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**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 01:40 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: May 8

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Yankees continue their set at Fenway, the Jazz play host to the Lakers, and the Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The NBA playoff schedule for Saturday offers up Orlando at Atlanta and the Lakers at Utah. The Magic took a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series with a 112-98 home win in Game 2 on Thursday night. Dwight Howard led the way with 29 points and 17 rebounds for Orlando in that victory, while Vince Carter was good for 24 points and seven boards. Al Horford led Atlanta with 24 points. The Lakers are also up 2-0 in their Western Conference semifinal series after getting past the Jazz 111-103 at home in Game 2 on Tuesday night. Kobe Bryant poured in 30 points in that win for Los Angeles, and Pau Gasol added 22.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League schedule for Saturday has Detroit at Cleveland, Baltimore at Minnesota (in a doubleheader), Tampa Bay at Oakland, Toronto at the White Sox, Kansas City at Texas, the Angels at Seattle, and the Yankees at Boston. CC Sabathia (4-1, 2.74 ERA) will take on Clay Buchholz (3-2, 2.97 ERA) in the New York/Boston matchup. Lefthander Sabathia beat the Orioles in his last trip to the mound, holding them to one earned run on six hits over eight innings of work. Righthander Buchholz picked up the win against the Angels in his last trip to the mound, surrendering four earned runs on eight hits over his 5 2-3 innings pitched.

Over in the National League on Saturday it'll be Florida at Washington, Atlanta at Philadelphia, St. Louis at Pittsburgh, San Diego at Houston, the Cubs at Cincinnati, Milwaukee at Arizona, Colorado at the Dodgers, and San Francisco at the Mets. Todd Wellemeyer (1-3, 5.55 ERA) will take on Johan Santana (3-2, 4.50 ERA) in that last contest. Righthander Wellemeyer last started on April 27, when he held the Phillies to two earned runs on three hits over seven innings. Lefthander Santana was thumped by the Phillies in his last start, surrendering 10 earned runs on eight hits over just 3 2-3 innings, and striking out just one batter.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

There are two NHL playoff games on the schedule for Saturday, with Detroit at San Jose and Montreal at Pittsburgh. The Red Wings avoided elimination on Thursday night with a 7-1 home over the Sharks in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinal series. Johan Franzen exploded for four goals and two assists for Detroit in that victory, while Jimmy Howard stopped 28 of 29 San Jose shots to cut the series deficit to 3-1. The Canadiens tied up their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Penguins at 2-2 with a 3-2 win at home in Game 4 on Thursday. Jaroslav Halak made 33 saves for the Habs in that victory.

Roaring around the track . . .

Finally, the Sprint Cup Series takes the track at Darlington Raceway on Saturday night for the Showtime Southern 500. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Busch, all past Cup winners at the track, are listed as the 6/1 co-favorites to visit victory lane on Saturday night, with Denny Hamlin just behind that group at 9/1 to take the checkered flag in the event. Mark Martin, who won the Southern 500 at Darlington last season, is pegged at 12/1 odds for Saturday, while two-time Darlington champ Greg Biffle (2005 and 2006) is at 20/1 odds to grab the victory.

**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 01:41 AM

Bettor's best friend: Saturday's wagering tips

Lines off the board

The Nationals have yet to officially announce a starting pitcher for Saturday’s game against Florida. The team’s game notes have Matt Chico listed as the probable pitcher.

Both games in the Orioles-Twins doubleheader are OTB because the starting pitchers for each game have yet to be determined (see note below).

Lines to keep an eye on

The Rangers surfaced as -180 home favorites against the Royals but that number can be found as high as -200 at some shops now.

An opening total of 8 for the Cardinals-Pirates game has jumped a half run and now most sportsbooks are working with 8.5. Check the wind forecast below as a possible reason for this movement.

Weather to watch

St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates: Wind blowing out to left field at 28 mph, 20 percent chance of precipitation.

Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians: Wind blowing out to center field at 32 mph, 30 percent chance of precipitation.

Florida Marlins at Washington Nationals: Wind blowing in from right field at 19 mph, isolated thunderstorms.

San Francisco Giants at New York Mets: Wind blowing out to left field at 18 mph, 50 percent chance of rain.

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox: Wind blowing across the diamond from third to fist at 13 mph, 50 percent chance of rain.

Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies: Wind blowing out to left field at 27 mph.

Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds: Wind blowing out to left field at 20 mph.

Who’s hot

The Blue Jays had won five straight and 7-of-10 heading into Friday.

Orlando has won 12 in a row and is 11-1 ATS during the streak.

Montreal has earned 9.11 units on the moneyline during the playoffs.

Who’s not

Seattle had dropped six straight going into Friday and scored an average of 1.5 runs in that span.

The Hawks are 2-5 SU and ATS during a seven-game stretch.

Los Angeles had dropped seven straight outings as of Friday.

Key stat

11 – Number of walk-off hits Andre Ethier has since the 2008 season. That mark is six more than any other active player.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Twins catcher Joe Mauer could return to the lineup Saturday after missing the last six games. Mauer took batting practice before Thursday's game and since Friday's matchup was rained out, he had more time to rest for Saturday. Minnesota is playing Baltimore in a doubleheader but Mauer would only play in one of the two if he sees the field. Mauer was hitting .345 at the time of his injury.

Games of the Day

Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz (-4, 202)

Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins (-275, 5.5)

Notable quotable

"I think what's called for is a little common sense. I mean, if someone is running around the field trying to not get caught, let him run. Unless it's Lance Armstrong or someone, how long do you think one person can keep running? The guys gonna peter out eventually, right? And in the meantime, there's a possibility of some pretty fun entertainment to spice up the ball game.”

-- Former major leaguer Brent Mayne said of the incident where a 17-year-old got Tased for running onto the field at a Phillies game.

Tips and notes

- Ron Artest’s poor offensive playoff performances are beginning to frustrate him. The L.A. Times reported that Artest’s Twitter account had messages aimed at Lakers head coach Phil Jackson. The two Tweets from Thursday night essentially said he wished his coach would talk to him personally about his offensive struggles instead of opening his “yapper” to the media. Artest is 7-for-42 this postseason from downtown and this incident could exacerbate that. L.A. backers better hope this distraction doesn’t affect Artest’s defense or the team as a whole.

- The Orioles and Twins game Friday was postponed due to rain and the clubs will play a doubleheader Saturday. Baltimore’s scheduled starter for Friday, Kevin Millwood, will go in one of the two games but it’s uncertain which. Minnesota has yet to announce whether Francisco Liriano will still pitch. Temperatures are expected to be in the low 50s Saturday. One betting theory is to play the over in the second leg of a doubleheader depending how far the starters go in the first because the bullpens could be expensed. Then again, less-than-ideal weather conditions could produce an under.

- Utah will get some help at home Saturday if Andrei Kirilenko returns to action. AK47 said he was ready to go before Thursday’s practice and the team’s trainer confirmed that Kirilenko was “90 or 95 percent” healthy. The 6-9 forward out of Ukraine hasn’t logged heavy minutes since March 12 so conditioning could be a problem. But where the Jazz really need Kirilenko is on the defensive end of the court. He is one of the most versatile defenders in the league and could matchup with Kobe Bryant if needed.

**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 01:42 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 8

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ORLANDO (65 - 23) at ATLANTA (57 - 34) - 5/8/2010, 5:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 51-39 ATS (+8.1 Units) in all games this season.
ATLANTA is 28-17 ATS (+9.3 Units) in home games this season.
ATLANTA is 31-18 ATS (+11.2 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 37-21 ATS (+13.9 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 49-34 ATS (+11.6 Units) in all games this season.
ORLANDO is 45-30 ATS (+12.0 Units) as a favorite this season.
ORLANDO is 56-37 ATS (+15.3 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 93-65 ATS (+21.5 Units) on Saturday games since 1996.
ORLANDO is 25-13 ATS (+10.7 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 14-5 ATS (+8.5 Units) after a division game this season.
ORLANDO is 68-47 ATS (+16.3 Units) after scoring 105 points or more over the last 3 seasons.
ORLANDO is 36-24 ATS (+9.6 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
ORLANDO is 56-35 ATS (+17.5 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 2-12 ATS (-11.2 Units) in the second round of the playoffs since 1996.

