN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 37-19 (+16.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 18-8 (+9.8 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
MILWAUKEE is 27-15 (+12.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
MILWAUKEE is 15-3 (+12.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MILWAUKEE is 27-18 (+9.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SUPPAN is 26-10 (+18.1 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
SUPPAN is 17-8 (+9.7 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 112-95 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 76-61 (+13.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 112-95 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WAINWRIGHT is 21-8 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WAINWRIGHT is 15-4 (+9.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WAINWRIGHT is 21-8 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WAINWRIGHT is 17-2 (+14.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
MILWAUKEE is 4-0 (+4.5 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.1 Units)

ADAM WAINWRIGHT vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
WAINWRIGHT is 2-3 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 3.09 and a WHIP of 1.093.
His team's record is 4-3 (+0.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-3. (-0.3 units)

JEFF SUPPAN vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
SUPPAN is 7-2 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 2.92 and a WHIP of 1.272.
His team's record is 9-3 (+7.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-9. (-6.6 units)

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LA DODGERS (31 - 15) at COLORADO (18 - 26) - 8:40 PM
ERIC MILTON (L) vs. AARON COOK (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA DODGERS are 145-164 (-53.2 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday since 1997.
COLORADO is 96-87 (+23.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 31-15 (+13.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
LA DODGERS are 31-15 (+13.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA DODGERS are 21-8 (+12.2 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
MILTON is 71-62 (+28.5 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997. (Team's Record)
MILTON is 19-9 (+17.6 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 10 to 10.5 since 1997. (Team's Record)
MILTON is 33-20 (+20.3 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents since 1997. (Team's Record)
MILTON is 90-80 (+23.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
MILTON is 34-26 (+17.7 Units) against the money line in road games after a win since 1997. (Team's Record)
COLORADO is 19-33 (-15.5 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 39-56 (-20.8 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 91-115 (-30.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 91-115 (-30.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 6-1 (+5.6 Units) against COLORADO this season
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.9 Units)

ERIC MILTON vs. COLORADO since 1997
MILTON is 2-1 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 4.66 and a WHIP of 1.483.
His team's record is 3-2 (+0.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-3. (-1.6 units)

AARON COOK vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
COOK is 5-6 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 4.03 and a WHIP of 1.521.
His team's record is 6-9 (-2.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 8-5. (+2.9 units)

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SAN DIEGO (23 - 22) at ARIZONA (19 - 26) - 9:40 PM
KEVIN CORREIA (R) vs. MAX SCHERZER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN DIEGO is 6-20 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in road games in May games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 2-14 (-12.2 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Tuesday over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 86-120 (-32.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 60-87 (-24.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 19-45 (-20.7 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 86-120 (-32.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 5-24 (-17.3 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +150 over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 34-69 (-27.4 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 15-7 (+10.3 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
SAN DIEGO is 9-2 (+8.7 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
ARIZONA is 29-45 (-20.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 102-106 (-23.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 9-16 (-10.8 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
ARIZONA is 21-30 (-14.0 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 129-152 (-46.7 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday since 1997.
ARIZONA is 9-16 (-10.8 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
ARIZONA is 4-12 (-10.7 Units) against the money line in home games in night games this season.
ARIZONA is 69-77 (-22.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN DIEGO is 2-1 (+0.7 Units) against ARIZONA this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

KEVIN CORREIA vs. ARIZONA since 1997
CORREIA is 0-2 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 4.30 and a WHIP of 1.522.
His team's record is 2-2 (+1.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-2. (-0.4 units)

MAX SCHERZER vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
No recent starts.

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ATLANTA (23 - 21) at SAN FRANCISCO (21 - 23) - 10:15 PM
KRIS MEDLEN (R) vs. TIM LINCECUM (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 39-47 (-19.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 95-111 (-25.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 94-109 (-24.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 64-75 (-18.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 671-569 (+78.5 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997.
ATLANTA is 23-19 (+17.3 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +150 to +175 since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN FRANCISCO is 1-0 (+1.3 Units) against ATLANTA this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.1 Units)

KRIS MEDLEN vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
No recent starts.

TIM LINCECUM vs. ATLANTA since 1997
LINCECUM is 4-0 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 2.70 and a WHIP of 1.125.
His team's record is 4-0 (+4.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-3. (-2.2 units)

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TAMPA BAY (23 - 24) at CLEVELAND (18 - 28) - 7:05 PM
MATT GARZA (R) vs. CARL PAVANO (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 3-11 (-9.6 Units) against the money line on the road with a money line of -100 to -125 this season.
GARZA is 5-11 (-8.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TAMPA BAY is 94-58 (+31.0 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 128-97 (+22.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 3-14 (-11.3 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
CLEVELAND is 45-50 (-15.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 18-28 (-11.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 30-41 (-16.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 12-24 (-13.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 3-2 (+0.3 Units) against CLEVELAND this season
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.0 Units)

