Sunday Trends and Indexes 6/14 (MLB, WNBA, Misc.)

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[pm530]

Sunday Trends and Indexes 6/14 (NBA, MLB, WNBA, Misc.)

Trends and Indexes

Sunday, June 14

Good Luck on day #165 of 2009!

At this time the sports menu in this thread consists of the NBA, MLB, and the WNBA 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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MLB Matchups

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[pm530]

Daily Sports Roundup

Sunday, June 14

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Magic try to avoid elimination at home, the Cardinals and Indians meet under the lights, and NASCAR races at Michigan.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The Lakers will try to close out the best-of-seven NBA Finals on Sunday night when they play Game 5 in Orlando. Kobe Bryant poured in 32 points (on just 11-of-31 shooting) in Game 4 on Thursday night as Los Angeles pulled out a 99-91 road overtime victory to take a 3-1 series lead. Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza each picked up 16 points for the Lakers in the win, with Gasol adding 10 boards. Dwight Howard had 16 points, 21 rebounds, and nine blocks for the Magic, but went a costly 6-of-14 from the free-throw line. Hedo Turkoglu tossed in 25 points. Oddsmakers opened Orlando as a small 2.5-point favorite at home for Game 5.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The primetime matchup on Sunday has St. Louis at Cleveland, with Chris Carpenter (4-0, 1.23 ERA) slated to take on Cliff Lee (3-6, 3.17 ERA). Cards ace Carpenter took a no-decision vs. the Marlins last time out, surrendering three earned runs over six innings of work; the righthander had given up just three earned runs over his previous six outings. Lee is also coming off a no-decision, allowing four earned runs over six innings vs. the Royals on Tuesday; that was the first time the lefthander had surrendered more than three runs since April 11.

The top afternoon game has the Mets' Johan Santana (8-3, 2.39 ERA) taking on the Yankees' A.J. Burnett (4-3, 4.89 ERA) at Yankee Stadium. Lefthander Santana was knocked around for five earned runs on eight hits over seven innings by the Phillies in his last trip to the mound, but the Mets still managed to pick up the victory. Righthander Burnett had a two-game winning streak snapped by the BoSox last time out, giving up five runs (three earned) in just 2 2-3 innings.

Also on the interleague slate for Sunday: Florida at Toronto, Detroit at Pittsburgh, Boston at Philadelphia, Atlanta at Baltimore, Washington at Tampa Bay, the White Sox at Milwaukee, Cincinnati at Kansas City, Minnesota at the Cubs, the Dodgers at Texas, Seattle at Colorado, San Diego at the Angels, and Oakland at San Francisco. As well, the Astros will finish off their road set versus the D-Backs.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

The Sprint Cup Series hits Michigan International Speedway for the LifeLock 400 on Sunday afternoon, with Jimmie Johnson pegged as the 5/1 Vegas favorite for the race. Kyle Busch is next at 6/1 odds, with Tony Stewart at 8/1 odds to take the checkered flag; Stewart won the Pocono 500 last weekend and holds a 71-point lead on Jeff Gordon in the driver standings after 14 events. Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards are all pegged back at 10/1 odds to win at Michigan.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Formula 1 field will be looking to knock off red-hot Jenson Button when that circuit contests the British Grand Prix on Sunday. Button has won six of seven F1 races so far this season for Brawn-Mercedes, and had grabbed the victory in four consecutive races heading into Silverstone. That has Button 26 points up on teammate Rubens Barrichello in the drivers championship. Lewis Hamilton got the win in the British Grand Prix last season.

Finally, there are a pair of WNBA matchups on the schedule for Sunday, with Connecticut playing host to Atlanta, and Seattle playing on the road in Chicago.

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[pm530]

Weekend six-pack

Here are the top and bottom six teams in major leagues, as far as who has drafted the most major leaguers, over last decade. As long as the guy made big leagues, team that drafted him gets credit for it......

Top six .....................%
A's ...............43-452, .095
Rays ............46-497, .093
Dodgers .......43-489, .088
Cubs ........... 44-503, .087
Arizona ........44-506, .087
Blue Jays ......41-480, .085

Bottom six .................%
Reds .............21-505, .042
Mets .............28-490, .057
Brewers .......29-489, .059
Mariners .......30-499, .060
Phillies ..........29-479, .061
Tigers ...........29-471, .062

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Sunday's List of 13: Cleaning out a cluttered mind.......

