Thursday Trends and Indexes 5/28 (NBA, MLB, Misc.)

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes

Thursday, May 28

Good Luck on day #148 of 2009!

At this time the sports menu in this thread consists of the NBA, NHL, and the MLB until their seasons are played out. Also, general sports news and notes will be posted here.

NOTE:
As information becomes available, we will attempt to post the trends and indexes as soon as possible.
Information is posted from what we believe are reliable sources.
Any opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the posting member or BettorsChat.
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[pm530]

Daily Sports Roundup

Thursday, May 28

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Cavaliers try to put an end to their skid, the D-Backs get a visit from the Braves, and the PGA Tour tees off in Fort Worth.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

LeBron James and his Cavaliers squad will be looking to avoid elimination on Thursday night when they take the court at home against the Magic in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Orlando came up with a 116-114 overtime win in Game 4 on Tuesday to take a 3-1 lead in the series. Dwight Howard led the way with 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Magic in that victory, while Rafer Alston tossed in 26 points. LeBron James poured in a game-high 44 points in that loss for the Cavaliers, who have been listed as 7.5-point home favorites for Game 5.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

A light schedule around baseball on Thursday has just five games on the docket, including Arizona at home to Atlanta. The Diamondbacks are slated to send Dan Haren (3-4, 2.57 ERA) to the mound in that contest; the righthander gave up five earned runs over seven innings in his start against Oakland last time out, and hasn't recorded a win since May 2. The Braves will counter with righthander Derek Lowe (6-2, 3.45 ERA), who has grabbed a win in five of his past six starts.

Also on the diamond on Thursday: the Dodgers at the Cubs, Tampa Bay at Cleveland, Detroit at Baltimore, and Boston at Minnesota. The Red Sox will be looking for another solid outing from righthander Josh Beckett (4-2, 5.01 ERA), who held the Mets to one unearned run over eight innings in his last start. The Twins are expected to send rookie Anthony Swarzak to the mound on Thursday; the righthander tossed seven scoreless innings in his debut against the Brewers.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Finally, the PGA Tour heads to Fort Worth this week for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Phil Mickelson is the defending champion at this event, but he won't be in the field this week. With Tiger Woods also not competing the Vegas oddsmakers have set Jim Furyk as the 10/1 tournament favorite, followed by Geoff Ogilvy at 12/1. Furyk missed the cut in this tourney last year after shooting 71-74 in the first two rounds. Ogilvy was tied for seventh, going 7-under.

Tim Clark, who was one stroke back of Mickelson last year at 13-under, is farther back at 25/1 odds to win this year's Crowne Plaza Invitational. Kenny Perry, Paul Casey, and Zach Johnson are all at 15/1 on the Vegas odds chart, followed by Rory Sabbatini, Sean O'Hair, Luke Donald, and Ian Poulter at 20/1. Sabbatini is coming off a win in last week's HP Byron Nelson Championship at TPC Four Seasons. Anthony Kim is among a group of golfers pegged at 25/1 for this week.

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[pm530]

Six-pack for Thursday

Top six college baseball teams in America, heading into the NCAA tournament that begins this weekend.......

6) Florida State Seminoles, 42-16

5) Texas Longhorns, 41-13

4) Cal State-Fullerton Titans, 42-14

3) Arizona State Sun Devils, 44-12

2) LSU Tigers, 46-16

1) Cal-Irvine Anteaters, 43-13

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

13) Horrific loss for Toronto, blowing Halladay's 8-3 lead in 8th, and then blowing 10-8 lead in 11th-- they lose 12-10 at Camden Yards, as they conclude a dismal 0-9 road trip.

12) Padres won for 11th time in last 12 games, as bullpen got the last eight outs in Peavy's 8-5 win against the Snakes in the desert.

11) You might want to test Carlos Zambrano for steroids-- he went postal after a close call went against him at the plate, smashing stuff inside the Cub dugout after umpire Carlson ran him from Cubs' 5-2 win over the Pirates. He definitely has anger management issues.

10) Matuszaka is still winless after losing in Minnesota; Red Sox are 2-6 in their last eight road games.

9) Tampa Rays are in complete disarray; they've given up 19 runs in their last ten innings, their DP combination is on the DL, Upton has been awful. Most everything that went so right last year is not going nearly as well now- pitching, defense. Bottom half of their lineup is more reminiscent of the Montgomery Biscuits than the Rays.

8) Ichiro Suzuki has a 21-game hitting streak; am really surprised he never challenged the 56-game hitting streak record, the way he could get infield hits using his speed from lefthand side of the plate.

7) Randy Johnson won his 299th game as Giants beat Atlanta, 6-3.

6) The baseball used in Japanese pro leagues is little bit smaller than the baseball used in this country. There is a difference in height of the seams between the major and minor league balls in this country.