MATT GARZA vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
GARZA is 1-3 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 5.52 and a WHIP of 1.742.
His team's record is 3-3 (+0.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-1. (+3.9 units)

CARL PAVANO vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
PAVANO is 4-3 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 4.04 and a WHIP of 1.276.
His team's record is 6-3 (+0.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-5. (-1.6 units)

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TORONTO (27 - 21) at BALTIMORE (19 - 26) - 7:05 PM
RICKY ROMERO (L) vs. JASON BERKEN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 17-30 (-16.8 Units) against the money line on the road with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 3 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 71-74 (+8.0 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 21-10 (+10.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
BALTIMORE is 65-124 (-42.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 478-521 (-109.5 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997.
BALTIMORE is 30-66 (-27.0 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 478-521 (-109.5 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field since 1997.
BALTIMORE is 243-327 (-96.2 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 3-1 (+2.0 Units) against BALTIMORE this season
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.8 Units)

RICKY ROMERO vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
No recent starts.

JASON BERKEN vs. TORONTO since 1997
No recent starts.

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NY YANKEES (26 - 19) at TEXAS (26 - 18) - 8:05 PM
JOBA CHAMBERLAIN (R) vs. KEVIN MILLWOOD (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY YANKEES are 3-12 (-10.9 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 10 to 10.5 over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 53-47 (+10.9 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 26-18 (+9.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
TEXAS is 101-82 (+16.6 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 54-34 (+20.0 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 10 to 10.5 over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 16-7 (+10.1 Units) against the money line in May games this season.
TEXAS is 20-11 (+12.5 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 25-16 (+9.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
TEXAS is 76-69 (+16.1 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 74-65 (+19.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY YANKEES is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against TEXAS this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

JOBA CHAMBERLAIN vs. TEXAS since 1997
CHAMBERLAIN is 0-0 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 7.27 and a WHIP of 2.191.
His team's record is 0-2 (-3.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

KEVIN MILLWOOD vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
MILLWOOD is 1-5 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 5.08 and a WHIP of 1.489.
His team's record is 2-6 (-2.9 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-2. (+3.0 units)

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BOSTON (27 - 18) at MINNESOTA (22 - 24) - 8:10 PM
JON LESTER (L) vs. NICK BLACKBURN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 10-21 (-12.8 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 6-16 (-11.3 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 72-40 (+23.4 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 79-63 (+14.7 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 72-43 (+20.3 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 24-6 (+18.2 Units) against the money line in home games against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 27-13 (+12.7 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 34-14 (+18.3 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 70-38 (+22.9 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 36-19 (+14.9 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 55-27 (+21.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
LESTER is 31-11 (+18.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LESTER is 24-7 (+15.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 3-0 (+3.2 Units) against MINNESOTA this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.1 Units)

JON LESTER vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
LESTER is 0-0 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 5.69 and a WHIP of 1.659.
His team's record is 1-1 (-0.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-2. (-2.3 units)

NICK BLACKBURN vs. BOSTON since 1997
BLACKBURN is 1-0 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 4.26 and a WHIP of 1.263.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-0. (+2.1 units)

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DETROIT (25 - 18) at KANSAS CITY (22 - 23) - 8:10 PM
EDWIN JACKSON (R) vs. ZACK GREINKE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 62-69 (-17.2 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 63-79 (-29.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 99-106 (-25.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 37-53 (-27.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 24-12 (+10.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
KANSAS CITY is 52-78 (-22.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 3-1 (+2.0 Units) against KANSAS CITY this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.4 Units)

EDWIN JACKSON vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
JACKSON is 2-1 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 4.96 and a WHIP of 1.164.
His team's record is 2-1 (+0.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+1.0 units)

ZACK GREINKE vs. DETROIT since 1997
GREINKE is 8-4 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 3.04 and a WHIP of 1.193.
His team's record is 10-5 (+8.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-9. (-3.7 units)

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CHI WHITE SOX (20 - 24) at LA ANGELS (23 - 21) - 10:05 PM
BARTOLO COLON (R) vs. JOE SAUNDERS (L)
Top Trends for this game.
CHI WHITE SOX are 12-31 (-17.2 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 118-76 (+28.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 83-61 (+13.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 54-30 (+22.8 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 124-86 (+24.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAUNDERS is 30-11 (+17.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 29-10 (+17.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 22-9 (+11.4 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 14-4 (+9.4 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHI WHITE SOX are 103-77 (+16.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 17-24 (-18.3 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 93-90 (-51.6 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -150 to -175 since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHI WHITE SOX is 1-0 (+1.4 Units) against LA ANGELS this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

BARTOLO COLON vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
COLON is 6-5 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 4.11 and a WHIP of 1.348.
His team's record is 8-6 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-5. (+1.7 units)