13) Jim Calhoun is 67 years old, he's beaten cancer out twice; Saturday, he was in a 50-mile bike race for charity, but fell 12 miles into the race. Did he quit? No, he finished the 50 miles, then collapsed, exhausted, dehydrated. Turns out he broke five ribs when he fell, but still rode the last 38 miles of the race. He's definitely very tough, and maybe a little crazy, too.

12) Other than soldiers and firefighters, I'd nominate Calhoun as one of the toughest guys in the country; if you're a UConn player, how do you ever not get back on defense if your coach rides 38 miles with five broken ribs?

11) Adrian Gonzalez walked 2+ times in eight straight games, making him the first player since at least 1920 to do that. Not even Barry Bonds in his heyday walked as much as Gonzalez has been for the Padres.

10) All of which is huge indictment of Chase Headley, Kevin Kouzmanoff and the Padres' front office, since there is no one to bat behind Gonzalez.

9) I listen to New York City talkshows sometimes, and these jackasses are critical of David Wright, because his HR numbers are down, Wright is leading the league in hitting (no Met has ever led the NL in hitting) and had 36 RBI going into today's game. Ever think his HR numbers will never be what they were because fools that own the team built a cavernous yard?

8) On June 13, Denver Broncos named Kyle Orton their starting QB, three full months before their Sept 13 opener in Cincinnati. Now, consider that Orton was acquired in the Jay Cutler deal, and the only guy he had to beat out was professional son Chris Simms; why exactly is this newsworthy? The guy beat out no one. Denver has had a horrific offseason.

7) Red Sox closer Papelbon was recently fined $1,000 for "slow play" the first major leaguer this year fined under this new rule. You could nail a lot of guys for same violation, especially hitters who step out of the box a lot.

6) Jose Contreras has come storming back from minor leagues, throwing 16 scoreless innings since his return to the big club, winning two starts.

5) Torii Hunter hit three home runs Saturday night against the Padres, all solo shots, in the 2nd, 3rd and 7th innings. .

4) Dodger-Ranger game was delayed by a power outage when it was 0-0 in 6th inning; power outage didn't refer to Russell Martin's hitting-- Martin still hasn't homered in '09, after hitting 42 HRs the last three years.

3) Say what you want about Friday night's dropped popup, but Saturday Luis Castillo handled the situation like a classy professional. No excuses, just played another game and helped his team win this one. Good for him.

2) After four complete games Friday, there were none Saturday; only three of the 30 starting pitchers finished the 8th inning, only ten went 7+.

1) Colorado Rockies have now won ten games in row, and are 30-32 with 100 games left in season. They've pitched a lot better since they changed managers, but they really haven't hit that much better.

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[pm530]

NBA
Dunkel Index


LA Lakers at Orlando
After dropping Game Four in OT, the Magic look to stay alive and take advantage of LA's 4-10 ATS record in its last 14 games following a SU win. Orlando is the pick (-2 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Magic favored by 4. Dunkel Pick: Orlando (-2 1/2). Here are all of today's playoff picks.

SUNDAY, JUNE 14

Game 709-710: LA Lakers at Orlando
Dunkel Ratings: LA Lakers 127.701; Orlando 131.576
Dunkel Line & Total: Orlando by 4; 204 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Orlando by 2 1/2; 198
Dunkel Pick: Orlando (-2 1/2); Over

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[pm530]

NBA
Long Sheet


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Sunday, June 14
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LA LAKERS (80 - 24) at ORLANDO (72 - 33) - 6/14/2009, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ORLANDO is 62-43 ATS (+14.7 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 43-35 ATS (+4.5 Units) as a favorite this season.
ORLANDO is 56-40 ATS (+12.0 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) when playing with 2 days rest this season.
ORLANDO is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) against Pacific division opponents this season.
ORLANDO is 41-22 ATS (+16.8 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 22-12 ATS (+8.8 Units) in non-conference games this season.
ORLANDO is 21-8 ATS (+12.2 Units) revenging a home loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 22-12 ATS (+8.8 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent this season.
ORLANDO is 32-21 ATS (+8.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ORLANDO is 32-17 ATS (+13.3 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
LA LAKERS are 111-93 ATS (+8.7 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 11-2 ATS (+8.8 Units) as an underdog this season.
LA LAKERS are 59-40 ATS (+15.0 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 34-25 ATS (+6.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
LA LAKERS are 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 21-9 ATS (+11.1 Units) in road games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ORLANDO is 5-5 against the spread versus LA LAKERS over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 6-4 straight up against ORLANDO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[pm530]

