Thursday Trends and Indexes 5/6 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

[Udog]

MLB
Dunkel


Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh
The Cubs look to avoid the sweep and build on their 8-2 record in Randy Wells' last 10 starts against the NL Central. Chicago is the pick (-155) according to Dunkel, which has the Cubs favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-155). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, MAY 6

Game 951-952: St. Louis at Philadelphia (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Lohse) 15.800; Philadelphia (Halladay) 17.349
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-240); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-240); Over

Game 953-954: Atlanta at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Hudson) 14.764; Washington (Olsen) 15.857
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-140); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+120); Under

Game 955-956: Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Wells) 14.857; Pittsburgh (Burres) 13.775
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-155); 9
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-155); Over

Game 957-958: San Francisco at Florida (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Cain) 14.995; Florida (Nolasco) 16.654
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-125); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (+105); Under

Game 959-960: Arizona at Houston (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Haren) 13.274; Houston (Rodriguez) 14.118
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Arizona (-140); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+120); Over

Game 961-962: Milwaukee at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Bush) 14.027; LA Dodgers (Ely) 14.344
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-125); 9
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-125); Under

Game 963-964: LA Angels at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Kazmir) 14.779; Boston (Matsuzaka) 14.188
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Boston (-145); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (+125); Under

Game 965-966: Kansas City at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Davies) 15.466; Texas (Harrison) 14.781
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Texas (-170); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+150); Under

Game 967-968: Baltimore at Minnesota (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Bergesen) 14.404; Minnesota (Pavano) 17.931
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 3 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-250); 10
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-250); Under

Game 969-970: Toronto at Chicago White Sox (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Eveland) 15.847; White Sox (Danks) 15.470
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+170); Over

Game 971-972: Tampa Bay at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Niemann) 17.177; Seattle (Rowland-Smith) 14.209
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 3; 9
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-140); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-140); Over

[Udog]

NBA
Long Sheet


Thursday, May 6

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ATLANTA (57 - 33) at ORLANDO (64 - 23) - 5/6/2010, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 1-8 ATS (-7.8 Units) in road games vs. division opponents this season.
ATLANTA is 2-11 ATS (-10.1 Units) in road games in all playoff games over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 129-167 ATS (-54.7 Units) in road games revenging a loss vs opponent since 1996.
ORLANDO is 48-34 ATS (+10.6 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 44-30 ATS (+11.0 Units) as a favorite this season.
ORLANDO is 54-41 ATS (+8.9 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 24-13 ATS (+9.7 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) after a division game this season.
ORLANDO is 67-47 ATS (+15.3 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 55-35 ATS (+16.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 51-38 ATS (+9.2 Units) in all games this season.
ATLANTA is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) after scoring 85 points or less this season.

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

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[Udog]

NHL
Long Sheet


Thursday, May 6

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PITTSBURGH (53-30-0-8, 114 pts.) at MONTREAL (44-37-0-11, 99 pts.) - 5/6/2010, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 30-31 ATS (-15.6 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
MONTREAL is 44-48 ATS (-46.0 Units) in all games this season.
MONTREAL is 25-21 ATS (+54.1 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
MONTREAL is 37-42 ATS (-11.0 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 4-18 ATS (-14.2 Units) in the second round of the playoffs since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 9-6 (+0.0 Units) against the spread versus MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 9-6-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.7 Units)

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SAN JOSE (58-21-0-12, 128 pts.) at DETROIT (48-29-0-15, 111 pts.) - 5/6/2010, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive overs this season.
SAN JOSE is 14-4 ATS (+9.1 Units) in road games after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
SAN JOSE is 34-14 ATS (+12.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DETROIT is 48-44 ATS (-22.2 Units) in all games this season.
DETROIT is 8-14 ATS (-13.2 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 8-7 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 8-7-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
10 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+6.1 Units)

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[Udog]

NBA
Short Sheet


Thursday, 5/6/2010

Eastern Conference Playoffs
Second Round, Game Two (Orlando Leads, 1-0)
ATLANTA AT ORLANDO, 8:05 PM ET ESPN
ATLANTA: 2-11 ATS away in playoff games
ORLANDO: 29-12 ATS off a home game

