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**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 06:52 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: May 20

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Red Sox host the Twins, the Habs try to dig out of a hole, and golfers take to the links in events in both Irving and Surrey.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League schedule on Thursday offers up Kansas City at Cleveland, Detroit at Oakland, Toronto at Seattle, Tampa Bay at the Yankees, Baltimore at Texas, the Angels at the White Sox, and Minnesota at Boston. Francisco Liriano (4-2, 2.63 ERA) is slated to take on Jon Lester (3-2, 3.91 ERA) in that Twins/Red Sox matchup. Lefthander Liriano is coming off back-to-back losses to the Yankees and Orioles, but he beat the Red Sox (seven shutout innings) back on April 15. Lefthander Lester faced the Twins in a start on April 12, surrendering four earned runs on nine hits over five innings and striking out five in that defeat.

Over in the National League on Thursday the lineup features Cincinnati at Atlanta, the Cubs at Philadelphia, Florida at St. Louis, Milwaukee at Pittsburgh, the Mets at Washington, Colorado at Houston, San Diego at the Dodgers, and San Francisco at Arizona. Tim Lincecum (5-0, 1.76 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Giants on Thursday against the Diamondbacks' Rodrigo Lopez (2-2, 3.81 ERA). Righthander Lincecum beat the Astros in his last trip to the mound, allowing just one earned run on four hits over eight innings of work. Righthander Lopez is coming off a win over the Braves in which he gave up one run over eight innings.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The National Hockey League offers up Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final on Thursday night, with the Canadiens looking to break out of a 2-0 series deficit at home against the Flyers. The Habs were blanked for the second straight contest in Game 2 in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, losing 3-0. Danny Briere, Simon Gagne, and Ville Leino had the goals for the Flyers in that victory, while Michael Leighton stopped all 30 Montreal shots for a second straight shutout. Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak made 20 saves on 23 Philly shots in the defeat.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

The PGA Tour will tee it up in the HP Byron Nelson Championship at the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas starting on Thursday morning. Hunter Mahan is the 15/1 Vegas favorite to win this week's tour stop, with Dustin Johnson just behind him on that odds list at 20/1. Y.E. Yang and Ben Crane are both at 22/1 odds to win in Irving, with Sean O'Hair at 25/1. Defending champion Rory Sabbatini is back at 40/1 odds to repeat as the winner. The European Tour will stage the BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England starting Thursday, with Lee Westwood the 10/1 favorite to win that event.

And finally, there's one game on the WNBA's schedule for Thursday, with San Antonio at Tulsa. The Silver Stars were defeated 75-70 by Atlanta in their first game of the season over the weekend, while the Shock are coming off an 80-74 defeat to Minnesota in the opening game for the relocated franchise. Amber Holt had a team-high 16 points for Tulsa the day, while Marion Jones went scoreless.

**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 06:56 AM

Bettors' best friend: Thursday's wagering tips

Lines to keep an eye on

Blue Jays at Mariners - M's opened at -105 but are now as high as a +110 dog.

Mets at Nationals - Total opened at 9 and has climbed to 9.5.

Brewers at Pirates - Total opened at 9.5 and has slipped to 9.

Twins at Red Sox - Total opened at 9 and has dropped to 8.5.

Weather to watch

Marlins at Cardinals - 70 percent chance of thunderstorms.

Orioles at Rangers - 40 percent chance of showers.

Who's hot

Reds are 16-5 in their last 21 overall.

Dodgers have won nine in a row.

Flyers have won six straight, outscoring foes 24-8 in that span.

Who's not

Brewers have lost eight in a row.

Tigers are 2-8 in their last 10 vs. A's.

Mariners are 1-8 in their last nine at home.

Key stat

13 - Current streak of unanswered goals scored by the Philadelphia Flyers since Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against Boston. The Flyers rattled off the first four to overcome a 3-0 deficit to the Bruins and have shutout Montreal in the first two games of their series 6-0 and 3-0.

Injury that shouldn't be overlooked

Philly center Jeff Carter is "a stretch" to play Thursday with a broken foot, according to Flyers GM Paul Holmgren, despite the fact that he returned to the ice and skated for 15 minutes on Monday. Carter is tough and could return to the team later in its Eastern Conference final series against Montreal, but even if he does play in Game 3 he can't be anywhere near 100 percent. The Flyers will miss production - 33 goals and 28 assists this season.

Game of the day

Flyers at Canadiens (-125, 5)

Notable quotable

"We're having a good playoffs. We'll have a great finals, a really interesting draft and then Katie bar the door in July. Songs, banners, balloons, blimps, armies, I don't even know what. I'm just going to hide in the office and let it all roll out."

NBA commissioner David Stern said during an ESPN interview about this summer's highly anticipated free-agent signing period, which includes MVP LeBron James and All-Stars Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amar'e Stoudemire.