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

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LA LAKERS (63 - 27) at UTAH (57 - 33) - 5/8/2010, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 38-50 ATS (-17.0 Units) in all games this season.
UTAH is 54-33 ATS (+17.7 Units) in all games this season.
UTAH is 39-20 ATS (+17.0 Units) as a favorite this season.
UTAH is 15-5 ATS (+9.5 Units) as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points over the last 3 seasons.
UTAH is 29-13 ATS (+14.7 Units) in home games this season.
UTAH is 20-6 ATS (+13.4 Units) after allowing 105 points or more this season.
UTAH is 28-19 ATS (+7.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
UTAH is 27-13 ATS (+12.7 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
UTAH is 31-21 ATS (+7.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
LA LAKERS are 33-19 ATS (+12.1 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 44-26 ATS (+15.4 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 35-13 ATS (+20.7 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA LAKERS is 14-9 against the spread versus UTAH over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 18-6 straight up against UTAH over the last 3 seasons
14 of 24 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 01:45 AM

NBA

Saturday, May 8

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Pick 'n' Roll: Today's best NBA bets
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Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks (+2, 195.5)

After getting humiliated by 43 points in Game 1 and blowing an eight-point halftime lead in Game 2, the Hawks had to be ready to fly home.

Atlanta went 37-8 (25-16 ATS) inside the friendly confines of Philips Arena this season and posted a 3-1 SU and ATS record at home during the first round playoff series versus the Bucks.

"Go home and win. We've been pretty good on our floor," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "They took care of their business on their home floor. We're going to see what we're made of."

Some pundits are speculating a strategy the Hawks might use in Game 3 is to go with a smaller lineup in order to speed things up. Atlanta only accounted for four fast-break points in Game 2.

Utilizing an up-tempo tactic would force the Magic to run and somewhat negate the inside presence of Dwight Howard who poured in 29 points and 17 rebounds Thursday.

Extending the minutes of Jamal Crawford to open up the floor while doubling down to contain Howard (putting him at the foul line) should quicken the pace of this game.

Hotlanta was a sizzling over bet at home this season, cashing the over in 25 of the 41 games.

Pick: Over

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**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 01:48 AM

NBA

Saturday, May 8

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Game of the day: Lakers at Jazz
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Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz (-4, 202)

Series story

Save for an early fourth-quarter lapse in Game 1, the Lakers have controlled this series from the opening tip. They hold a 2-0 series lead as the scene shifts to Utah Saturday.

The Jazz have had no answer for the Lakers defensively, allowing them to shoot 81-for-156 (51.9 percent) through the first two games of the series. They’ve also been badly out-rebounded by a 101-78 margin.

There is reason for Jazz fans to be optimistic as their team is 35-9 SU and 29-13-2 ATS at Energy Solutions Arena this season. They went a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS at home against the Nuggets in Round 1.

The two teams split a pair of meetings in Utah during the regular season.

Deja-vu?

We watched the Lakers grab an identical 2-0 series lead against the Jazz in the opening round of last year’s playoffs.

They would drop a narrow 88-86 decision in Utah in Game 3 before winning the next two games to close out the series in five. The Jazz actually covered the spread in three of those five games.

In 2008, the Lakers also led the Jazz 2-0 before losing Game 3 in Utah. They eventually won that series in six games.

Lakers peaking

You can make the case that the Lakers last four performances have been their best four of these playoffs.

Ever since Game 5 of their opening-round series with the Thunder, they’ve looked like a completely different team, going 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS.

Keep in mind, this is a team that went 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS in its first four postseason games. Head coach Phil Jackson wasn’t overly pleased with his team’s effort in Game 2, however.

“It's going to get much more intense, we will not survive a game in Utah like we played tonight. I can't emphasize how important the next game is,” Jackson told reporters.

The going might also be a little tougher with the expected return of Utah’s defensive specialist, Andrei Kirilenko, to the lineup.

Over easy

We’ve seen a different brand of basketball than most have come to expect from these teams in the playoffs.

The over has cashed in five of the Lakers’ last six games. Meanwhile, the Jazz have seen five straight and seven of their eight playoff contests go over the number.

Prior to this series, seven consecutive meetings between the Lakers and Jazz had played under the posted total, including all four regular season meetings in 09-10.

The Jazz sound like they’re going to make a concerted effort to be more aggressive offensively in Game 3.

"If we have a lane, we're going to drive," Jazz forward Carlos Boozer told the Salt Lake Tribune. "If we have a jump shot, we're going to shoot it with confidence. But, we're not going to back down.”