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

NHL
Short Sheet


Thursday, 5/6/2010

Eastern Conference Playoffs
Second Round, Game Four (Pittsburgh Leads, 2-1)
PITTSBURGH at MONTREAL, 7:05 PM ET VERSUS
PITTSBURGH: 7-1 Over away off a combined score of 3 goals or less
MONTREAL: 12-2 SU at home off a shutout home loss

Western Conference Playoffs
Second Round, Game Four (San Jose Leads, 3-0)
SAN JOSE at DETROIT, 7:35 PM ET
SAN JOSE: 6-0 SU away off 3+ Overs
DETROIT: 7-14 SU revenging a one-goal loss

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

MLB
Short Sheet


Thursday, 5/6/2010

ST LOUIS at PHILADELPHIA, 1:05 PM ET
LOHSE: St. Louis 22-9 Under in May
HALLADAY: 36-14 TSR in May

ATLANTA at WASHINGTON, 7:05 PM ET
HUDSON: Atlanta 4-11 SU in road games this season
OLSEN: Washington 9-3 SU off a loss

CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH, 7:05 PM ET WGN
WELLS: Cubs 1-8 SU after having 0 extra-base hits
BURRES: 6-0 TSR pitching on 5 or 6 days rest

SAN FRANCISCO at FLORIDA, 7:10 PM ET
CAIN: 11-2 TSR vs. NL East opponents
NOLASCO: 9-1 Over in May

ARIZONA at HOUSTON, 8:05 PM ET
HAREN: Arizona 19-8 Over in all games this season
RODRIGUEZ: 8-1 TSR as a home underdog of +125 or less

MILWAUKEE at LA DODGERS, 10:10 PM ET
BUSH: 7-24 TSR as a road underdog of +125 or less
ELY: Dodgers 30-11 SU as a home favorite of -150 or less

LA ANGELS at BOSTON, 7:10 PM ET
KAZMIR: Angels 42-17 SU off BB losses
MATSUZAKA: Boston 2-7 SU as a home favorite of -150 or less

KANSAS CITY at TEXAS, 8:05 PM ET
DAVIES: Kansas City 8-2 SU away off a division loss by 6+ runs
HARRISON: Texas 31-13 Over at home vs. AL Central opponents

BALTIMORE at MINNESOTA, 8:10 PM ET
BERGESEN: Baltimore 3-17 SU off 9+ division games
PAVANO: Minnesota 13-3 SU in night games

TORONTO at CHI WHITE SOX, 8:10 PM ET
EVELAND: Toronto 7-1 SU away off a win
DANKS: White Sox 30-16 Over as a home favorite of -150 to -200

TAMPA BAY at SEATTLE, 10:10 PM ET
NIEMANN: Tampa Bay 11-1 SU in road games
ROWLAND-SMITH: Seattle 19-42 SU in May

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

NBA
Write-Up


Thursday, May 6

Orlando won four of five games against the Hawks this year winning by 17-32-18 in regular season, before pounding Atlanta 114-71 in Game 1, as Magic embarrassed Atlanta in middle two quarters, outscoring them by 60-21 margin, Four of the five games stayed under the total. Magic are 5-0 in playoffs, with only one of the wins by less than eight points. Hawks lost three of their four playoff road games. After drubbing their opponent in Game 1, odd kind of pressure on Magic for a short series.

[Udog]

NHL
Write-Up


Thursday, May 6

Penguins outshot Montreal 55-27 in last five periods; Canadiens outshot them 26-19 in first period in series, but were outscored 3-2. Canadiens are 2-9 on power play this series (15:29). Penguins won seven of last nine games vs Montreal; after scoring four power plays in 5:17 of Game 1, Pens are 1-7 on power play in their last two games (11:37). Penguins are 4-0 on road so far in playoffs.

Three games, three 4-3 wins for surging Sharks, who've won six games in a row since losing Game 3 of first round in OT at Colorado. San Jose has had man advantage for 23:01 in the last two games, Detroit for just 6:45. Red Wings are 1-11 on power play in series (15:26). Seven of last nine Red Wing games went over the total. Detroit trying to avoid sweep here. All three series games went over the total.