NBA
Short Sheet


Sunday, June 14th

NBA Finals
Game Five
LA Lakers Lead, 3-1
LA Lakers at Orlando , 8:05 ET

LA Lakers:
11-2 ATS as an underdog
21-10 ATS Away off BB ATS wins

Orlando:
77-112 ATS off home loss
15-6 Under off BB non-conf games

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[pm530]

NBA
Write-up


Sunday, June 14

NBA Finals

Hard to believe the NBA Finals didn't end when Derek Fisher stuck that stake in Orlando's heart at the end of regulation Thursday night, but will take one more win for Lakers to win NBA title. Underdog covered last three games in series, with two of Lakers' three wins coming in overtime. If Nelson is going to play 25:47 again in this game, he better take hell of a lot more than three shots (1-3). Howard had 21 rebounds, blocked nine shots, but he also turned ball over seven times and was 6-14 on foul line thats 6-14 in game that went OT. Lakers are going back to LA after this game; question is, will Magic go back to California with them?

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[pm530]

NBA


Sunday, June 14

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Trend Sheet
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8:00 PM
LA LAKERS vs. ORLANDO
LA Lakers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games
LA Lakers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games
Orlando is 6-19 SU in their last 25 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando's last 5 games when playing LA Lakers

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[pm530]

NBA


Sunday, June 14

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Game of the day: NBA Finals Game 5
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Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando Magic (-3, 198.5)

The betting line

The Magic opened as 4-point favorites, but that line was quickly bet down to -3 and now bettors are starting to see -2.5 pop up at various venues.

Orlando was favored by 4.5 points in Game 3 but only 2.5 points in Game 4. That Game 4 line actually closed at -1.5.

The total didn't stay north of 200 for long. Early money came in on the under, moving the number down to 198.5 where it current resides.

That's two points lower than Thursday's Game 4.

The Fisher king

“He’s been there before."

That was Kobe Bryant's take on Derek Fisher following Game 4.

Were it not for Fisher's late-game heroics, we would be discussing a 2-2 series right now.

Was Fisher wholly responsible or was it just another case of Orlando proving its naysayers right.

The knock on the Magic has been their inability to close. On Thursday, they let a 12-point halftime lead completely dissolve in the third quarter before rallying in the fourth.

But it was all for not as they blew a 5-point lead in the final minute of the game and collapsed in the late stages of overtime.

Typical is the word that comes to mind.

Not dead yet

Dwight Howard doesn't think his team is finished.

“There’s no reason for us to hold our heads down,” Howard told the media following Game 4. “We will believe until there’s no more games to be played.”

Head coach Stan Van Gundy didn't sound so optimistic.

“This is the toughest one because it puts us down two games and on the brink of elimination. The mood (in the locker room) was very somber."

Finding their shots

It’s obvious by this point that in order to win another game in this series, the Magic are going to have to shoot the lights out.

They shot better than 62 percent in their only victory and even that was a monumental struggle as the winning margin was only four points.

The Lakers couldn't have shot much worse in Game 4, connecting on just 38-of-91 FG attempts, yet they still managed to win the game.

That's the mark of a champion, finding a way to win, even when you're not at your best.

On the rebound

If there's one thing the Magic can hang their hat on, it's their ability to bounce back.

Orlando is 7-2 straight-up, and since their second round series against Boston, 5-1-1 against the number after a loss.

The Lakers were 1-9 ATS after a win through the first two-plus playoff rounds, but have since straightened things out.

They're 3-1 SU and 2-1-1 ATS in their last four games following a victory.

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[pm530]

NBA


Sunday, June 14

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NBA Finals: Weekend Betting Preview
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Betting Preview

The Orlando Magic only have themselves to blame. And the Los Angeles Lakers have Derek Fisher to thank.

With a chance to even the NBA Finals series at two games apiece, Orlando's Dwight Howard – who otherwise had a wonderful game – missed two free-throws late in Thursday's Game 4 that would have nearly iced down a Magic victory. Fisher then canned a game-tying 3-pointer with four seconds left, and later hit what turned out to be a game-winning trey in overtime as Los Angeles stole a 99-91 decision to take a 3-1 series lead.