Tips and notes

Before you start digging a grave for the Montreal Canadiens, who are down 0-2 to the Flyers in the Eastern Conference final and have yet to score against Philadelphia, don't forget about recent history. The Habs are 6-4 in their two previous playoff series after Game 3 and they are 5-0 in elimination games - and those numbers came against the top-seeded Capitals and high-scoring Penguins. Not to mention the next two games will be played in Montreal, where the Habs are 10-4 when returning from a road trip lasting longer than one week. They haven't played at home since May 10.

Interleague play begins Friday so it might be a good time to bone up on some trends involving teams facing one another for the first time. With little or no track record between the two teams to base your bets upon, there are some trends to help handicap interleague games. For instance, over the past three years when two lefties meet on the mound, the under is 41-26. Throw out games with a total of 8.5 or lower and the under is 28-15 over that span.

The NASCAR Sprint All-Star will feature a new format when the green flag flies on Saturday night. This year drivers will make a mandatory pit stop to take on four fresh tires before shooting it out in a 10-lap sprint to the finish. This new rule obviously favors the more heavily funded teams with the best pit crews in the business, like Hendricks Motorsports, whose drivers (Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin) have combined to win the event seven times.

**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 06:59 AM

Thursday's six-pack

-- Tampa Bay Rays are now 16-4 on the road.

-- Don't look know, but Toronto is 25-17, 14-6 on road and only a game behind Bronx Bombers in the AL East (and Wild Card race). Posada is out for 3-4 weeks (broken foot).

-- Ian Kennedy has a 1.93 RA in his last four starts.

-- Hanley Ramirez went 3-5 in his return to the Florida lineup, as Fish won 5-1 in St Louis. Cardinals are in a hitting funk.

-- Mets had an inside-the-park HR and had a triple play and still lost. If I'm Jerry Manuel, I send the wife out for some packing boxes.

-- UTEP will host the Conference USA hoop tournament next March, even though UTEP is 1,900 miles from East Carolina, 1,700 miles from Central Florida. Safe to say the Memphis people aren't happy.

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Thursday's List of 13: Tell your statistics to shut up.........

13) Colorado Rockies are the only major league team that hasn't had home run from the #3 spot in its batting order this season.

12) Thru Tuesday's games, here are top three teams as far as on-base % from the leadoff spot: Seattle .402, Tigers .397, Phillies .372. The three worst teams are: San Diego .258, Pittsburgh .266, Atlanta .276.

11) Coco Crisp is off on a rehab assignment; he better get to Oakland in a hurry, since A's leadoff hitters have an on-base %age of just .292.

10) Surprised to see that DHs are hitting a combined .244 this year, with an on-base percentage of .325. Seattle's DH's have been especially putrid, with a batting average of .189 and only 11 RBI in their first 40 games.

9) Rays have 32 RBI from the 9-hole, 11 more than any other team; thats an awful big gap between the first team and the second team.

8) Runs from 7th inning on: Reds 83, Dodgers 76, Brewers 74. Fewest amount of runs from 7th on: Rockies 37, Mariners 39, Astros 41.

7) Detroit's bullpen is 11-4 with 11 saves, with an ERA of 2.49 in 134 IP. Arizona's pen is 4-9, 7.98 with seven saves in 108.1; they're on pace to have the worst bullpen ERA in the last 42 years.

6) Teams are hitting .201 against San Diego's bullpen, .303 against Milwaukee's.

5) Nolan Ryan's Ranger pitchers lead MLB with 19 hit batsmen. Padres are last with 4-- they're managed by a former pitcher, Bud Black.

4) Joe Torre's Dodgers have issued the most intentional walks (20); three teams have issued the fewest (4): Royals-Tigers-Bronx.

3) The average pitches per batter in major leagues is 3.86; this figure is exactly the same in both leagues.

2) Nine teams still don't have a complete game this season.

1) Going into Wednesday's games, Tampa Bay led the AL with an ERA of 2.69; next best ERA in AL was Bronx (3.69); that gap got a little bit wider Wednesday night.

**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 07:01 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Philadelphia at Montreal
The Flyers look to take advantage of a Montreal team that is 1-4 in its last 5 games as a favorite. Philadelphia is the pick (+110) according to Dunkel, which has the Flyers favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+110). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, MAY 20

Game 59-60: Philadelphia at Montreal (7:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 13.772; Montreal 12.474
Dunkel Line & Total: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Montreal (-130); 5
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+110); Over

**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 07:02 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 20

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PHILADELPHIA (51-38-0-7, 109 pts.) at MONTREAL (47-40-0-11, 105 pts.) - 5/20/2010, 7:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 10-9-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
11 of 19 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.0 Units)

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**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 07:03 AM

NHL
Write-Up

Thursday, May 20

Flyers now on serious roll, winning last six games after falling behind in last series 3-0 to Boston. Philly scored nine goals on just 48 shots so far in series, going 4-10 in 15:47 on power play (Canadiens are 0-8 on the power play, in 13:22 with man advantage). Montreal was down 3-2 in last series, 3-1 in first round but won both series, so they're not out of this yet, but it would be nice if they scored a goal first. Flyers are 4-1 on the road so far in the playoffs.