“Once Booz or Paul gets it under the basket, I mean, they can score on anybody,” Kyle Korver added. “It's when they get 5, 6 feet off the block and then they've got to face them up and then drive at them, that's tough. But at home, we've always done a better job of that and hopefully that'll be the case on Saturday."

Line moves

The Jazz opened as 3.5-point favorites but the line has since been bet up to an even -4.

Most consensus reports indicate the action is virtually split, but you have to expect the majority of the public money will come in on the Lakers closer to tipoff, as they qualify as an attractive mid-range underdog.

Since opening at 203.5, the total has been bet a point-and-a-half to 202 at several offshore books.

Note that the total closed south of the 200-point mark in each of the first two games of this series. As mentioned, both of those games eclipsed the number.

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**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 01:51 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Saturday, May 8

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MONTREAL (45-37-0-11, 101 pts.) at PITTSBURGH (53-31-0-8, 114 pts.) - 5/8/2010, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 34-44 ATS (-22.7 Units) on Saturday games over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 5-18 ATS (+24.7 Units) in the second round of the playoffs since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 58-22 ATS (+27.1 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
MONTREAL is 45-48 ATS (+103.0 Units) in all games this season.
MONTREAL is 12-12 ATS (+32.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 27-24 ATS (-23.4 Units) second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 9-7-0 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.7 Units)

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SAN JOSE (58-22-0-12, 128 pts.) at DETROIT (49-29-0-15, 113 pts.) - 5/8/2010, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 13-3 ATS (+9.0 Units) in road games after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.
SAN JOSE is 34-15 ATS (+11.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 9-1 ATS (+7.8 Units) in road games after 3 or more consecutive overs over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 49-44 ATS (-26.0 Units) in all games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 9-7 (+2.2 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 9-7-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
11 of 15 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+7.1 Units)

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**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 01:54 AM

NHL

Saturday, May 8

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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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San Jose Sharks at Detroit Red Wings (-165, 5.5)

The Sharks have to be feeling good up 3-1 in the series with Detroit and heading home to the Shark Tank.

But make no mistake; the pressure is all on the team that has floundered in the playoffs year after year, not the team trailing by two games.

"Maybe this spanking will wake us up to know we're not out of the woods," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said after his team was embarrassed by a score of 7-1 on Thursday. "I'm saying it. We have to respond to it."

"We weren't ready to play this game," said goalie Evengi Nabokov. "We need to get that desperation in our game."

This veteran-laden San Jose squad understands it cannot allow this matchup to go back to Hockey Town for a potentially series-tying Game 6.

Look for the Sharkies to come out strong at home Saturday where they lost only six games outright this season and earn a spot in the Western Conference finals.

Pick: Sharks

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**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 01:56 AM

NHL

Saturday, May 8

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What bettors need to know: Hockey Night In Canada
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Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins (-275, 5.5)

The defending champion Penguins and surprising Habs are all square in their Eastern Conference semifinal series as they head into Game 5 in Pittsburgh.

Montreal tied the series 2-2 with a come-from-behind 3-2 win at home Thursday in Game 4, handing Pittsburgh its first road loss of the playoffs.

Rally time

The Canadiens looked dead in the water after two periods of Game 4. Trailing 2-1 and outshot 26-9 through 40 minutes, Montreal was on the verge of going down 3-1 in the series.

But the Habs turned the tables in the third period, scoring twice in the first 3:27 of the frame. Montreal outshot the Pens 16-9 in the third.

“We knew in the second intermission that we probably had played our worst two periods of the playoffs,” said Brian Gionta, who scored the winner for Montreal. “So to be down one goal, we knew we had a chance to steal a game. We came out in the third period and got some lucky bounces, and it found its way in.”

Power outage

After going off for 14 points in Pittsburgh’s first-round series against the Senators, Sidney Crosby has been pretty ordinary against Montreal.

Sid the Kid notched two assists in Game 1 but has since been limited to only one helper in the next three games. He has eight shots in the series, though five of those came on Thursday.

“I wouldn’t change the way I’m playing. Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything,” Crosby said after Game 4. “You just have to keep doing the same things and hope you get results. You’ve got to trust your skills.”

Sidekick Evgeni Malkin isn’t exactly on fire either. He has been held without a goal in five of his last six games and was stopped on a breakaway late in Game 4.