5) Rice University has great baseball program, led by Wayne Graham who played two seasons in big leagues, for a total of 30 games with Phillies in '63, Mets in '64. Thats Gene Mauch one year and Casey Stengel the next, so I'm guessing he has a lot of interesting stories.

4) Iowa State, Colorado don't have baseball teams, so Big 12 is really ten teams when you're talking college baseball.

3) College football coaches' poll is going back to secret ballot starting in 2010, which is bad news for fans, since having transparency in the voting process made it more interesting, forcing coaches to be a little more conscientscious when filling out their ballots.

2) Lakers are now 20-0 at home in Game 5's when series is tied 2-2.

1) Red Wings eliminated Chicago in five games, move on to play the Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals. Semifinal series lasted total of just nine games- the league could use a more interesting final series.

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[pm530]

Len’s Top Five


Wednesday, May 27

Len's Top 5

Happy Thursday everyone, here's my Top 5 for May 28, 2009 from Len Berman Sports.

1. Quick Hits

The Lakers beat Denver 103-94 to take a 3 games to 2 lead.

The Stanley Cup finals begin Saturday night with Detroit hosting Pittsburgh. Same matchup as last year won my Detroit.

Looks like rookie Fernando Martinez is a perfect fit for the Mets. In just his second game he fails to hustle and gets booed. A new team record.

In soccer, Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0 to win the Champions League final. They celebrated back in Barcelona with hundreds of arrests and injuries.

2. Survey Says

Quick, what percentage of New York City residents follow Major League Baseball? While you ponder, I've long believed that the great myth is that everyone is a sports fan. I maintain the majority of people don't follow sports. That's one reason my Top 5 has been so successful. Non-sports fans are intimidated into thinking they're in the minority what with ESPN, talk radio and the tabloids. Now the answer: New York City fancies itself as the "baseball capital of the world," but according to a new Marist poll, a whopping 61% don't follow Major League baseball. Ah, that explains the empty luxury seats, or not.

3. Gimme an "I-R-A-Q"

They held tryouts to become a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader last weekend. Sure they had to wiggle and look great, but they also had to take a quiz to show they have smarts. According to the Dallas Morning News, a sample question would be: "Name one country that borders Iraq." Yeah, Cowboy fans aren't in the stands thinking, "wait, look at the rack on that cheerleader." They're saying, "wow, she knows Kuwait is next to Iraq."

4. Protection

As the hockey playoffs wind down, something to chew on thanks to subscriber N.M. The first testicular guard (cup) was used in hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974.

It took 100 years for men to realize that the brain is also important.

5. Got 'Em

A sheriff's deputy in Polk County Iowa may lose his job. It seems he went down to Casey's General Store while on duty, while in uniform, and stole packs of football cards. Of course his job's in jeopardy... any idiot knows football cards aren't as valuable as baseball!

Today's Birthday: The NBA Logo himself, Jerry West. 71.
Bonus Birthday: Rudy Giuliani. 65.
Bonus Birthdays: The two surviving Dionne Quintuplets born in Canada. 75.

Today in Sports: The National League approves the Dodgers and Giants move to the West Coast. 1957.
Bonus Event: An ancient 15 year war ends when a solar eclipse occurs. They figure it's a sign from the Gods that enough's enough, so they declare a truce. 585 BC.

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[pm530]

NBA
Dunkel Index


Denver at LA Lakers
Needing a win to stay alive after dropping Game Four in OT (116-114), the Cavs look to build on their 6-1 ATS record in their last 7 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game. Cleveland is the pick (-7 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Cavaliers favored by 10. Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-7 1/2). Here are all of today's playoff picks.

THURSDAY, MAY 28

Game 519-520: Orlando at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Orlando 123.705; Cleveland 133.582
Dunkel Line & Total: Cleveland by 10; 191 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Cleveland by 7 1/2; 190
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-7 1/2); Over

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NBA
Long Sheet


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Thursday, May 28
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ORLANDO (70 - 29) at CLEVELAND (75 - 19) - 5/28/2009, 8:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 56-37 ATS (+15.3 Units) in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 50-30 ATS (+17.0 Units) as a favorite this season.
CLEVELAND is 31-16 ATS (+13.4 Units) in home games this season.
CLEVELAND is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) in all playoff games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 20-10 ATS (+9.0 Units) after scoring 105 points or more this season.
CLEVELAND is 42-28 ATS (+11.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 60-39 ATS (+17.1 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 18-6 ATS (+11.4 Units) as an underdog this season.
ORLANDO is 32-18 ATS (+12.2 Units) in road games this season.
ORLANDO is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) after allowing 105 points or more this season.
ORLANDO is 24-15 ATS (+7.5 Units) after scoring 105 points or more this season.
ORLANDO is 31-17 ATS (+12.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ORLANDO is 31-13 ATS (+16.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 13-1 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
ORLANDO is 10-4 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Short Sheet