So the Magic will be looking to extend the season to at least a Game 6 when the teams meet for Game 5 Sunday night in Orlando (8 pm ET, ABC).

The Lakers may be up three games to one in this series, but two of those victories have come in overtime, and each of the last three games could have gone either way. And after LA won Game 1 in a blowout, the underdogs on the NBA betting lines have covered the pointspread each of those last three games.

Also Thursday, for the second time in this series, a game stayed under its total despite going to overtime. Through regulation Thursday, the game was tied at 87, which had it 27 points below the over/under of 201. The teams then combined to score just 16 points in the extra session, bringing the totals to 1-3 so far in this series.

With Howard – who grabbed 21 rebounds and set a new Finals record for blocked shots with nine – hitting just six of 14 shots from the line Thursday, the Magic cost themselves by missing 15 free-throws on the night, seven alone in the fourth quarter.

Orlando held a 12-point lead at halftime Thursday, but it only took the Lakers the first half of the third quarter to rally and take the lead. Then, after falling down by six early in the fourth, the Magic came back, and after a couple of hoops by Hedo Turkoglu they owned a five-point lead and the ball with a minute to go. But all that was just setting the stage for Fisher's heroics.

Orlando beat the Lakers both times the teams played during the regular season, by scores of 106-103 and 109-103. And Magic guard Jameer Nelson played a large part in those victories, leading Orlando in scoring both games and dishing out 13 assists. But Nelson, after missing the last two-plus months of the regular season and the entire Eastern Conference playoffs with a shoulder injury, has been no factor coming back for the Finals – scoring just 14 points and tallying 10 assists in the four games total.

Rafer Alston, after coming over from Houston in a February trade, has performed admirably in replacement of Nelson. But it appears Nelson's return has thrown Orlando's chemistry off a bit, which is always a possibility in situations like this.

The two teams combined to make 71 of 165 FG attempts Thursday, and on the series as a whole, the teams together have shot just 42% from the field.

The totals are now 7-15 in Lakers games this playoff season, 10-13 in Magic games.

If the Magic win Sunday, the teams will head back to Los Angeles for a Game 6 Tuesday (9 pm ET, ABC) and, if necessary, a Game 7 Thursday (9 pm ET, ABC).

Bettors should check back for the line and total, and numerous proposition offerings, on Game 5 as tip-off approaches.

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[Udog]

MLB


Sunday, June 14

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This Day in Baseball
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On June 14 in Baseball History...

1933 - Lou Gehrig's consecutive-game streak survives, even though he and manager Joe McCarthy are thrown out of a game. McCarthy is suspended for 3 games but Gehrig's streak, now at 1,249, continues.

1952 - Warren Spahn of the Braves ties the N.L. record of Jim Whitney with 18 strikeouts against the Cubs in a 15-inning, 3-1 loss. Hal Jeffcoat's two-run triple wins it, while Spahn's home run is the only Boston score. Meanwhile, Braves scout Dewey Griggs signs Hank Aaron to a contract.

1965 - No-hit pitching and 18 strikeouts, tying the N.L. extra-inning record, net Cincinnati's Jim Maloney a 0-0 tie with the last-place Mets through ten innings. Johnny Lewis's 11th-inning home run gives New York and reliever Larry Bearnarth a 1-0 win.

1966 - Miami ekes out a 4-3 triumph over St. Petersburg (Florida State League) in 29 innings. It is the longest game not interrupted by a suspension of play in the history of organized ball. Sparky Anderson is the manager for St. Petersburg.

1979 - The Giants lose to the Cubs 8-6, but Willie McCovey hits his 513rd career home run off Dennis Lamp. McCovey becomes the most prolific lefthanded home run hitter in N.L. history.

1985 - One day after his successor Joe Altobelli was fired as manager of the Orioles, Earl Weaver comes out of retirement to manage the club. Weaver led Baltimore to six A.L. titles from 1968-82.

1990 - The N.L. announces plans to expand from 12 to 14 teams for the 1993 season. The price of admission for each expansion franchise is $95 million.

1992 - Ozzie Smith breaks Roy McMillan's N.L. mark by taking part in his 1,305th career double play.

1995 - Giants infielder Mike Benjamin goes 6-for-7 in a 13-inning 4-3 win over the Cubs. It caps a three-day binge in which Benjamin, a career .186 hitter in his first six seasons, sets a major league record with 14 hits in three games. Benjamin was 14-for-18 in that stretch.