Infirmary report

Jordan Staal made a surprisingly quick return to the Penguins lineup Thursday, six days after having foot tendon surgery. Staal, who missed Games 2 and 3 because of a severed tendon in his right foot, had two shots on goal Thursday and played more than 13 minutes.

“I didn’t think he missed a step,” said Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma. “I think he looked pretty good.”

Pittsburgh veteran Bill Guerin missed his second game because of an undisclosed injury, while Michael Rupp sat out because of personal issues. Both are questionable for Saturday. Montreal has been without defenceman Jaroslav Spacek for the past six games as he deals with a virus.

Trends

-The under has cashed in the last three games in the series and five of the past seven games between Pittsburgh and Montreal overall.
-The Canadiens are 1-4 in their last five visits to The Igloo.

Detroit Red Wings at San Jose Sharks (-140, 5.5)

After staving off elimination in their last game, the Red Wings look to extend their season again Saturday when they visit the Sharks. Detroit pounded San Jose 7-1 in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series Thursday at Joe Louis Arena, cutting the Sharks' series lead to 3-1. Johan Franzen exploded for four goals and two assists to lead the rout.

Ride the Mule

Franzen's offensive outburst was a sight for Detroit coach Mike Babcock's sore eyes.

The "Mule" had scored only two goals in the Wings' first 10 playoff games this season - a far cry from the 25 markers he put up in the previous two postseasons. He more than doubled that total in the first period when he notched a natural hat trick, then added another goal in the third period. His six points set a team playoff record.

"Mule is one of those guys... when you get hot, you just shoot the puck," said Babcock.

Wakeup call

For a team with a history of playoff collapses, the Sharks seemed to be taking things for granted in Game 4.

San Jose hung goalie Evgeni Nabokov out to dry in the first period and allowed five goals in the opening frame. Sharks coach Todd McLellan hopes his players aren't too comfortable after winning the first three games of the series.

"Maybe this spanking... will wake us up and make us aware that we're in a heck of a series here," McLellan said. "We're not out of the woods by any means. Again, I'm saying it, but we have to respond to it."

Infirmary report

Perhaps the only thing that went wrong for Detroit in Game 4 was an injury to defenceman Brad Stuart. The blueliner left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury after taking a hard hit from San Jose defenceman Rob Blake. Babcock, however, said he expects Stuart back Saturday night.

For the Sharks, defenceman Nic Wallin remains questionable with a lower-body injury. He hasn't seen action since Game 3 of the Sharks' series last round against the Avalanche.

Trends

-The over is on a 15-5-3 run in the last 23 games between the teams in San Jose, and 4-0 in the series.
-The favorite has won 21 of the last 30 meetings, and the home team is 25-12 in the last 37 showdowns.

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**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 01:59 AM

MLB

Saturday, May 8

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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds (-110, 9)

Cubs fans will be stargazin’ Saturday when the newest edition of the team, Starlin Castro, takes the field.

The 20-year-old phenom was called up from Double-A on Friday and is hitting in the eighth spot of a lineup that is in desperate need of a jumpstart.

"It's no secret we haven't been swinging the bat on a consistent basis," Cubs GM Jim Hendry said. "We haven't knocked in a lot of runs when we could've won a lot of ballgames. Until we start swinging the bats better, defensively we'll be in better shape."

Hendry went on to say that Castro will provide a better defensive presence at shortstop and that will allow Ryan Theriot to move back to second base where he is more accustomed to playing.

Castro was hitting .376 with 20 RBIs in 26 games in the minor leagues.

The Cubs lineup has produced a .220 batting average on the road this season and the team had failed to plate more than two runs in each of its last three games going into Friday.

Look for Starlin to give the Chicago offense and defense a spark Saturday.

Pick: Cubs

St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates (+155, 8.5)

The Pirates just scored 18 runs in a three-game series with the Cubs.

St. Louis struggled offensively through a four-game stint against the Phillies, but the team will get some help from Mother Nature on Saturday.

The forecast for this evening affair calls for a 28 mph wind to blow out to left and left-center field at PNC Park. Only one game at Pittsburgh this season has endured winds of 20 miles per hour or more and that contest sailed over the posted total.

Pirates pitcher Jeff Karstens has made two starts this year and holds a 6.17 ERA. In Karstens’ only appearance versus the Cardinals, the righty gave up seven hits and three runs in 6.0 innings of work.