Thursday, May 28th

Eastern Conference Finals
Game Five
Orlando Leads, 3-1
Orlando at Cleveland, 8:35 ET

Orlando:
12-2 UNDER off a win by 3 or less
11-3 UNDER off 4+ ATS wins

Cleveland:
13-2 ATS off a road loss
17-7 ATS in all playoff games

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NBA
Write-up


Thursday, May 28

NBA playoffs

Orlando made 17-38 from arc, shot 50% for night in 116-114 Game 4 win; they were 25-60 from the arc in first three series games. Alston was +18 in 37:09, which means Magic was -16 in 10:51 he was off floor. In only Cleveland win this series, James was still -7 (Cavs were +8 in 5:28 he was off floor). Three of four series games have been decided by one or two points. Cleveland got to line 71 times in two games in Orlando and still lost both games- they lose this game, their season's over.

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NBA


Thursday, May 28

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Trend Report
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8:30 PM
ORLANDO vs. CLEVELAND
Orlando is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Orlando is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 11-5 ATS in its last 16 games
Cleveland is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games

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NBA


Thursday, May 28

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

Magic: Height. Depth. Speed. You name it, Orlando has it over Cleveland. "We're up 3-1, but we can't relax," said Rashard Lewis. "Anything can happen. We got to go to Cleveland looking to try and close these guys out." Orlando heads into Game 5 with no fear of the road. They finished off the defending champion Celtics on their famed parquet floor in a Game 7 in the previous round. "This thing is a long, long, long way from over, just like the games in this series have been," coach Stan Van Gundy said. "When you've got a guy as great as him on the other side, you're a long way from done."

The Magic are 7-0 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Cleveland.
The Underdog is 11-4 ATS in the last 15 meetings.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 94 (Side Play of the Day)

Cavaliers (-7.5, O/U 190): Bad news for the Cavs: In the NBA's 62-year postseason history, 190 teams have taken a 3-1 lead in a series and 182 of them have won. "They're playing their best basketball of the season right now," said Zydrunas Ilgauskas. "They're playing better than they played against Philly and Boston. We've tried everything. We've tried mixing up our defensive coverages, we've tried defending pick and rolls, tried everything in the post. It's worked at times, but 17 3s are hard to overcome." LeBron James said, "We're breaking down in areas we haven't broken down all year. We got to give up something."

The Cavaliers are 14-4-1 ATS in their last 19 playoff games as a favorite.
The Cavaliers are 7-19-1 ATS in the last 27 meetings.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 96

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NBA


Thursday, May 28

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Pick ‘n’ Roll: NBA best bets
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Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers (-7.5, 190)

The odds are stacked against the Cavaliers.

In the NBA's 62-year postseason history, 190 teams have taken a 3-1 lead in a series and 182 of them have won. More daunting for the Cavaliers is that the Magic have won 10 of the past 14 meetings between the teams, and were one of three teams to win at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena this season.

James and Co. are running out of time and answers.

Cleveland's matchup problems are glaring: Height, depth, speed. You name it, Orlando has it over Cleveland.

When the Cavs have concentrated on stopping Howard down low, the Magic make 3-pointers (they hit 17 of 38 in Game 4), and when Cleveland focuses its defense on guarding the perimeter, Howard destroys them near the basket.

Care for some arsenic? Or hemlock?

''They're playing their best basketball of the season right now,'' said Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. ''They're playing better than they played against Philly and Boston. We've tried everything. We've tried mixing up our defensive coverages, we've tried defending pick and rolls, tried everything in the post. It's worked at times, but 17 3s are hard to overcome.''

Orlando's bench has been a major factor, too, as Rafer Alston (26 points) and Mickael Pietrus (17) gave the Magic a huge lift.

If not for James' miraculous shot to win Game 2, the series would be over and so would the LeBron vs. Kobe finals envisioned by many, but not the guys in blue and white.

The Cavaliers can't figure out what to do next.