JOE SAUNDERS vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
SAUNDERS is 2-1 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 3.96 and a WHIP of 1.160.
His team's record is 2-2 (-0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-3. (-2.1 units)

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SEATTLE (21 - 25) at OAKLAND (17 - 25) - 10:05 PM
JARROD WASHBURN (L) vs. DALLAS BRADEN (L)
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 50-76 (-24.4 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 82-126 (-41.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 35-53 (-22.2 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 35-68 (-25.9 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 16-36 (-22.9 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 74-115 (-40.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 52-87 (-34.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHBURN is 10-24 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WASHBURN is 6-24 (-18.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WASHBURN is 7-19 (-12.2 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
OAKLAND is 162-190 (-52.9 Units) against the money line in May games since 1997.
OAKLAND is 56-74 (-23.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 5-2 (+3.0 Units) against OAKLAND this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

JARROD WASHBURN vs. OAKLAND since 1997
WASHBURN is 8-15 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 4.01 and a WHIP of 1.305.
His team's record is 14-20 (-7.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 15-18. (-4.8 units)

DALLAS BRADEN vs. SEATTLE since 1997
BRADEN is 0-1 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 8.64 and a WHIP of 2.041.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (+0.0 units)

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MLB
Short Sheet

Tuesday, May 26

National League

FLORIDA at PHILADELPHIA, 7:05 PM ET
MILLER: FLA 9-1 AWAY against division opponents
BLANTON: PHI 12-4 OVER after having lost 2 of their last 3

HOUSTON at CINCINNATI, 7:10 PM ET
OSWALT: 17-26 TSR in May
OWINGS: CIN 6-0 after 5+ consecutive home games

WASHINGTON at NY METS, 7:10 PM ET
STAMMEN: WAS 8-24 as a road underdog of +125 to +150
HERNANDEZ: 11-4 TSR at home when the total is 8.5 to 10

PITTSBURGH at CHICAGO CUBS, 8:05 PM ET
SNELL: PIT 4-1 OVER after scoring 10+ runs
MARSHALL: 2-11 TSR in all games

ST LOUIS at MILWAUKEE, 8:05 PM ET
WAINWRIGHT: 14-2 TSR when the money line is +125 to -125
SUPPAN: MIL 37-21 OVER at home when the total is 8 to 8.5

LA DODGERS at COLORADO, 8:40 PM ET
MILTON: 19-9 TSR AWAY when the total is 10 to 10.5
COOK: COL 4-10 at home when the total is 10+

SAN DIEGO at ARIZONA, 9:40 PM ET
CORREIA: SD 7-1 after 4+ consecutive wins
SCHERZER: ARI 4-12 at home in night games

ATLANTA at SAN FRANCISCO, 10:15 PM ET
MEDLEN: ATL 11-27 after 2+ consecutive overs
LINCECUM: SF 32-15 after scoring 8+ runs

American League

TAMPA BAY at CLEVELAND, 7:05 PM ET
GARZA: 1-7 TSR against AL Central
PAVANO: CLE 14-0 at home against Tampa Bay

TORONTO at BALTIMORE, 7:05 PM ET
ROMERO: TOR 10-2 AWAY after 6+ consecutive losses
BERKEN: BAL 22-9 OVER as an underdog

NY YANKEES at TEXAS, 8:05 PM ET
CHAMBERLAIN: NYY 3-12 AWAY when the total is 10 to 10.5
MILLWOOD: TEX 16-7 in May

BOSTON at MINNESOTA, 8:10 PM ET
LESTER: BOS 30-12 against AL Central
BLACKBURN: MIN 3-13 against AL East

DETROIT at KANSAS CITY, 8:10 PM ET
JACKSON: DET 24-12 in games played on a grass field
GREINKE: KC 2-16 after a loss by 8+ runs

CHI WHITE SOX at LA ANGELS, 10:05 PM ET
COLON: 37-20 TSR AWAY when the total is 7 to 8.5
SAUNDERS: LAA 17-24 at home when the total is 8 to 8.5

SEATTLE at OAKLAND, 10:05 PM ET
WASHBURN: SEA 21-9 UNDER as a road underdog of +125 to +150
BRADEN: 0-8 TSR as a home favorite

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MLB
Write-up

Tuesday, May 26

Hot Pitchers
-- Hernandez is 2-0, 3.33 in his last four starts.
-- Miller is 1-0, 3.00 in his last couple starts.
-- Suppan is 1-0, 2.25 in his last two starts. Wainwright has 1.08 RA in his last couple starts.
-- Cook is 2-0, 2.55 in his last four starts.
-- Scherzer is 1-1, 3.10 in his last five starts. Correia is 1-0, 2.79 in his last three starts.