**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 07:04 AM

NHL

Thursday, May 20

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. MONTREAL
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Philadelphia is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Montreal
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Montreal's last 12 games
Montreal is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia

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**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 07:05 AM

NHL

Thursday, May 20

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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadiens (-125, 5)

After a superhero-like performance in the first two rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak has looked simply ordinary in two losses to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Halak, who stumped the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, has given up seven goals on 37 shots this series and was even given the hook after allowing four goals on 14 shots in Game 1. He watched three pucks go by in a 3-0 loss in Game 2, leaving many hockey bettors thinking the tank has run dry for the Habs postseason savior.

"Every series is a different series, so right now we are facing a different team than we faced in the first round and second round," Halak told the CBC following Game 1. "So every team plays different hockey, and we just need to make a little bit adjustment in our penalty killing and our system. I think if we do that we should be OK."

Halak has played better at home in the playoffs. He’s 3-2 in five starts inside the Bell Centre with a 2.24 goals against average and a save percentage of .939. He won his last two home contests, blanking the Penguins for just five goals on 72 total shots.

Bettors should expect a return to form Thursday night and a potential goaltending duel with Philadelphia netminder Michael Leighton.

Pick: Under

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**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 07:07 AM

NHL

Thursday, May 20

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What bettors need to know: Flyers at Canadiens
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Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadiens (-125, 5)

Flyers lead series 2-0.

Who is that masked man?

In a playoff filled with amazing stories, Philadelphia goaltender Michael Leighton might be the best one.

Leighton, a journeyman goalie who has bounced between six different teams in five years, is making the most of his opportunity. With an injury to starter Brian Boucher in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Leighton was thrust into action and has answered the call.

He’s won all four of his postseason starts, including two against the Canadiens in this conference final. Most recently, Leighton turned away all 30 of Montreal’s shots in a 3-0 victory in Game 2 at the Wachovia Center Tuesday – his second straight shutout of the series.

Leighton, who has a 0.87 goals against average in the playoffs, tied Flyers legend Bernie Parent for the team record for consecutive postseason shutouts. He also has the second-longest scoreless streak in Philadelphia history at 165 minutes and 50 seconds. Boucher has the team record of 184:45 set back in the 2000 NHL playoffs.

"A shutout to me, it means a little bit," Leighton told the Philadelphia Inquirer, "but the win means a lot more to me. You know, we could have won, 3-1, and I would have been just as happy."

Leighton heads to Montreal for just his second road start of the postseason Thursday. He was solid in support during Game 4 of the conference semifinals in Boston, stopping 14 shots to preserve a 4-0 shutout after Boucher was injured. His worst appearance of the playoffs was a 4-3 win over the Bruins in Beantown in Game 7, allowing three goals on 25 shots.

This season, Leighton was 0-3 in his three away starts and posted a 4.74 GAA over five road appearances.

Helpless Habs

After two grueling seven-game series with two of the NHL’s top clubs, it appears the Montreal Canadiens are running on empty in the Eastern Conference final.

The Habs haven’t scored in the series, getting stumped on 58 shots on goal. Montreal has come out strong in the first two games, out-shooting the Flyers 29-12 in the first period. But, like a heavy-handed boxer throwing heymakers, the Canadiens appear to punch themselves out by the final frame.

Montreal has mustered just nine shots in the third period including just four scoring chances in the final period of Tuesday’s Game 2 defeat. Scoring threats Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta, who have combined for 19 goals this postseason, had a total of shots between them in Game 1 and were denied on 12 combined shots in Game 2.

"Tonight I thought we did a lot better job," Cammalleri told the National Post, obviously frustrated. "I thought we were pretty good. I don't know what else to say about that."

The reality is that Montreal is not a good offensive team. The Canadiens managed to find goals in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but have sunk back into the role of a squad that finished 25th in the NHL in scoring this season. The Flyers have also done a good job limiting their penalties and nullifying the Habs’ biggest weapon, their power play.

Pros and Conns

If the balloting for the Conn Smythe Trophy, the NHL playoff MVP, went out today, Philadelphia forward Daniel Briere would be at the top of many voters’ lists.

Briere has exploded in the past two series, scoring a goal in four straight games and totaling 18 points in the playoffs so far.