Pick: Orlando +7.5

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[pm530]

MLB
Dunkel Index


Detroit at Baltimore
The Orioles are 5-1 in their last 6 games and face a Detroit team that is 1-6 in Armando Galarraga's last 7 starts as an underdog. Baltimore is the pick (-110) according to Dunkel, which has the Orioles favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-110). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, MAY 28

Game 901-902: LA Dodgers at Chicago Cubs
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Wolf) 15.605; Cubs (Wells) 15.517
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-120); No Run Line
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (+110); N/A

Game 903-904: Atlanta at Arizona
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Lowe) 13.977; Arizona (Haren) 15.540
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Arizona (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-120); Over

Game 905-906: Tampa Bay at Cleveland
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Niemann) 15.636; Cleveland (Huff) 15.294
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 12 1/2
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-120); 11
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-120); Over

Game 907-908: Boston at Minnesota
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Beckett) 17.025; Minnesota (Swarzak) 15.933
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-115); Under

Game 909-910: Detroit at Baltimore
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Galarraga) 14.857; Baltimore (Hernandez) 15.545
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1/2; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-110); 10
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-110); Over

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MLB
Long Sheet


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Thursday, May 28
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LA DODGERS (33 - 15) at CHICAGO CUBS (23 - 22) - 8:05 PM
RANDY WOLF (L) vs. RANDY WELLS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 24-6 (+14.1 Units) against the money line in home games in May games over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 33-15 (+16.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
LA DODGERS are 22-10 (+11.3 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
LA DODGERS are 33-15 (+16.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA DODGERS are 18-7 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in May games this season.
WOLF is 96-78 (+21.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
WOLF is 59-49 (+19.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997. (Team's Record)
CHICAGO CUBS are 476-502 (-116.4 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 980-1031 (-189.7 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 527-478 (-108.5 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 923-947 (-167.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

RANDY WOLF vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
WOLF is 3-7 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 4.71 and a WHIP of 1.452.
His team's record is 5-10 (-4.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 7-6. (+0.3 units)

RANDY WELLS vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
No recent starts.

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ATLANTA (23 - 23) at ARIZONA (20 - 27) - 9:40 PM
DEREK LOWE (R) vs. DAN HAREN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 64-77 (-20.7 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 8-13 (-8.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
ATLANTA is 95-113 (-27.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 94-111 (-26.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 48-22 (+26.5 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
ARIZONA is 70-78 (-22.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 103-107 (-23.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 31-38 (-13.5 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 10-17 (-10.8 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
ARIZONA is 22-31 (-14.0 Units) against the money line in May games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 10-17 (-10.8 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
ARIZONA is 5-13 (-10.7 Units) against the money line in home games in night games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 1-1 (+0.2 Units) against ATLANTA this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.0 Units)

DEREK LOWE vs. ARIZONA since 1997
LOWE is 6-7 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.318.
His team's record is 9-8 (-0.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-9. (-2.9 units)

DAN HAREN vs. ATLANTA since 1997
HAREN is 2-1 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 6.88 and a WHIP of 1.647.
His team's record is 2-1 (+0.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-0. (+3.0 units)

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TAMPA BAY (23 - 26) at CLEVELAND (20 - 28) - 12:05 PM
JEFF NIEMANN (R) vs. DAVID HUFF (L)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 66-79 (-23.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 3-12 (-10.8 Units) against the money line on the road with a money line of -100 to -125 this season.
CLEVELAND is 17-7 (+13.7 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 19-4 (+14.9 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Thursday over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 128-99 (+20.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 26-41 (-18.8 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 14-24 (-11.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 4-3 (+1.6 Units) against TAMPA BAY this season
5 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.8 Units)

JEFF NIEMANN vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
No recent starts.

DAVID HUFF vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
HUFF is 0-1 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 17.17 and a WHIP of 2.997.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.1 units)

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BOSTON (27 - 20) at MINNESOTA (24 - 24) - 1:10 PM
JOSH BECKETT (R) vs. ANTHONY SWARZAK (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 6-18 (-13.5 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 10-23 (-15.0 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 74-40 (+25.5 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 74-43 (+22.4 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 36-14 (+20.4 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 72-38 (+25.0 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 38-19 (+17.0 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 3-2 (+1.0 Units) against MINNESOTA this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

JOSH BECKETT vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
BECKETT is 2-1 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 4.74 and a WHIP of 1.368.
His team's record is 2-1 (+0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (+0.0 units)

ANTHONY SWARZAK vs. BOSTON since 1997
No recent starts.

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DETROIT (26 - 19) at BALTIMORE (21 - 26) - 7:05 PM
ARMANDO GALARRAGA (R) vs. DAVID HERNANDEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 100-107 (-25.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 87-136 (-39.1 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 since 1997.
DETROIT is 62-70 (-18.2 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 64-80 (-29.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 72-74 (+9.0 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 25-13 (+10.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
BALTIMORE is 480-521 (-107.1 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field since 1997.
BALTIMORE is 67-124 (-40.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 480-521 (-107.1 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

ARMANDO GALARRAGA vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
GALARRAGA is 0-1 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.199.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.1 units)

DAVID HERNANDEZ vs. DETROIT since 1997
No recent starts.