-- Garza is 3-0, 2.55 in his last five starts. Pavano is 4-1, 4.11 in his last five starts.
-- Romero comes off DL here; he is 2-0, 1.71 in three starts.
-- Jackson is 3-0, 1.71 in his last three starts. Greinke is 7-1, 0.95 in his first nine starts this season.
-- Blackburn is 1-0, 1.66 in his last three starts.
-- Millwood is 3-0, 1.70 in four home starts.
-- Saunders is 2-1, 3.04 in his four home starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Owings has a 7.07 RA in three home starts. Oswalt has a 5.40 RA in his last four outings.
-- Rookie Stammen gave up four runs in 6.1 IP in his big league debut.
-- Blanton has a 7.50 RA in his last three starts.
-- Cubs are 1-5 when Marshall starts (1-4, 4.37). Snell is 0-2, 6.63 in his last four starts.
-- Milton allowed two runs in four IP in his first '09 start, at Florida.
-- Lincecum has 4.13 RA in four home starts (3.24 on road). Medlen gave up five runs in three IP in his major league debut.

-- Berken was 2-0, 1.05 in five starts at AAA Norfolk.
-- Lester is 1-2, 6.93 in four road starts.
-- Chamberlain is 1-1, 4.40 in his last four starts.
-- Colon is 0-3, 8.64 in his last four starts.
-- Oakland lost last four Braden starts (0-3, 6.38). Washburn is 0-1, 8.18 in his last two starts.

Hot Teams
-- Cardinals won five of their last seven games.
-- Reds won three of their last four games.
-- Mets won three of their last four games.
-- Dodgers won five of their last six road games.
-- Braves won five of their last seven games.
-- Phillies won eight of their last eleven games.
-- Pirates won seven of their last ten games.
-- Arizona won six of its last nine games. San Diego won ten games in a row-- they were down 7-1 in 8th yesterday, still won.

-- Bronx Bombers won eleven of their last thirteen games. Rangers won eight of their last nine home games.
-- Orioles won three of their last four games.
-- Red Sox won their last two games, scoring 18 runs.
-- Detroit won eight of its last ten games.
-- Twins won four of their last five games.
-- Oakland won its last two games, scoring six runs both days.

Cold Teams
-- Cubs lost their last eight games.
-- Brewers lost four of their last six games.
-- Rockies lost six of their last eight home games.
-- Nationals lost 14 of their last 16 games.
-- Astros lost six of their last seven games.
-- Giants lost nine of their last twelve games.
-- Florida lost ten of its last fourteen games, but won last two.

-- Toronto lost its last seven games, scoring total of twelve runs.
-- Royals are 4-12 in their last sixteen games. Detroit lost three of its last four road games, allowing 27 runs.
-- Mariners lost 15 of their last 21 games.
-- Indians lost five of their last seven home games. Rays lost their last two games in last inning; they blew 10-2 lead in 8th inning last night.
-- White Sox lost eight of their last ten road games.

Totals
-- Seven of last nine Cincinnati home games went over the total.
-- Under is 10-2 in last twelve games at Miller Park.
-- Over is 12-5-1 in Colorado home games.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight San Francisco home games.
-- Over is 6-2-1 in Florida's last nine games.
-- Five of last seven games at Citi Field went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Cub games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last ten Arizona home games went over the total.

-- Three of last four Oriole games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last nine Texas games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 7-3-1 in last eleven Red Sox games.
-- Six of last seven Detroit games stayed under the total.
-- Nine of last thirteen Oakland games went over the total.
-- Over is 8-1-1 in last ten Tampa Bay games.
-- Over is 11-6 in White Sox' last seventeen road games.

Umpires
-- Fla-Phil-- Under is 7-3 in Hirschbeck games behind plate.
-- Hst-Cin-- Three of last four Everitt games stayed under the total.
-- Wsh-NY-- Last three Iassogna games went over the total.
-- Pitt-Chi-- Six of last eight Nelson games went over the total.
-- StL-Mil-- Three of last four Nauert games went over the total.
-- LA-Colo-- Under is 7-1-1 in Fletcher games this season.
-- SD-Az-- Six of last eight Reilly games went over the total.
-- Atl-SF-- Underdog won six of last seven Dimuro games.

-- TB-Cle-- Underdog won four of last six BWelke games.
-- Tor-Balt-- Last three Kellogg games stayed under the total.
-- NY-Tex-- Seven of eight Crawford games went over the total.
-- Bos-Min-- Favorite won four of last five Randazzo games.
-- Det-KC-- Four of six Campos games stayed under the total.
-- Chi-LA-- Underdog won seven of nine Wolf games this season.
-- Sea-A's-- Four of last five Demuth games went over the total.

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**pm530** · 05-26-2009, 12:33 PM

MLB

Tuesday, May 26

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Trend Report
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New York Yankees at Texas Rangers [8:05 PM ET]

Yankees (-120, O/U 10.5): The Yankees will send Joba Chamberlain to the mound. Chamberlain (2-1, 3.70 ERA) was hit by a line drive off the bat of Baltimore's Adam Jones on Thursday in the first inning. The next two Orioles singled before the Yankees took him out, but the right-hander appears to be fine. "I'm 100 percent confident," he said. "Did some tests and it felt fine, a little stiff obviously but that's just going to be the way it is." Chamberlain got through his throwing session Sunday without any pain. He made two starts against Texas last season, going 0-0 with a 7.27 ERA.