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[Udog]

MLB


Sunday, June 14

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Sunday Night Baseball: St. Louis at Cleveland
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St. Louis Cardinals at Cleveland Indians (-106, 7.5)

The theme for Interleague play this weekend was same division duels.

With that, the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Cleveland Indians in the finale of this three-game Central Division showdown when Chris Carpenter (4-0 1.23 ERA) matches serves with Cliff Lee (3-6 3.17 ERA) in a battle of staff aces at Progressive Field under the ESPN lights.

Mashed potatoes

Perhaps no team in the majors has been hit as hard with injuries as the Indians, who have seven players on the DL including All-Star CF Grady Sizemore.

Former All-Star P Jake Westbrook stepped on the mound for the first time this week following offseason Tommy John surgery. If all goes well he could rejoin the rotation before the season ends.

Because of injuries and poor performance, RHP Tomo Ohka’s start on Saturday marked the 10th different starter the Tribe has used this season.

Infielder Asdrubal Cabrera is out, creating a gaffe on the left side of the infield. Luis Valbuena was recalled from Columbus, moving regular SS Jhonny Peralta to the hot corner for the second time this season.

"I was impressed with Valbuena at shortstop in spring training," manager Eric Wedge told reporters, "and he's done a good job here in the short-term."

"The more Jhonny plays third, the better he's going to be. He has a chance to be a pretty good third baseman, once he gets comfortable,” he said.

Free fallin’

Both teams are falling faster than the economy.

The Tribe’s plunge has been all long as the injuries have sent them to the cellar of the American League Central.

St. Louis was swept in four games against Colorado at home before edging Florida, two games to one, prior to this series.

Through it all, both teams remain within striking distance of division leaders Detroit and Milwaukee, respectively.

“The way the rest of the division’s played, I keep feeling like if we can just hang in there and not completely succumb to the magnitude of our injuries, getting those guys back alone may be enough to make a surge in our division,” Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro told the media.

Meanwhile, an injury to 3B Troy Glaus and an anxiety disorder to SS Khalil Greene has crippled the Redbirds’ attack. First baseman Albert Pujols is the only player in the Cards’ lineup the team has been able to depend on.

Cy’s of relief

Thank goodness for the Cardinals and Indians. Carpenter and Lee are former Cy Young award winners and appear to be back on track following rocky starts.

Carpenter’s numbers across the board this season are far superior to his career marks. His 0.70 WHIP, .163 opponent batting average and 1.23 ERA are more Cy Young-like than his career 1.31 WHIP, .264 opponent batting average and 4.00 ERA.

While Lee’s slow start (0-4 first four games) has hampered his numbers this campaign, his 3.17 ERA in nearly a full run better than his 4.07 career ERA. More important, his walk-to-strikeout (10-49) ratio is rounding back to where it was in his dominating Cy Young season in 2008.

Lee defeated the Redbirds, 10-3, in his only start against the Cardinals in St. Louis back in 2006. Carpenter is 3-2 with a 4.41 ERA in his five career team starts versus the Tribe, including 1-1 with a 6.28 ERA on the north coast.

Historically speaking

Entering this weekend, the Indians stood 6-3 against the Cardinals in Interleague play, but only 1-2 at home.

St. Louis is 1-7 its last eight games away on Sundays. Cleveland is 4-1 in its last five at home on Sundays.


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[Udog]

MLB


Sunday, June 14

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Hot Lines: Sunday's best MLB bets
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Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Phillies (+119, 9)

Josh Beckett might be the last person the Philadelphia Phillies want to see on the mound Sunday.

Looking for a sixth straight winning decision, Beckett tries to help the Boston Red Sox record a sixth consecutive victory and a series sweep of the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

As if Philadelphia (35-25) hasn't endured enough in this set, it must face Beckett (7-2, 3.77 ERA), who hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two starts. The reigning World Series champion Phillies haven't been swept in a three-game series this season.

After a 5-2, 13-inning victory in Friday's series opener between these division leaders, Boston (38-24) won 11-6 on Saturday.

The Red Sox are 22-14 versus the Phillies and have won 10 of their last 12 at Philadelphia. Boston has also won 10 of its last 12 overall, and its six straight victories away from home are its most since a seven-game run from June 12-26, 2005.