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MLB
Short Sheet


Thursday, May 28th

National League

LA DODGERS at CHICAGO CUBS, 8:05 PM ET
WOLF: LAD 10-4 as a road underdog
WELLS: CHC 8-14 after 1+ consecutive unders

ATLANTA at ARIZONA, 9:40 PM ET
LOWE: ATL 48-22 after 3+ consecutive losses
HAREN: ARI 7-12 as a home favorite


American League

TAMPA BAY at CLEVELAND, 12:05 PM ET
NIEMANN: TB 15-7 OVER when the money line is -100 to -150
HUFF: CLE 16-0 at home against Tampa Bay

BOSTON at MINNESOTA, 1:10 PM ET
BECKETT: 21-7 TSR AWAY when the total is 8.5 to 10
SWARZAK: MIN 18-35 against AL East

DETROIT at BALTIMORE, 7:05 PM ET
GALARRAGA: DET 10-2 OVER AWAY when playing on Thursday
HERNANDEZ: BAL 2-15 after scoring and allowing 8+ runs

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MLB
Write-up


Thursday, May 28

Hot Pitchers
-- Wolf is 1-0, 2.59 in his last five starts. Wells has a 1.50 RA in his first three starts, but no wins.
-- Lowe is 2-1, 2.45 in his last three starts.

-- Swarczak shut Milwaukee out for seven innings in his first '09 start. Beckett is 1-0, 3.00 in his last three starts.
-- Tampa Bay won last four Niemann starts, scoring 39 runs.

Cold Pitchers
-- Haren is 0-1, 4.91 in his last four starts.

-- Huff allowed 13 runs in 6.2 IP in his first two '09 starts.
-- Galarraga is 0-4, 7.19 in his last five starts. Hernandez was 3-1, 2.91 at AAA Norfolk (13 walks, 60 K's).

Hot Teams
-- Dodgers won seven of their last eight road games.
-- Arizona is 7-4 in its last eleven games.

-- Twins won six of their last seven games.
-- Indians won four of their last five games.
-- Orioles won five of their last six games.

Cold Teams
-- Cubs lost eight of their last ten games.
-- Braves lost last three games, outscored 18-5.

-- Red Sox lost six of their last eight road games.
-- Rays lost last four games, allowing 19 runs in last ten innings.
-- Detroit lost four of its last six road games, allowing 36 runs.

Totals
-- Six of last eight Cub games stayed under the total.
-- Nine of last twelve Arizona home games went over the total.

-- Over is 9-2-1 in last twelve Tampa Bay games.
-- Under is 9-3-1 in last thirteen Red Sox games.
-- Seven of last nine Detroit games stayed under the total.

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MLB


Thursday, May 28

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Trend Report
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12:05 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. CLEVELAND
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Cleveland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

1:10 PM
BOSTON vs. MINNESOTA
Boston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Minnesota
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Minnesota is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home

7:05 PM
DETROIT vs. BALTIMORE
Detroit is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing Baltimore
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Baltimore
Baltimore is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Baltimore is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

8:05 PM
LA DODGERS vs. CHI CUBS
LA Dodgers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
LA Dodgers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
Chi Cubs are 10-3 SU in their last 13 games at home
Chi Cubs are 2-8 SU in their last 10 games

9:40 PM
ATLANTA vs. ARIZONA
Atlanta is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 8 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home
Arizona is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Atlanta

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MLB


Thursday, May 28

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Tips and Trends
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Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins [1:10 PM ET]

Red Sox (-115, O/U 9): In his best start of the season, Josh Beckett (4-2, 5.01 ERA) surrendered an unearned run and five hits in eight innings of a 3-2 loss to the Mets on Saturday. He walked just one in that contest, but he has issued 24 bases on balls in 55 2-3 innings. Beckett is 2-1 with a 4.74 ERA in three starts against the Twins. This will be his first career appearance at the Metrodome. The Red Sox have scored three runs or fewer in four of their last six games. Slumping slugger David Ortiz has batted sixth in the order the last two games, going 1 for 7 to drop his average to .193.

The Red Sox are 0-5 in their last 5 road games vs. a right-handed starter.
The Under is 6-1-1 in Boston's last 8 games following a loss.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 3 (UNDER - Total Play of the Day)

Twins: The Twins have won six of seven, averaging 8.1 runs during that span. Anthony Swarzak (1-0, 0.00) will make his second major league start. The right-hander won his debut, giving up five hits in seven scoreless innings of a 6-2 victory over Milwaukee on Saturday. "He came up here and showed he belongs," catcher Joe Mauer said of Minnesota's second-round draft pick in 2004. In his first full season as a starter, leadoff hitter Denard Span is batting .316 with 22 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He's hitting .483 (14 for 29) in his last eight games.