The Yankees are 11-2 in their last 13 overall.
The Yankees are 22-7 in the last 29 meetings.

Key Injuries - OF Xavier Nady (elbow) is on the 15-day DL.
C Jorge Posada (hamstring) is on the 15-day DL.
SP Joba Chamberlain (leg) is PROBABLE.

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

Rangers: The Rangers had their eight-game home winning streak snapped by the Yankees yesterday. Kevin Millwood (4-4, 3.12) returns to the mound after going the distance his last time out. He pitched a six-hitter Thursday in a 4-3 loss at Detroit - Millwood's second complete-game loss this season. The veteran right-hander is 1-4 with a 4.46 ERA in seven career starts against the Yankees. Millwood has allowed New York's Nick Swisher to hit .400 (10 for 25) against him with three homers and seven RBIs. Alex Rodriguez is 6 for 16 with one homer and two RBIs lifetime versus Millwood.

The Under is 13-3-2 in Millwood's last 18 starts overall.
The Rangers are 8-1 in their last 9 home games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 4

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MLB

Tuesday, May 26

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Tips and Trends
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7:05 PM
FLORIDA vs. PHILADELPHIA
Florida is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Florida's last 11 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Florida
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Philadelphia's last 10 games when playing Florida

7:05 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. CLEVELAND
Tampa Bay is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Cleveland's last 15 games at home
Cleveland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

7:05 PM
TORONTO vs. BALTIMORE
Toronto is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Baltimore's last 9 games at home
Baltimore is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto

7:10 PM
HOUSTON vs. CINCINNATI
Houston is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing Cincinnati
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cincinnati
Cincinnati is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Cincinnati's last 12 games at home

7:10 PM
WASHINGTON vs. NY METS
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
Washington is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games
NY Mets are 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
NY Mets are 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington

8:05 PM
NY YANKEES vs. TEXAS
NY Yankees are 11-2 SU in their last 13 games
NY Yankees are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games on the road
Texas is 2-13 SU in their last 15 games when playing at home against NY Yankees
Texas is 7-18 SU in their last 25 games when playing NY Yankees

8:05 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. CHI CUBS
Pittsburgh is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games
Chi Cubs are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games at home

8:05 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. MILWAUKEE
St. Louis is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games on the road
Milwaukee is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Milwaukee's last 12 games at home

8:10 PM
BOSTON vs. MINNESOTA
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 9 games
Minnesota is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Boston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games when playing at home against Boston

8:10 PM
DETROIT vs. KANSAS CITY
Detroit is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Detroit's last 7 games
Kansas City is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Kansas City's last 9 games when playing at home against Detroit

8:40 PM
LA DODGERS vs. COLORADO
LA Dodgers are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 14 of Colorado's last 19 games at home

9:40 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. ARIZONA
San Diego is 1-11 SU in its last 12 games on the road
San Diego is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Arizona is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home

10:05 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. LA ANGELS
Chi White Sox are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Angels
Chi White Sox are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games on the road
LA Angels are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games at home
LA Angels are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi White Sox

10:05 PM
SEATTLE vs. OAKLAND
Seattle is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Oakland
Seattle is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Oakland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Oakland's last 15 games at home

10:15 PM
ATLANTA vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Atlanta is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
San Francisco is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games when playing Atlanta

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MLB

Tuesday, May 26

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hot lines: Today’s best MLB bets
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Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics (-140, 8)

While Oakland is last in the majors in slugging (.358), and ranks near the bottom in batting average (.244) and runs (189), Adam Kennedy has been one of the few bright spots for the struggling lineup.

The leadoff hitter is batting .441 (26 for 59) with two homers and 13 RBIs in 15 games since the A's acquired him in a trade with Tampa Bay on May 8. He is 9 for 13 with six RBIs in his last three contests.

Seattle's Jarrod Washburn (3-3, 3.86 ERA) allowed one run and struck out six in seven innings, but didn't factor in the decision of a 3-2 win over the A's on May 2.

He is expected to be ready for this contest after being scratched from his scheduled start Saturday because of discomfort behind his left knee. The Mariners' coaching staff, though, is not sure how long he will be able to last.

Washburn, who allowed six runs and seven hits in five innings of a 10-6 loss to the Angels on May 18, is 0-3 with a 5.34 ERA in his last five starts since winning this first three. He is 8-15 with a 4.01 ERA in 34 starts against Oakland.

The Mariners will be without catcher Kenji Johjima for at least two weeks after he broke his left big toe while defending a play at the plate Monday.