[Udog]

MLB
Write-Up


Thursday, May 6

Hot pitchers
-- Halladay is 5-1, 1.65 in his six starts for the Phillies. Lohse has 2.77 RA in his last couple starts.
-- Olsen is 2-0, 0.00 in his last two starts (13 IP). Hudson has a 2.89 RA in his last three starts.
-- Cubs are 4-1 in Wells starts, scoring 23 runs in last two.
-- Nolasco is 2-1, 3.00 in his last three starts. Cain has 1.89 RA in his last three starts.
-- Haren is 1-0, 3.21 in his last couple starts.

-- Kazmir is 2-0, 4.24 in his last three starts.
-- Davies is 1-0, 1.50 in his last couple starts.
-- White Sox won last four Danks starts (3-0, 1.93).
-- Niemann is 1-0, 2.57 in his last three starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Burres is 1-1, 5.79 in two starts for the Pirates.
-- Rodriguez is 1-3, 4.85 in five starts this season.
-- Bush is 0-2, 10.12 in his last couple starts. Ely allowed five runs in six IP in his first big league start.

-- Matsuzaka gave up seven runs in 4.2 IP in his first '10 start.
-- Harrison has an 8.44 RA in his last three starts.
-- Bergesen is 1-2, 13.50 in his last four starts. Pavano is 1-2, 5.89 in his last three starts.
-- Eveland is 0-1, 8.40 in his last three starts.
-- Rowland-Smith is 0-1, 5.81 in five starts this season.

Totals
-- Under is 3-1-1 in Lohse starts this season.
-- Under is 8-4 in Atlanta's last twelve games.
-- Five of last six Cub games went over the total.
-- Over is 10-5 in Florida home games this season.
-- Five of six Haren starts went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Milwaukee road games went over the total.

-- Four of last five Angel road games stayed under the total.
-- Last three Harrison starts went over the total.
-- All four Bergesen starts went over the total.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight White Sox games.
-- Under is 10-4 in games at Safeco Field this season.

Hot teams
-- Cardinals won eight of their last twelve games. Phillies won four of their last five .
-- Washington is 11-8 in its last 19 games.
-- Giants won four of their last five games.
-- Brewers won three of last four games, scoring 20 runs in last two.

-- Red Sox won their last three games, outscoring Angels 25-10.
-- Rangers are 7-2 in series openers, 4-0 at home.
-- Toronto won six of its last seven games.
-- Minnesota won eight of its last ten home games.
-- White Sox won five of their last six home games.
-- Tampa Bay won eight of its last ten games; they're 11-1 on road. .

Cold teams
-- Pirates lost ten of their last fifteen games. Cubs are 4-6 in their last ten road games.
-- Marlins lost five of their last seven games.
-- Braves lost eight of their last nine road games.
-- Astros lost eight of their last nine games. Arizona is 5-9 in its last 14 road games.
-- Dodgers lost seven of their last ten games.

-- Orioles lost 13 of their 16 road games this season.
-- Angels lost six in row, seven of their last eight games.
-- Royals are 7-12 in their last nineteen games.
-- Mariners lost their last five games, scoring eight runs.

[Udog]

NHL


Thursday, May 6

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. MONTREAL
Pittsburgh is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 7-12-2 SU in its last 21 games ,when playing on the road against Montreal
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Montreal is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

7:30 PM
SAN JOSE vs. DETROIT
San Jose is 6-18-1 SU in its last 25 games ,when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose's last 5 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing at home against San Jose


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[Udog]

MLB


Thursday, May 6

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Trend Report
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1:05 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. PHILADELPHIA
St. Louis is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis

7:05 PM
ATLANTA vs. WASHINGTON
Atlanta is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games
Atlanta is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta

7:05 PM
CHI CUBS vs. PITTSBURGH
Chi Cubs are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Chi Cubs are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 3-8 SU in their last 11 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
Pittsburgh is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games at home

7:10 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. FLORIDA
San Francisco is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Florida
San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Florida
Florida is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against San Francisco
Florida is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home

7:10 PM
LA ANGELS vs. BOSTON
LA Angels are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games on the road
LA Angels are 2-6 SU in their last 8 games when playing on the road against Boston
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Boston is 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing at home against LA Angels