Pick: Boston -127



St. Louis Cardinals at Cleveland Indians (-106, 7.5)

On Sunday night in Cleveland, the pitcher with the best interleague winning percentage will square off with the hitter with the best average in interleague play. The other starter is also a former Cy Young Award winner.

There will be plenty of intrigue when the Indians send Cliff Lee to the mound to face Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Lee (3-6, 3.17 ERA) has already doubled his loss total from last year's Cy Young Award-winning season, but the Indians usually don't lose when he faces the NL. He is 11-2 with a 3.42 ERA in 19 career interleague outings, and that .846 winning percentage is the best for any pitcher with at least 12 decisions.

Cleveland (28-36) is 14-5 in the left-hander's interleague starts, and Lee is 5-0 with a 3.62 ERA in eight career home starts versus NL foes. He has faced the Cardinals (34-29) once, earning a 10-3 road win on June 26, 2006, by giving up two runs over six innings.

That marks the only time Lee has pitched to Pujols, who went 1 for 2 with a walk. The St. Louis superstar is the all-time leader in interleague batting average at .355 (155 for 437) with 30 homers and 100 RBIs.

"He's a special player," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "He's probably the best hitter in the game right now. That's not something you say very lightly."

Wedge is speaking from experience after the Indians failed to contain Pujols on Saturday when he recorded his 27th multihomer game and fourth this season with two solo shots in a 3-1 victory. The reigning NL MVP also homered Friday night and is 7 for 16 with four homers and six RBIs in his last four games after breaking an 0-for-14 streak.

Pick: St. Louis -102


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[Udog]

MLB


Sunday, June 14

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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking

Josh Johnson (Florida Marlins)

He'll be opposed by Florida's Josh Johnson (5-1, 2.73), who's looking for his third win in four starts and is among the NL leaders in ERA.

The right-hander outpitched Roy Halladay with 5 2-3 innings of one-run ball to win his only start against Toronto 4-1 on June 18, 2006. He'll face a struggling Blue Jays lineup, as manager Cito Gaston has been forced to make changes with his team's batting average dipping from .292 to .278 over the last 24 games.

Josh Beckett (Boston Red Sox)

Beckett (7-2, 3.77 ERA) hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two starts.

Beckett allowed only an infield hit while striking out eight in six innings of a 7-0 win over the New York Yankees on Tuesday. He's given up five runs - one earned - and struck out 30 while going 3-0 over his last four starts.

"He's been rolling," third baseman Mike Lowell told the Red Sox's official Web site. "He's answered the bell - what you come to expect out of an ace. That, and some."

The right-hander is 5-0 with a 1.70 ERA in his last seven starts after going 2-2 with a 7.22 ERA in his first five.

"It's a work in progress," Beckett said. "We're taking care of stuff we need to take care of."

Beckett has taken care of the Phillies in his career, going 8-3 with a 3.79 ERA in 16 starts. He's won his last three versus Philadelphia but faces the club for the first time since 2006.


Slumping

Billy Buckner (Arizona Diamondbacks)

Billy Buckner (2-2, 6.75) will take the mound for Arizona hoping to bounce back from his worst start of the season.

After going 2-1 with a 2.95 ERA in his first three games since being moved into the rotation, the right-hander was tagged for career highs of eight runs and 13 hits in a 9-4 loss to San Francisco on Tuesday.

Buckner, who has a 12.27 ERA in five games - two starts - at home this year, has never faced the Astros.

Dontrelle Willis (Detroit Tigers)

The Tigers will turn to Dontrelle Willis (1-3, 6.60), who is looking to get his first victory since yielding one hit in 6 1-3 innings of a 4-0 win over Texas on May 19.

The left-hander, on the disabled list with an anxiety disorder until last month, hasn't come close to that since, going 0-3 with an 8.53 ERA and 16 walks in 19 innings over four starts.

Willis, though, showed some improvement while laboring through five innings Tuesday, allowing three runs and five hits with five walks on 105 pitches in a 7-6, 10-inning win over the Chicago White Sox.

"I've got to take my hat off to him," Tigers manager Jim Leyland told the team's official Web site. "This guy competes so hard. It's kind of a tough situation to manage right now. He wouldn't come out. I couldn't tell you how happy I was with the way he competed. I think the guys love him. I think they appreciate the way he goes about his business."

Willis is 2-4 with a 2.96 ERA in eight starts against the Pirates, whom he hasn't faced since 2007 while pitching for the Florida Marlins.


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