The Twins are 0-6 in their last 6 games as an underdog.
The Twins are 7-1 in their last 8 home games vs. a right-handed starter.

Key Injuries - 3B Joe Crede (hand) is QUESTIONABLE.

PROJECTED SCORE: 4

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MLB


Thursday, May 28

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Hot lines: Today’s best MLB bets
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Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles (-108, 10)

With all the anticipation built up surrounding Friday's arrival of catching prospect Matt Wieters, the rest of the Baltimore Orioles' young talent could get overshadowed.

They won't if they keep playing at this high level.

Coming off their first three-game sweep of the season on a walk-off three-run homer by rookie Nolan Reimold, the Orioles go for their season-high fourth consecutive win Thursday night when they open a four-game set against the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers at Camden Yards.

After losing its previous four games this season when going for a three-game sweep, Baltimore (21-26) rallied Wednesday with five runs in the eighth inning and four in the 11th to defeat struggling Toronto 12-10.

"We'll play until the game is over and make every at-bat count," said Reimold, who has four homers and nine RBIs in 13 games since being called up from Triple-A Norfolk on May 14.

Pick: Baltimore -180


Atlanta Braves at Arizona Diamondbacks (-122, 8)

The Atlanta Braves started a seven-game road trip by getting swept. They hope Derek Lowe taking the mound and a visit to Arizona could be just what they need to halt the slide.

Lowe looks to move into a tie for the NL wins lead Thursday night when he starts opposite Dan Haren in the opener of a four-game series with the Diamondbacks.

The Braves (23-23) fell 6-3 at San Francisco on Wednesday to get swept in a three-game set for only the second time this season. They managed just five runs in the series while getting held to 16 hits, including five in the finale, after winning five of their previous six games with a .308 average and 35 runs.

Atlanta, which entered the trip with a 12-8 record away from home, is looking to avoid losing four consecutive road games for the first time since dropping five straight from Aug. 24-Sept. 1.

Though these teams split a two-game set at Atlanta from May 15-16, the Braves have won four of the last five meetings in Phoenix, hitting .344 with five homers and 43 runs.

The Diamondbacks have lost seven of nine at home and are 10-17 overall at Chase Field.

Pick: Atlanta +114

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MLB


Thursday, May 28

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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking

Derek Lowe (Atlanta Braves)

Lowe looks to move into a tie for the NL wins lead Thursday night when he starts opposite Dan Haren in the opener of a four-game series with the Diamondbacks.

Lowe (6-2, 3.45 ERA), who turns 36 on Monday, has won four of his five road starts. He now looks to match New York's Johan Santana and Bronson Arroyo of Cincinnati for the league lead in victories.

The All-Star right-hander won again Saturday, allowing two runs and five hits in 7 1-3 innings, while helping himself with two hits and driving in the go-ahead run in a 4-3 win over Toronto.

"It starts with starting pitching," Lowe said. "You've got to be able to keep your team in the game."

He's certainly done that this year, allowing two runs or less in seven of his 10 starts. Lowe is 5-1 with a 3.54 ERA in his last six outings.

He's 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA in his last six starts against the Diamondbacks (20-27), winning his last two while yielding six hits in 14 scoreless innings.

Josh Beckett (Boston Red Sox)

Josh Beckett gave his catcher plenty of chances to hustle in his last outing. Fortunately for the Boston Red Sox, those consisted of jogs back to the dugout after successful innings.

Coming off an outstanding start, Beckett looks to help the Red Sox settle down after a wild performance on the mound as they conclude a four-game series with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday.

Beckett (4-2, 5.01 ERA) hasn't thrown a wild pitch all season and was in complete control the last time he took the mound. In his best start of the season, the right-hander surrendered an unearned run and five hits in eight innings of a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets on Saturday, but didn't factor in the decision.

He walked just one in that contest, but he has issued 24 bases on balls in 55 2-3 innings. In 2008, Beckett walked only 34 in 174 1-3 innings.

Beckett is 2-1 with a 4.74 ERA in three starts against the Twins. This will be his first career appearance at the Metrodome.


Slumping

Armando Galarraga (Detroit Tigers)

The Tigers open this series with Armando Galarraga (3-4, 5.74) on the mound. The right-hander is looking to bounce back from a 4-3 loss to Colorado on Saturday, when he gave up four runs in 5 1-3 innings.

"(Galarraga) certainly wasn't terrible, but his stuff isn't crisp right now,'' Detroit manager Jim Leyland said.

Galarraga is 0-4 with a 9.93 ERA in five May starts after opening the season 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA.

David Huff (Cleveland Indians)

The Rays could have a good chance at ending their losing streak in Cleveland as they face struggling rookie David Huff.

