Wednesday Trends and Indexes 8/19 (MLB, WNBA, Misc.)

[Udog]

WNBA
Dunkel


Minnesota at Los Angeles
The Lynx look to take advantage of a Los Angeles team playing back-to-back nights and is just 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games following a SU win.. Minnesota is the pick (+5) according to Dunkel, which has the Sparks favored by 4 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+5). Here are all of today's picks.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19

Game 601-602: New York at Connecticut
Dunkel Ratings: New York 110.214; Connecticut 113.991
Dunkel Line & Total: Connecticut by 4; 133 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Connecticut by 5 1/2; 144
Dunkel Pick: New York (+5 1/2); Under

Game 603-604: Minnesota at Los Angeles
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 108.737; Los Angeles 113.040
Dunkel Line & Total: Los Angeles by 4 1/2; 163 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles by 5; 151
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+5); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet


Wednesday, August 19

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NEW YORK (9 - 15) at CONNECTICUT (12 - 11) - 8/19/2009, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW YORK is 119-88 ATS (+22.2 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1997.
NEW YORK is 63-40 ATS (+19.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
NEW YORK is 40-22 ATS (+15.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 21-35 ATS (-17.5 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW YORK is 8-3 against the spread versus CONNECTICUT over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 6-5 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MINNESOTA (11 - 13) at LOS ANGELES (9 - 13) - 8/19/2009, 10:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 5-4 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
LOS ANGELES is 5-4 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Wednesday, August 19

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Lady Luck: Today's WNBA best bets
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New York Liberty at Connecticut Sun (-5, 143.5)

Looking for their seventh straight playoff berth, the Sun will be without All-Star forward Asjha Jones for at least two weeks.

Jones, Connecticut's leading scorer at 16.7 points and second-leading rebounder at 5.9 boards, scored 23 points in Friday's double-overtime loss at Washington but on Monday was diagnosed with recurring soreness in her left Achilles tendon.

Stepping in for Jones probably will be Tamika Whitmore, who has managed just 10 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes over three games since returning from a 10-game absence due to a knee injury. She is averaging 6.2 points and 2.6 rebonds.

The Liberty have covered four straight as road underdogs, including three straight-up wins. The teams play again in New York on Friday.

Pick: New York


Minnesota Lynx at Los Angeles Sparks (-5, 152)

It is impossible to figure out the Sparks.

In their last five games, the Sparks have notched home wins over Seattle and Indiana, two of the best teams in the WNBA, for their first winning streak of the season; followed that with home losses to New York and Sacramento, the two worst teams in the WNBA; and followed that by going to Sacramento and rolling to a 78-61 victory Saturday.

During that five-game stretch, Los Angeles averaged 74.4 points. In its three prior games, it averaged 60.3.

Next up are the Lynx, whom the Sparks beat in Minnesota on July 28. The Lynx have lost three in a row straight up and against the spread.

Pick: Minnesota

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[Udog]

Len's Top 5

Happy Wednesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for August 19, 2009 from Len Berman Sports.

1. Quick Hits

Brett Favre (yawn) signed with the Minnesota Vikings. I'd be more excited if George Brett ended his retirement.
Jets coach Rex Ryan fired another salvo at Patriots coach Bill Belichick. A few months ago Ryan said he didn't come to New York to kiss Belichick's rings. Yesterday he said "I'm not intimidated by him." He added the Jets aren't going to tiptoe around the Patriots. Take that Mr. Hoodie!
A Buffalo grand jury is expected to announce charges today against Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane. He allegedly attacked a cabbie when he didn't have 20-cents change. Lovely.

2. Enough Already

Is anyone else Favred out? He retires, unretires, plays for the Jets, retires, unretires, signs with the Vikings. Is this the classic "I won't quit until they tear the uniform off my back?" Hey he's free to do whatever he wants. It's his legacy. Tarnish away.

3. Jail Birds

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb says he wouldn't be opposed to adding Plaxico Burress to the roster. He could catch passes from Michael Vick. Now, if only they could coax O.J. Simpson out of retirement.

4. Crunching the Numbers

Subscriber Eric G. already has his defense lined up should anyone accuse the Yankees of "buying a championship." He says the highest payrolls that have won a World Series are the 2007 Red Sox, followed by the 2004 Red Sox, then the 2008 Phillies. He asks, "how come nobody complains about the Red Sox buying their last two championships?"
We have the makings of a new TV reality show here. "Battle of the Network CPA's"

5. Target Audience

Advertisers know their audience. Beer commercials during NFL games, feminine hygiene commercials on Lifetime. And during the Little League World Series? I'm told they ran commercials for Extenze, an all natural male enhancement tablet. Well, what Little Leaguer wouldn't want to have a larger penis?