Ichiro Suzuki, however, will be in Seattle's lineup looking to extend his hitting streak to 20 games. Suzuki had four hits Monday and is batting .381 (32 for 84) in his last 19 games.

Pick: Seattle

St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers (+105, 8.5)

Since Jeff Suppan left the St. Louis Cardinals to join the Milwaukee Brewers, he's continued to dominate his former team.

Suppan looks to win his eighth straight decision against the Cardinals - and sixth in a row with the Brewers - when the NL Central rivals continue their three-game series Tuesday night at Miller Park.

The veteran right-hander pitched for St. Louis from 2004-06, helping the Cardinals win three division titles and one World Series. Since signing with Milwaukee after the 2006 season, he hasn't helped St. Louis (26-19) one bit.

Suppan (3-3, 4.71 ERA) is 5-0 with a 1.62 ERA in six starts versus the Cardinals while with the Brewers. He allowed six singles over seven innings to beat St. Louis 1-0 on May 16.

He's 7-0 with a 1.70 ERA in his last eight outings against the Cardinals, a stretch that began with two starts while with Pittsburgh in 2003. His success has been due in part to his ability to limit the damage done by Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols.

While Pujols is 13 for 33 (.394) against Suppan, he has no homers and two RBIs versus the right-hander.

Suppan is the only active pitcher that Pujols hasn't homered against with at least 25 at-bats.

Milwaukee (27-18) took a one-game lead over St. Louis for first place in the division with a 1-0 win in 10 innings Monday. Bill Hall, mired in a 1-for-28 slump, singled in Casey McGehee for the victory.

This will be Suppan's second straight start against the Cardinals in which he matches up with Adam Wainwright (4-2, 3.41). The St. Louis right-hander was the loser May 16 despite giving up one run on a homer by Corey Hart and one other hit over eight innings.

Wainwright was just as good Thursday against the Chicago Cubs, allowing one run and five hits while striking out seven over 8 2-3 innings of a 3-1 victory.

Pick: Over

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MLB

Tuesday, May 26

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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking

Matt Garza (Tampa Bay Rays)

Matt Garza (4-2, 3.41) also started that game, allowing two runs and five hits over six innings to earn the victory, and now squares off against Pavano again. Garza had been 0-3 with a 6.12 ERA in his previous five starts versus Cleveland.

The right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA in his last five starts. He did not get a decision Thursday as he allowed two runs and struck out eight over 6 2-3 innings of a 6-5 win over Oakland.

Zack Greinke (Kansas City Royals)

Greinke (7-1, 0.82 ERA) was dominant in winning his first six starts, but Kansas City (22-23) has lost two of the last three times he has taken the mound. He did not get a decision for the first time Thursday when he yielded two runs over six innings in an 8-3 loss to Cleveland.

He has yet to allow a homer, continues to lead the majors in ERA and has gone 19 straight innings versus Detroit (25-18) without allowing an earned run. He is seeking his second win over the Tigers this year after pitching a three-hitter April 24 in a 6-1 victory.

The right-hander is 8-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 15 career starts against Detroit, and has held the Tigers' Magglio Ordonez and Curtis Granderson in check. Ordonez is 4 for 31 (.129) against Greinke and Granderson is 4 for 25 (.160).

Four of Greinke's wins this season have followed losses by the Royals, who were beaten 13-1 to open this series Monday.

Slumping

Joe Blanton (Philadelphia Phillies)

Philadelphia counters with Joe Blanton (2-3, 7.11). He's 0-2 with an 8.87 ERA in four home starts after going 3-0 with a 3.48 ERA in eight outings in Philadelphia last year, including a Game 4 win in the World Series.

Blanton got a win Thursday as the Phillies beat Cincinnati 12-5 even though he failed to pitch past the fifth inning and allowed at least five runs for the fourth time in eight starts.

Opposing batters are hitting .308 against Blanton, whose only two career outings against Florida came in September and he won both despite a 5.40 ERA.

Ian Snell (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Chicago could have a good chance to halt the slide when it faces the struggling Ian Snell (1-5, 4.88 ERA). He is 1-5 with a 6.70 ERA in nine starts against the Cubs.

Snell is 0-3 with a 5.23 ERA in his last six starts since beating Atlanta on April 18. The right-hander allowed three runs and four hits while striking out six in six innings Thursday, but didn't factor in the decision for a second straight start, a 5-4 loss at Washington.

The Pirates could be without closer Matt Capps, who left Monday's game in the ninth inning after being struck on his pitching elbow by a line drive off the bat of Geovany Soto. Capps has converted nine of 11 save attempts.

Returning

Ricky Romero (Toronto Blue Jays)

When Ricky Romero went on the disabled list, the Toronto Blue Jays were sprinting through the first two weeks of the season and were the surprise team atop the AL East despite an ailing staff.

The rookie starter will return Tuesday night, but he'll be rejoining a Blue Jays team that's dropped seven in a row - all on the road - to fall out of first place.