Huff (0-1, 17.55) has allowed 13 runs in 6 2-3 innings of his first two career starts. He gave up six and seven hits in three innings of a 7-6 win at Cincinnati on Saturday.

"It's disappointing," the left-hander told the Indians' official Web site. "I'm a competitor. I love to win. I need to win. So this is frustrating."


Debuting

David Hernandez (Baltimore Orioles)

With the Orioles placing Koji Uehara on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained left hamstring, David Hernandez looks to become the latest Baltimore pitcher to win his major league debut. Brad Bergesen defeated the Chicago White Sox on April 21 and Jason Berken yielded two runs over five innings in Tuesday's 7-2 victory over Toronto.

Hernandez went 3-1 with a 2.91 ERA in eight starts at Norfolk this season with 60 strikeouts in 43 1-3 innings. In his last start, he struck out 14 against Rochester on Friday.

"I think it's a boost for the whole ball club," Orioles pitching coach Rick Kranitz said prior to Wednesday's game. "They're excited about these young kids coming up and attacking hitters."

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MLB


Baseball Today

SCOREBOARD

Thursday, May 28

Atlanta at Arizona (8:05 p.m. EDT). Derek Lowe (6-2) will try for his sixth win in his last seven starts as the Braves open up a four-game set against the Diamondbacks. Arizona pitcher Dan Haren, who didn't give up more than three runs in any of his first eight starts, is coming off a no-decision against Oakland. He gave up five runs, including four homers.

STARS

Wednesday

-Randy Johnson, Giants, earned his 299th victory with six impressive innings, yielding three hits and one run in San Francisco's 6-3 win over Atlanta.

-Nolan Reimold, Orioles, hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to cap a second surprising comeback by Baltimore, which beat Toronto 12-10 to extend the Blue Jays' losing streak to nine games.

-Ben Francisco, Indians, homered and drove in four runs and Cleveland got its first three-game winning streak of the season with a 12-7 win over Tampa Bay.

-Jay Bruce, Reds, busted out of a 1-for-18 slump with two homers in Cincinnati's 6-1 win over Houston.

-Adrian Gonzalez, Padres, hit his major league-leading 18th home run and drove in three runs, and San Diego won for the 11th time in 12 games with a 8-5 victory over Arizona.

-A.J. Burnett, Yankees, pitched six shutout innings to win for the first time in six weeks as New York gained a share of the AL East lead with a 9-2 win over Texas.


SHOCKING TIRADE

Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano threw a baseball into left field and slammed his glove against the dugout fence after he was ejected against the Pittsburgh Pirates. With Nyjer Morgan at third and the Cubs leading 2-1 in the seventh inning, Zambrano's wild pitch just got away from catcher Geovany Soto. Zambrano covered the plate for Soto's throw, Morgan slid and umpire Mark Carlson ruled him safe. Zambrano jumped up and argued and was ejected after he appeared to nudge Carlson. Zambrano then pointed in Carlson's face and gave him the ejection sign. But the Cubs' emotional right-hander wasn't finished. He fired a ball into left, tossed his glove and took a bat to a dugout cooler before heading to the clubhouse.


GOT YOUR NUMBER

Ben Francisco's three-run homer in a five-run second inning was his third in three at-bats against Tampa Bay pitcher Andy Sonnanstine this season and fourth straight off the right-hander. Francisco is 8 for 9 with five homers and 12 RBIs against Sonnanstine.


TALE OF TWO BALLPARKS

After 23 games at each new ballpark, 87 home runs were hit at the new Yankee Stadium and 36 at the Mets' Citi Field. The new Yankee Stadium is on a pace for 306 homers, nearly double the 160 at old Yankee Stadium last year and more than the record 303 home runs at Denver's Coors Field in 1999.


WILD K

Daisuke Matsuzaka and the rest of Boston's pitchers tied a modern-day record with six wild pitches. Matsuzaka tied a franchise record set 80 years ago with four, while relievers Manny Delcarmen and Justin Masterson also sent catcher George Kottaras scrambling. It was just the fifth time since 1900 that a team threw six wild pitches in a game.


SNAPPED

Oakland's Bobby Crosby ended a career-long 72-game, 243 at-bat homerless streak with a drive in the second that tied it at 1, but the A's lost 6-1 to Seattle.


SIDELINED

Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolan was hospitalized after what team officials termed a mild heart attack. Indians vice president Bob DiBiasio says Dolan was taken to the hospital Wednesday and will remain there for observation. DiBiasio says the 78-year-old Dolan is in good spirits. Dolan was born and raised in Cleveland. He acquired all outstanding stock in the Indians from Richard Jacobs in a cash merger in February 2000. Dolan is also the team's chief executive officer.