8:05 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. TEXAS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City's last 6 games when playing on the road against Texas
Kansas City is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
Texas is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Kansas City
Texas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

8:05 PM
ARIZONA vs. HOUSTON
Arizona is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Arizona is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Houston
Houston is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home

8:10 PM
TORONTO vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Toronto is 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
Toronto is 16-4 SU in their last 20 games when playing Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 2-6 SU in their last 8 games when playing at home against Toronto
Chi White Sox are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games at home

8:10 PM
BALTIMORE vs. MINNESOTA
Baltimore is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Baltimore's last 6 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing Baltimore
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Baltimore

10:10 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. SEATTLE
Tampa Bay is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games
Seattle is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home
Seattle is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games

10:10 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. LA DODGERS
Milwaukee is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
Milwaukee is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games on the road
LA Dodgers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
LA Dodgers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Milwaukee


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[Udog]

NBA


Thursday, May 6

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Tips and Trends
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Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic [ESPN | 8:00 PM ET]

Hawks: Atlanta continues to frustrate their fans and organization with their Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type performances. Atlanta is one of the most talented teams in Basketball, yet they consistently under-perform. Many experts question the heart and motivation of this team, which is a question to Coach Woodson. The Hawks were dominated in Game 1 against the Magic, and combined to score only 21 PTS in the 2nd and 3rd Quarter combined. F Josh Smith led the team with a paltry 14 PTS. Atlanta shot 34% from the field, including only 2 for 13 from the 3 point line. The Hawks played so terribly that they had more turnovers than assists as a team, 15 and 12 respectively. 4 different Hawks players average double figures in scoring this postseason, and the Hawks will need a similar effort tonight to be competitive. G Jamal Crawford is typically the catalyst offensively for the Hawks, as he comes off the bench to average 14.5 PPG this post-season. Atlanta is only 20-25 SU and 23-21-1 ATS in road games this season. The Hawks are 3-1 ATS as a road underdog between 6.5 and 9 PTS this season.

Hawks are 0-6-1 ATS last 7 playoff games as an underdog.
Over is 8-0 last 8 games following a SU loss of more than 10 points.

Key Injuries - None.

PROJECTED SCORE: 95

Magic (-9, O/U 189.5): Orlando hadn't played in more than a week when they suited up for Game 1. Some would argue the Magic played in nothing but a scrimmage in Game 1, as they won by 43 PTS. The Magic dominated the entire game, as they won every single quarter. The Magic had 4 players score in double figures, despite no player playing more than 28 minutes. C Dwight Howard had a team high 21 PTS and 12 rebounds in Game 1. The Magic shot 52% from the field, and looked like the best team in the NBA. Many experts think the Magic are playing the best basketball of any team in the playoffs, as they are the lone team that has yet to taste defeat this postseason. Orlando is 64-23 SU and 50-35-2 ATS overall this season. The Magic are 37-7 SU and 25-17-2 ATS in home games this season. Orlando is 44-30 ATS as the listed favorite this year. The Magic are 23-17 ATS against teams that average more than 99 PPG this year. PG Jameer Nelson is still leading Orlando in scoring during the playoffs, averaging 22.8 PPG while shooting better than 51% from the field.

Magic are 4-0 ATS last 4 playoff games as a favorite.
Under is 6-0 last 6 vs. a team with a winning SU record.

Key Injuries - None.

PROJECTED SCORE: 102 (OVER - Total of the Day)


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[Udog]

MLB


Thursday, May 6

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Tips and Trends
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San Francisco Giants at Florida Marlins [7:10 PM ET]

Giants: San Francisco is playing quite well, as they are currently 16-10 on the season. The NL West continues to surprise people with how strong they are, as the Giants are trying to keep pace with San Diego. San Francisco has won their past 4 series thanks to a dominant pitching staff and timely hitting. The Giants have scored at least 5 runs in 6 of their past 8 games. P Matt Cain will take the mound for the Giants, and will look for a bit more luck. Cain has yet to give up more than 3 earned runs in any of his starts, as he has an ERA of 2.84 this season. Despite his overall dominant numbers, he is only 1-1 on the season. The Giants are 8-3 in the last 11 games against the Marlins. The Giants are 6-2 in Cains last 8 starts as a road underdog entering tonight.