Set to make his fourth career start, Romero will try to help Toronto avoid tying its longest road losing streak in seven seasons as it continues a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles.

The highly touted left-hander, the sixth overall pick in the 2005 draft, won his major league debut April 9 against Detroit and pitched seven scoreless innings in a victory over Oakland on April 19. A strained right oblique, however, landed Romero (2-0, 1.71 ERA) on the disabled list the next day, joining fellow injured starters Jesse Litsch, Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan.

Debuting

Jason Berken (Baltimore Orioles)

Baltimore is expected to promote Jason Berken to start Tuesday's game, which would be his major league debut. The 25-year-old right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.05 ERA in five starts for Triple-A Norfolk this season.

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MLB

Baseball Today

SCOREBOARD

Tuesday, May 26

Detroit at Kansas City (8:10 p.m. EDT). Zack Greinke (7-1) tries to bounce back from his first no decision this season against the Detroit Tigers, a team he beat on April 24 with a 10-strikeout performance.

STARS

Monday

-Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, had five hits and four RBIs in New York's 11-1 victory at Texas.

-Chase Headley, Padres, hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning as San Diego rallied from a six-run deficit to beat Arizona 9-7 for its 10th straight win.

-Justin Verlander, Tigers, held slumping Kansas City to five hits in seven scoreless innings and struck out eight in Detroit's 13-1 victory.

-Bill Hall, Brewers, snapped a 1-for-28 slump with a two-out, RBI single in the 10th inning to lift Milwaukee to a 1-0 victory over St. Louis.

-Travis Buck and Adam Kennedy, Athletics. Buck homered and scored three runs, and Kennedy had a career high-tying four hits in Oakland's 6-1 victory over Seattle.

-Jonny Gomes, Reds, had three hits and three RBIs in Cincinnati's 8-5 victory over Houston.

-Travis Ishikawa, Giants, had four hits, including a three-run homer, as San Francisco beat Atlanta 8-2.

-Wes Helms, Marlins, homered and drove in four runs in Florida's 5-3 victory at Philadelphia.

COMEBACKS

Cleveland rallied from a 10-0 deficit in the fourth as Victor Martinez's two-out, two-run single in the ninth capped a seven-run inning and lifted the Indians to an 11-10 victory over Tampa Bay on Monday night. The hit off Jason Isringhausen snapped an 0-for-18 streak by Martinez. The Indians became the first team in the majors to win after trailing by 10 runs since the Texas Rangers rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 16-15 on May 8, 2004, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

LET'S GO TO THE VIDEOTAPE

Gary Sheffield hit a disputed, tiebreaking three-run homer in the sixth inning that was upheld by a video review and New York beat Washington 5-2 Monday night. With the score tied 1-1 in the sixth, Luis Castillo doubled leading off against John Lannan and Carlos Beltran walked. Sheffield sent the next pitch deep to left field. A fan reached out and the ball bounced back onto the field. Third base umpire Adrian Johnson signaled a home run, and Washington manager Manny Acta argued. Three umpires consulted video replay. After a 6-minute wait, crew chief Larry Vanover signaled for a home run, the 503rd of Sheffield's career.

PITCHING DUEL

Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter took a perfect game into the seventh inning, and the Brewers' Yovani Gallardo carried a no-hitter into the sixth before each finished allowing just two hits over eight innings Monday. Bill Hall hit a two-out, RBI single in the 10th inning to lift Milwaukee to a 1-0 victory.

PASSING THE TORCH

Jim Thome hit his 549th career homer to pass Mike Schmidt and move into 13th place on the all-time homer list. Thome connected with a three-run shot that helped the Chicago White Sox rout the Los Angeles Angels 17-3.

RETURNS

The Los Angeles Angels activated slugger Vladimir Guerrero from the disabled list after he had been sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle on the right side of his chest. Guerrero was hitless in four at-bats in his return. He first felt discomfort after making a throw during an exhibition game April 2 at Dodger Stadium.

STRUCK

Pittsburgh closer Matt Capps was hit on his pitching elbow by a line drive and taken to a hospital for X-rays. After Geovany Soto's shot up the middle hit Capps with one out in the ninth inning, the 25-year-old right-hander experienced some numbness and tingling. Although Capps said his range of motion was better by the end of the game, the team's medical staff still sent him to the hospital. The Pirates said results of the X-rays would not be made public until Tuesday.

STREAKS

San Diego's 9-7 win in 10 innings at Arizona on Monday extended the Padres' winning streak to 10 games. San Diego, which snapped an 11-game road losing streak, trailed 7-1 entering the eighth inning, but scored five in the eighth, one in the ninth and two in the 10th.

BIG INNINGS

The Los Angeles Dodgers scored seven runs in the fourth inning and eight in the seventh en route to a 16-6 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.