CYCLING

Gerry Rodriguez, of the Rome Braves, hit for the cycle in the team's 4-3 win over the Greenville Drive. Rodriguez, who had four hits, capped his feat with a walk-off homer in the 10th inning. It was the third cycle in the minors this season.


GRIEVING PITCHER

Grieving Arizona pitcher Scott Schoeneweis visited Chase Field for the first time since the death last week of his wife, Gabrielle. Schoeneweis played catch and lifted weights before the Diamondbacks' game against the San Diego Padres, manager A.J. Hinch said.


SPEAKING

"I overexaggerated after that play to throw the ball and to do the other things, you know. Hopefully MLB will review the play and we'll see what happens.'' - Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano after his tantrum, where he heaved his glove, threw a ball into left field and then whacked a dugout cooler with a bat.

SEASONS

May 28

1946 - The Washington Senators beat New York 2-1 in the first night game at Yankee Stadium. The first ball was thrown out by General Electric president Charles E. Wilson.

1951 - After going 0-for-12 in his first three major league games, Willie Mays of the New York Giants hit a home run off Warren Spahn in a 4-1 loss to the Boston Braves.

1956 - Dale Long of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a home run in his eighth consecutive game, a major league record. Long connected off Brooklyn's Carl Erskine at Forbes Field.

1968 - The American League announced the league will be split into two divisions. The East division will consist of Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, New York and Washington. California, Chicago, Kansas City, Minnesota, Oakland and Seattle will make up the West.

1979 - George Brett of the Kansas City Royals hit for the cycle and added another home run to beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 in 16 innings.

1986 - Joe Cowley of the Chicago White Sox set a major league record by striking out the first seven batters he faced. He lasted 4 2-3 innings in a 6-3 loss to the Texas Rangers.

1995 - The White Sox and Tigers set a major league record with 12 homers, and combined for an American League-record 21 extra-base hits in Chicago's 14-12 victory in Detroit.

1998 - Arizona manager Buck Showalter intentionally walked Barry Bonds with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and the Diamondbacks held on to beat San Francisco 8-7.

2003 - Atlanta became the second team in major league history to start a game with three straight homers in its 15-3 win over the Reds. Rafael Furcal, Mark DeRosa and Gary Sheffield hit consecutive home runs off Jeff Austin in the bottom of the first. The Padres did it against the Giants on April 13, 1987.

2006 - Barry Bonds hit his 715th home run during the San Francisco Giants' 6-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies to slip past Babe Ruth and pull in right behind Hank Aaron (755).

2007 - Adrian Beltre tied a franchise record with four extra-base hits, including two homers, as Seattle pounded the Los Angeles Angels 12-5.

Today's birthdays: Cory Wade 26; Jhonny Peralta 27; Daniel Cabrera 28.

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MLB


This Day in Baseball

On May 28 in Baseball History...

1941 - The New York Yankees nip the Washington Senators 6-5 in the first night game at Griffith Stadium.

1946 - The Washington Senators edge the New York Yankees 2-1 before 49,917 fans in the first night game at Yankee Stadium.

1951 - After going 0-for-12, Willie Mays connects for his first major-league hit, a home run off Braves pitcher Warren Spahn. The Giants lose the game 4-1.

1952 - The Giants Willie Mays enters the army. Although Mays is hitting just .236, the Giants are two and a half games up, in first place. They will lose eight of their next ten games.

1957 - The N.L. approves the proposed moves of the Dodgers and the Giants to the West Coast, provided both clubs make their request before October 1 and move at the same time.

1961 - After losing the first game 14-9 at home to Chicago, the Yankees take the nightcap 5-3 with the help of a Roger Maris home run. Maris's ninth home run of the season is one of 27 hit in today's seven A.L. games — a record. Twelve more homers in four N.L. games make a total of 39, a one-day major-league record for 11 games in both leagues.

1968 - The A.L. owners agree to the following divisional alignment for 1969: Eastern: Boston, New York, Cleveland, Baltimore, Washington, Detroit. Western: Chicago, Kansas City, Minnesota, Seattle, Oakland, California.

1971 - Clete Boyer, involved in a dispute with Braves owner Paul Richards and manager Lum Harris over alleged silly rules and mismanagement, gets his release and retires. Boyer had hit safely in the last nine games of his career, including five home runs and 14 RBI.

1986 - In his second start for the White Sox since being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo, Joe Cowley sets a major-league record by striking out the first seven Rangers he faces, but still surrenders six runs in 4 1/3 innings and loses 6-3. Cowley's record will be broken by Jim Deshaies before season's end.

1994 - Minnesota's Dave Winfield passes former Twin Rod Carew to move into 15th place on the all-time list with career hit 3,054.

1995 - The White Sox and Tigers combine for a major-league record 12 home runs at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers hit seven home runs, but still lose the 14-12 slugfest.

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