Jaime Garcia has been stellar on the mound for the Red Birds this season, but all it’s going to take for this game to get over the total is for a handful of fly balls to find the jetstream.

Pick: Over

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**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 02:01 AM

MLB

Saturday, May 8

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This Day in Baseball
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On May 8 in Baseball History...

1901 - In their long-delayed A.L. home opener, Boston defeats Philadelphia 12-4 behind Cy Young, who has jumped from the St. Louis N.L. team. He will lead the A.L. with his 1.62 ERA and 33 wins, which are 41.8 percent of his team's 79 victories. This post-1900 record will stand until Steve Carlton totals 45.8 percent of the Phillies' 59 wins in 1972.

1906 - With the A's shorthanded because of injuries, Connie Mack puts pitcher Alvin "Chief" Bender in left field in the sixth inning of a game against the Boston Pilgrims. Bender hits two inside-the-park home runs.

1907 - Boston's Big Jeff Pfeffer threw a no-hitter to give the Braves a 6-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in Boston.

1929 - Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants pitched a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first by a left-hander in the majors in thirteen seasons.

1935 - In the first game of a doubleheader, Ernie Lombardi of the Cincinnati Reds hit four doubles in consecutive innings (sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth) off four different Phillies pitchers. Lombardi also singled as the Reds beat Philadelphia 15-4.

1946 - Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky becomes the first player in AL history to score six runs in one game as Boston beats the White Sox 14-10. During the week Pesky also had eleven straight hits before grounding out against Al Milnar of the Browns.

1947 - According to a story by league president Ford Frick, a movement among Cardinals players to protest their first meeting with Jackie Robinson and the Dodgers is aborted by a clubhouse talk from owner Sam Breadon (who denies the story). Suspended manager Leo Durocher and his wife, Larraine Day, are in the stands as the Dodgers win 7-6 on a Pee Wee Reese home run.

1966 - Orioles right fielder Frank Robinson powers the first ball ever hit completely out of Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. The 451-foot shot ends Luis Tiant's scoreless-innings streak at 27. Baltimore wins 8-3 and ties Cleveland for first place.

1966 - The St. Louis Cardinals closed old Busch Stadium with a 10-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

1968 - Jim "Catfish" Hunter of the Oakland A's pitched a perfect game to beat the Minnesota Twins 4-0.

1973 - For the second time in his career, the Pirates' Willie Stargell poles one out of Dodger Stadium. His blast off Andy Messersmith hits the right field pavilion roof 470 feet away. His first such homer, a 506-foot shot, came off Alan Foster on August 5, 1969. No other player has hit one out of the stadium.

1973 - Cubs manager Whitey Lockman is ejected during a 12-inning 3-2 win over the Padres. Coach Ernie Banks fills in for the last few innings, technically becoming the major leagues' first black manager.

1984 - Minnesota's Kirby Puckett had four singles in his first Major League game as the Twins beat the California Angels 5-0.

1994 - The Colorado Silver Bullets, the first women's team to play a pro men's team, lost 19-0 to the Northern League All-Stars. Leon Durham hit two homers and Oil Can Boyd started for the All-Stars. The Silver Bullets had two hits, struck out sixteen times and made six errors.

1998 - Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire connects for his 400th career home run in the third inning at Shea Stadium. McGwire, who has homered every 11.82 at-bats in his career, reaches the milestone in his 4,726th at-bat, beating babe Ruth to that plateau by 128 at-bats. McGwire is the 26th major league player to hit 400 home runs.

2001 - Randy Johnson became only the third pitcher to strike out twenty batters in nine innings, but didn't finish the game as Arizona went on beat Cincinnati 4-3 in 11 innings. The Big Unit, the first left-hander to fan twenty, missed out on the chance to join Roger Clemens and Kerry Wood as the record-holders for a nine-inning game because Arizona could not finish off the Reds in regulation.

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**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 02:02 AM

NOTE:
For the initial posting of trends and indexes, we have provided information available up to the time of posting.
Additional updates for today’s games will be posted ASAP.

**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 03:32 AM

Saturday's six-pack

-- Tough night in Boston, as Bruins-Celtics-Red Sox all lost.

-- Stunningly, Nick Johnson is headed to DL with an injured wrist.