Happy Birthday: Former Mets pitcher and current announcer Ron Darling. 49.
Bonus Birthday: Bubba himself, Bill Clinton. 63.

Today in Sports: The first car race was run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Speeds reached over 50 mph!) 100 years ago today. 1909.
Bonus Event: Google first appeared on the New York Stock Exchange offered at $85 a share. Now it's around $445. 2004.

[Udog]

MLB


Revised

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Tips and Trends
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Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers [8:05 PM ET]

Twins: Minnesota has struggled since the All-Star break going 12-18. The Twins need a big game from Scott Baker (10-7, 4.54 ERA) since their last three starters only went a combined 12 1/3 innings leaving their bullpen with a high fatigue rating. Baker delivered in his last performance, giving up two hits in shutting out Cleveland, 11-0, last Friday. However, in his previous outing the right-hander was tagged for six runs on nine hits by the Tigers in just 4 1/3 innings. Baker is 1-0 versus the Rangers this season, allowing one run in eight innings. Minnesota is 7-3 in Baker’s last 10 starts versus a team with a winning record. The Twins could be without three-time All-Star Justin Morneau. He missed Tuesday’s victory against the Rangers because of an inner ear infection. The Twins are 11-1-1 to the over in their last 13 road contests.

The Twins are 3-7 in their past 10 away matchups versus a team with a winning record.
The Over is 9-1 in Minnesota’s past 10 away games when facing a right-handed starter.

Keey Injuries - Justin Morneau (ear) is day-to-day.

PROJECTED SCORE: 4

Rangers (-$1.40, O/U 9): Texas has won 17 of its last 23 games at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Texas is 7-3 in its last 10 home contests versus a right-handed starter. Outfielder Josh Hamilton has been hot batting .500 in his last eight games with eight RBIs, six runs scored and six doubles. Kevin Millwood (9-7, 3.31 ERA) has struggled in his career when facing Minnesota. He’s 0-6 with a 6.00 ERA in 10 lifetime starts against the Twins. He is the only pitcher not to get a victory against the Twins with at least 10 starts against them. Millwood is holding lefties to a .217 batting average, but right-handers are batting .281 against him. The veteran right-hander is 2-3 with a 4.68 ERA during his last nine overall starts. Millwood is 7-1 at home with a 2.46 ERA in 12 starts. The Rangers are 21-8 in Millwood’s last 29 home outings.

The Under is 45-18-2 in Texas’ last 65 games.
The Under is 12-4-1 in Millwood’s last 17 home starts.

Key Injuries - Jarrod Saltalamacchia (arm) is on the DL.

PROJECTED SCORE: 5 (Side of the Day)



St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers [10:10 PM ET]

Cardinals: Adam Wainwright doesn’t draw much Cy Young talk, but Wainwright has been as steady as any pitcher going 14-7 with a 2.62 ERA. Wainwright has gone at least six innings in 23 consecutive starts. St. Louis is 24-4 in his last 28 starts when facing a team above .500. The Cardinals also are 25-10 in Wainwright’s past 35 road outings. St. Louis is 9-2 in its last 11 games, winning five of their last six. The Cardinals are 9-4 in their last 13 road meetings against the Dodgers. The under has cashed four of the past five times the teams have met at Dodger Stadium. Albert Pujols has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, with five homers and 13 RBIs during the streak. Matt Holliday has five homers and 22 RBIs, while batting above .430 since joining St. Louis following a July 24 trade with Oakland.

The Over is 10-3-2 in Wainwright’s last 15 road starts.

Key Injuries - Troy Glaus (back) is on the DL.
Colby Rasmus (tonsils) is questionable.

PROJECTED SCORE: 3

Dodgers (-$1.20, O/U 7.5 -$1.30): The Dodgers are having trouble producing runs lately. They have dropped seven of their last 11 games, scoring two runs or fewer in each of their defeats. The Dodgers have been held to under four runs in four of their last six games. Manny Ramirez is 2-for-16 in his last three games. He has only four RBIs in his last 11 games. The Dodgers are 2-4 versus the Cardinals this year. Clayton Kershaw (8-7, 2.91 ERA) gave up more than three earned runs in his last start for the first time since May 12. The Diamondbacks got to him for four runs in 4 1/3 innings last Friday. Kershaw struck out nine, but allowed six hits and four walks. Prior to that, Kershaw hadn’t surrendered more than two earned runs in 10 of his previous 11 appearances. Los Angeles is 0-5 in Kershaw’s past five starts.

The Under has cashed 12 of the last 16 times the Dodgers have hosted a team with a winning road mark.

Key Injuries - Matt Kemp (flu) is day-to-day.

PROJECTED SCORE: 4 (UNDER - Total of the Day)

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