SPEAKING

"It's been a lot of fun to come to the ballpark these last 10 days. We come here and we expect to win. It's not that we come in here and hope to win, we expect to win. We just couldn't give up today.'' - San Diego's Chase Headley after hitting a two-run homer in the 10th inning to cap the Padres' comeback from a six-run deficit after seven innings in a 9-7 victory over Arizona on Monday.

SEASONS

May 26

1925 - In Detroit's 8-1 win over the Chicago White Sox, Ty Cobb became the first to collect 1,000 career extra-base hits. He finished his career with 1,139.

1929 - Pinch-hitters Pat Crawford of the Giants and Les Bell of the Boston Braves hit grand slams in New York's 15-9 victory.

1930 - Joe Sewell of the Cleveland Indians, who fanned only three times in 353 at-bats during the season, was struck out twice in the same game by Pat Caraway of the White Sox.

1956 - Cincinnati pitchers John Klippstein, Hershell Freeman and Joe Black combined for 9 2-3 hitless innings, but the Reds lost 2-1 in 11 innings to the Philadelphia Phillies.

1959 - Harvey Haddix of Pittsburgh pitched 12 perfect innings before losing to Milwaukee 1-0 in the 13th on an error, a sacrifice and Joe Adcock's double.

1962 - Sandy Koufax struck out 16 Phillies to lead the Dodgers to a 6-3 victory.

1995 - Southern California and Fresno State combined for an NCAA postseason baseball record of 39 runs in the Trojans' 22-17 win in the West Regional. USC scored three runs in the top of the ninth to break the record of 37 set by the Trojans and Houston in 1990.

1996 - The Chicago White Sox became the 16th team in AL history to hit four homers in one inning in their 12-1 win over Milwaukee. Frank Thomas, Harold Baines and Robin Ventura hit consecutive homers and Chad Kreuter added another in Chicago's seven-run eighth.

1997 - Chicago's Sammy Sosa and the Pirates' Tony Womack hit inside-the-park homers in the sixth inning of the Cubs' 2-1 win. It was the first time two inside-the-park homers had been hit in the same inning in 20 years.

2004 - Daryle Ward hit for the cycle and tied his career best with six RBIs in Pittsburgh's 11-8 win over St. Louis.

2008 - Chase Utley tied the National League lead with his 16th homer and drove in six runs as Philadelphia routed Colorado 20-5. The Phillies batted around three times and had season-highs in hits (19) and runs.

Today's birthday: Ben Zobrist 28.

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MLB

This Day in Baseball

On May 26 in Baseball History...

1925 - In Detroit's 8-1 win over the White Sox, Ty Cobb becomes the first to collect 1,000 career extra-base hits. He will finish with 1,139.

1930 - Joe Sewell strikes out twice facing lefthander Pat Caraway of the White Sox. It is the last time the Indians third baseman will fan this season, striking out only three times in 353 at-bats.

1946 - At 2-for-42 and hitting .048 for the season, Mel Ott stops playing and only manages the Giants.

1950 - The Athletics make some changes. Connie Mack's son, Earle, who had been assistant manager, assumes the duties of chief scout. Earle, who had hoped to succeed his father as manager, is replaced by Jimmy Dykes. Mickey Cochrane is named general manager.

1959 - In a singular performance, Harvey Haddix of the Pirates pitches a perfect game against Milwaukee for 12 innings, only to lose in the 13th. Felix Mantilla opens the last inning by reaching base on an error. A sacrifice and an intentional walk to Hank Aaron brings up Joe Adcock, who hits one out of the park in right-center field for an apparent 3-0 victory. Aaron leaves the field, and Adcock passes him on the basepaths. Both are called out as Mantilla scores. Lew Burdette goes all the way for his eighth win, scattering 12 hits.

1976 - In a scoreless game in Anaheim, Chicago's Ken Brett has a no-hitter with two out in the ninth when California's Jerry Remy tops a slow roller down the third base line. Third baseman Jorge Orta lets the ball roll and, in a controversial ruling, it is scored a hit, though many thought it ought to be ruled an error. Brett gives up a hit in the tenth to ex-Sox Bill Melton but wins the game 1-0 in 11 innings.

1993 - Jose Canseco can't be accused of not using his head by anyone in Cleveland. The Texas right fielder drifts back to line up a long drive by Carlos Martinez and, when he turns his head to take a look at the wall, the ball skims off his glove, hits his head and bounces over the fence for a home run.

1997 - Two inside-the-park home runs are hit in a span of five minutes on Memorial Day in Pittsburgh. First, Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa touches them all in the top of the sixth inning, then Tony Womack flies around the bases in 13 seconds in the bottom of the inning. The Cubs hold off the Bucs, 2-1, but it is the first time in 21 years that two N.L. players hit inside-the-parkers in the same game.

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Announcement

Tuesday Trends and Indexes 5/26 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Tuesday Trends and Indexes 5/26 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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