Giants are 5-1 last 6 vs. National League East.
Under is 6-0 last 6 games as an underdog.

Key Injuries - SS Edgar Renteria (groin) is questionable.
2B Freddy Sanchez (shoulder) is out.

PROJECTED SCORE: 3

Marlins (-120, O/U 7.5): Florida is mired in mediocrity this season, as they continue to play merely .500 ball this season. Offensively, the Marlins are averaging 5 runs per game, while batting .267 as a team. At home, the Marlins are averaging nearly 6 runs per game and batting .278 as a team. Florida will send P Ricky Nolasco to the mound in hopes of a solid performance. Nolasco is 2-1 this season with a 4.01 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. Nolasco has been either really good or really bad this year. He is coming off a poor performance against the Nationals, where he only lasted 4 innings. Nolasco has had 16 strikeouts in his past 2 starts combined. The Marlins are 5-1 in Nolascos last 6 starts as a favorite of -110 to -150. The Marlins are also 7-3 in Nolascos last 10 starts vs. a team with a winning record.

Marlins are 20-6 last 26 games as a home favorite of -110 to -150.
Over is 29-12 last 40 home games.

Key Injuries - None.

PROJECTED SCORE: 5 (Side of the Day)


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[Udog]

Thursday's six-pack

-- Brutal loss for Indians, as game-ending grounder went thru SS's legs, then Lind won game for Toronto with a 2-run homer. Dagger.

-- Barry Zito is 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA. Excellent turnaround.

-- Suns have 2-0 lead over San Antonio; they can't lose series unless they lose four of last five games.

-- Minnesota Twins already have a 4-game lead in AL Central, as do the Cardinals in the NL Central.

--Tampa Bay Rays are now 11-1 on the road; Toronto is 9-3.

-- A's moved back into 1st place by beating Texas behind young Cahill, who was excellent in his second start of the season.


************************************************** *************


Thursday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind........

13) Bill Murray's son Luke will be a graduate assistant basketball coach at Wagner next winter, working with the Hurley brothers. Luke has worked at both Arizona and Quinnipiac previously.

12) Eagles open with Green Bay this September; this probably isn't a coincidence, since its the 50th anniversary of Eagles beating the Packers to win their last NFL championship. Philly will wear throwback unis from 1960 in that opening week game. Pretty nice throwbacks, too.

11) Brewers scored two runs in four games at Petco Park last weekend; in their first ten innings at Dodger Stadium this week, Milwaukee scored 15 runs. Brewers have been a very streaky team so far this year.

10) Houton's Carlos Lee had gone 163 ABs since his last home run, then he hit a walk-off blast to give the Astros a 4-2 win over Arizona.

9) Joe Saunders allowed nine runs over 10 IP in his last two starts, but in those two games, the Angel bullpen allowed 16 runs in just eight IP. Los Angeles has now lost its last six road games.

8) Giants have approximately 21,000 season ticket holders. Across the bay in Oakland, the A's have approximately 5,000.

7) Phillies had their 54th straight sellout Wednesday night.

6) Cubs are 4-2 when Ryan Dempster starts; they scored 9-8 runs in the two wins; all four losses were by 3-2 scores.

5) Atlanta has been outscored 27-8 in Kenshin Kawakami's five starts so far this season (0-5, 6.15).

4) AJ Pierzynski becomes a 10-and-5 man in June, meaning that he earns veto rights on any trade once that happens. Expect the White Sox to try and deal him before that happens, since they've got highly touted Tyler Flowers waiting in the wings down at AAA Charlotte.

3) Cincinnati Reds were last in the playoffs in 1995; Baltimore Orioles were last in the playoffs in 1997. The common link between those facts? The manager of both of those playoff teams was Davey Johnson. Orioles haven't had a winning season since Davey left; Reds have had two.

2) You'll know Miami Heat has enough talent to contend for NBA title when/if Pat Riley comes back to coach the team. Apparently its beneath him to coach a merely average team.

1) 17 inches of rain fell in two days in Nashville. 17 freakin' inches. Our thoughts and prayers go to everyone in Music City. Hope things return to mormal fairly soon.