-- Twins had their first home rainout since September, 1980.

-- Five Kentucky hoopers left school early for the NBA. Wonder at what point they stopped going to class? Presidents' Day? Before that?

-- There's a chance justice could triumph and Phoenix Coyotes will go back to Winnipeg, where they used to call home. .

-- The great Pat Summerall turned 80 years old Friday. Time flies.

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Saturday's List of 13: Odds and ends for a spring Saturday.....

13) They drew 13,766 fans in Syracuse Friday night for the first AAA start for Nationals' prospect Stephen Strasburg, who allowed no runs in six IP, giving up a hit and a walk, with six strikeouts. He also drove in a couple of runs. Syracuse is going make big $$$ for the next month, then Strasburg is headed to our nation's capitol for 12-14 years.

12) Despite making only one AAA start, Strasburg is already owned in 87% of fantasy leagues on CBSSports.com. Aroldis Chapman is owned in 74% of CBS leagues.

11) Backup PG Goran Dragic torched the Spurs for 23 points in fourth quarter, as Suns ran out to a 3-0 series lead with a 110-96 win Friday in San Antonio. Up to that point, in 11 quarters, Dragic had scored a total of seven points in the series. The front office gets credit for finding Dragic.

10) Cavaliers' coach Mike Brown pushed the right button when he made his team practice on its day off; Cleveland shot 59% from floor, ran out to a 36-17 first quarter lead and crushed the Celtics in Boston by 29.

9) I hope JaMarcus Russell gets another shot in the NFL; that said, I pray to god its not with the Rams. If I were advising the young man, I'd have him go play Arena Football, which is a great molder of QBs, just ask Kurt Warner or Tommy Maddox, whose careers were made by the AFL.

8) Right now, the AFL's leading passer is one Chris Greisen, who passed for 1,678 yards, with 35 TDs and no INTs in his team's first five games. . Yes, thats 35 TDs and no INTs. The Arena League is a lot of fun.

7) If I'm ESPN, I show every Denver preseason game; the #1 story this August is going to be how well Tim Tebow handles NFL defenses, even though preseason defenses are most always very vanilla.

6) Do the Bengals really need Pacman Jones? Is he worth the trouble, or is Marvin Lewis bucking for sainthood (not the New Orleans kind)?

5) Jim Calhoun's five-year, $13M contract is for recruiting purposes; the NCAA investigation and Calhoun's advancing age and health are probably going to send him to the golf course before that, unless he can recruit well enough to get UConn back to an elite level. Right now, the odds of that happening just don't seem very good.

4) At some point down the road, I'm hoping our government makes online poker legal; lot of more important things keep popping up, pushing this to a back burner, but hopefully it will in taken care of in Mr Obama's second term in office. I don't think Republicans would go for it.

3) When I retire fron my day job in five years or so, I'd like to study how the whole stock/bond market works. Seems like trading is like gambling and handicapping in a lot of ways, think studying it would help me in my handicapping. Still down the road, but something to look forward to.

2) I'm reading a terrific book by Michael Lewis called Liars Poker, which is why I'm getting more interested in the financial world.

1) Eldrick Woods made the cut at -3 at PLAYERS, tied with both Woody Austin and Brett Quigley; he's nine shots out of the lead. If this ordinary play continues and I'm one of his corporate sponsors, I'm showing up at his condo before his next tournament with Rachel Uchitel and dropping her off. At some point, doesn't he have to resume his old ways if he's to regain his dominance of the sport? Either that, or I'm not sponsoring him anymore. Signing up Quigley or Austin would be a hell of a lot cheaper.

**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 03:34 AM

NBA

Saturday, May 8

I'll post the missing game asap.

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Trend Report
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5:00 PM
ORLANDO vs. ATLANTA
Orlando is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Orlando is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Orlando
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Orlando

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**Udog** · 05-08-2010, 03:35 AM

NHL

Saturday, May 8

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
MONTREAL vs. PITTSBURGH
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Montreal's last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Pittsburgh's last 15 games

10:00 PM
DETROIT vs. SAN JOSE
Detroit is 15-8 SU in its last 23 games
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Jose's last 8 games when playing at home against Detroit
San Jose is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Detroit

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Announcement

Saturday Trends and Indexes 5/8 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Saturday Trends and Indexes 5/8 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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