[Udog]

Len's Top 5

Happy Thursday everyone, here's my Top 5 for May 6, 2010 from Len Berman.

1. Quick Hits

Wearing 'Los Suns" on their jerseys as a statement about Arizona's controversial immigration law, Phoenix beat San Antonio 110-102 to take a 2-0 series lead. Some subscribers wondered why the jerseys didn't say "Los Sols?"
Milton Bradley of Seattle got upset over his being replaced and left the stadium during a game. He has now taken a leave and has asked the Mariners for help dealing with emotional stress.
The Players Championship gets underway today at TPC Sawgrass.
Wade McGilberry of Semmes, Alabama, won $1-million dollars for being the first to pitch a perfect game in the video game Major League Baseball 2K10. He "pitched" as an Atlanta Brave against, you got it, the Mets.

2. The Flip Side

The other day, the Top 5 was replete with all the knuckleheads in sports filling up the police blotter. My next book could be "The 25 Biggest Creeps in Sports," but as subscriber Susan S. points out, it would be too hard to limit it to 25. But there are some good guys out there. Red Sox fans will never forget Dave Roberts. His 9th inning steal in game 4 of the playoffs was the catalyst for Boston's incredible comeback against the Yankees in 2004. Now he's a special assistant for the San Diego Padres. During spring training he found out he had cancer. That's a pretty good excuse to pack it in. But Dave continued to help the Padres with their base running despite two rounds on chemotherapy. All the while he kept his spirits high. He says he hopes to beat it. We're rooting for you, Dave.
P.S. Thanks to Roberts, the Padres lead the majors in steals.

3. Remembering Ernie Harwell

From Tbird: "I was lucky enough two years ago to get an autographed CD from him with some of his games called and personal quotes and stories. I can for as long as I am on this earth be able to listen to that beautiful voice."

I wrote on Facebook "Len Berman's Top 5," "Ernie Harwell is one of the last of an era. Vin Scully is the last man standing. Jack Buck, Bob Prince, Mel Allen, Red Barber, Harry Caray all come to mind. They were "voices of our youth" or "sounds of summer." They are sorely missed, and fondly remembered."

Marilyn P. replied "I like to think they're all together, kibitzing around and calling the games of the great players who have left us as well ."
Now that's an All Star game I'd pay to see and hear!

Gary M. adds this video link of Ernie recalling his Hall of Fame speech. Don't miss it.

4. To Tase Or Not To Tase?

I was surprised how polarizing the issue of police using a Taser gun to drop a Phillies fan who ran on the field. Robert P. wrote "Tasers should be used only when the use of a gun is justified, but not essential, when an officer's life might be in peril, (e.g. a drug crazed suspect), when, after being warned a suspect won't comply with orders." He said the fan should have been tackled. From attorney R.K. "The cop overreacted. The guy was going nowhere. How is he getting away? Were there 40,000 live witnesses and a couple of hundred thousand hi-def tv witnesses to ID him?" But from R.K. the mother of a boy the age of the "Tasee," "In this day and age of lunatics who are stalkers or the like and may actually hurt one of the ballplayers anyone who runs on the field should be treated like a criminal." And P.M. invokes the name of tennis player Monica Seles who was stabbed by a fan at a match, "The kid was not where he belonged, and he needs to pay the consequences. Give the cop a medal, not an investigation!"

5. A Match Made In.....

Anna Kournikova will team up with Martina Hingis at Wimbledon in the legends doubles event. Neither has played for awhile, and if you root for comebacks this is your team. In Martina, you've got a player who was suspended for two years after testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon. In Anna, you've got the most famous (not to mention attractive) tennis pro that never won a singles title....ever. The two of them will give tennis fans a lot to talk about, not to mention look at.

Happy Birthday: The Devils superstar goalie, Martin Brodeur. 38.
Bonus Birthday: Equal time for our women readers. Actor George Clooney. 49.

Today in Sports: A watershed day in the history of rain delays, so to speak. The Pittsburgh Pirates become the first team to cover the grass with a tarp in the rain. 1906.
Bonus Event: Oh no! I Love Lucy signs off CBS. 1957.