Another MVP candidate would be gritty forward Simon Gagne, who has sparked the team since returning from injury. He has six goals in the last six games including scores in both conference final contests.

Adding to both players’ red-hot play is a chance to do it in front of family and friends for the next two games. Briere hails from Gatineau, Quebec while Gagne is a native of Ste. Foy. Both grew up dreaming of playing for the Canadiens – not crushing them.

"It's a lot, you know, it's a lot of emotion for me -- and I think Danny (Briere) and Claude (Giroux) -- to be able to face that team," Gagne told the National Post. "Now you've got everybody back home watching you. You've got your friends, you've got your family, and it's a lot of people watching you on TV because it's going to be televised back home. It's really special."

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**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 07:10 AM

MLB
Dunkel

Chicago Cubs at Philadelphia
The Phillies look to rebound from yesterday's 4-1 loss and build on their 8-3 record in Joe Blanton's last 11 starts as a home favorite. Philadelphia is the pick (-120) according to Dunkel, which has the Phillies favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-120). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, MAY 20

Game 951-952: Cincinnati at Atlanta (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Leake) 16.558; Atlanta (Hanson) 15.629
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-155); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+135); Under

Game 953-954: Chicago Cubs at Philadelphia (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Dempster) 15.550; Philadelphia (Blanton) 16.421
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-120); Over

Game 955-956: Florida at St. Louis (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Robertson) 14.734; St. Louis (Wainwright) 15.350
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-230); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-230); Under

Game 957-958: Milwaukee at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Narveson) 14.627; Pittsburgh (Maholm) 13.600
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-120); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-120); Under

Game 959-960: NY Mets at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Maine) 14.434; Washington (Atilano) 15.797
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Washington (-120); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-120); Under

Game 961-962: Colorado at Houston (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Jimenez) 14.083; Houston (Oswalt) 15.643
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Colorado (-150); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+130); Over

Game 963-964: San Francisco at Arizona (9:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Lincecum) 14.805; Arizona (Lopez) 15.573
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-180); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+160); Under

Game 965-966: San Diego at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Correia) 15.950; LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 16.837
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 6
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-165); 7
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-165); Under

Game 967-968: Kansas City at Cleveland (12:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Hochevar) 14.621; Cleveland (Talbot) 15.365
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-130); Under

Game 969-970: Detroit at Oakland (3:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Bonderman) 14.726; Oakland (Ross) 15.215
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Detroit (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+105); Under

Game 971-972: Toronto at Seattle (3:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Romero) 16.317; Seattle (Vargas) 14.053
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 2 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-125); 7
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-125); Under

Game 973-974: Tampa Bay at NY Yankees (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Shields) 15.653; NY Yankees (Pettitte) 16.320
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-145); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-145); Under

Game 975-976: Minnesota at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Liriano); 15.966; Boston (Lester) 16.926
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Boston (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-135); Under

Game 977-978: Baltimore at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Matusz) 14.365; Texas (Feldman) 16.322
Dunkel Line: Texas by 2; 10
Vegas Line: Texas (-140); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-140); Over

Game 979-980: LA Angels at Chicago White Sox (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Santana) 15.406; White Sox (Peavy) 16.590
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-130); Under

**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 07:13 AM

MLB
Write-Up

Thursday, May 20

Hot pitchers
-- Leake is 3-0, 2.77 in his last four starts. Atlanta is 5-0 with Hanson if they score more than one run; they've scored total of one run in his three losses.
-- Wainwright has a 3.15 RA in his last three starts.
-- Atilano is 3-0, 3.90 in five starts this season.
-- Jimenez is 7-1, 1.12 in eight starts this season. Oswalt has 2.51 RA in his last six starts, but Astros scored seven runs in his last four.
-- Lopez has a 2.86 RA in his last three starts.
-- Lincecum is 5-0, 1.76 in eight starts this season.
-- Kershaw is 2-0, 0.60 in his last couple starts.

-- Talbot is 5-1, 3.19 in his last six starts.
-- Romero is 3-0, 3.78 in his last five starts. Vargas is 2-1, 2.34 in his last five starts.
-- Bronx is 7-0 when Pettitte starts (5-0, 1.79). Shields is 3-1, 3.00 in his last five starts.
-- Lester is 3-0, 1.82 in his last five starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Dempster is 0-4, 4.34 in his last four starts. Blanton is 1-2, 5.49 in three starts this season.
-- Robertson is 2-3, 6.48 in his last five starts.
-- Narveson has a 4.43 RA in four starts this season. Maholm has 5.52 RA in his last five starts.
-- Maine is 0-2, 6.35 in his last three starts.
-- Correia is 1-2, 6.06 in his last three starts.

-- Hochevar is 1-2, 8.88 in his last five starts.
-- Bonderman is 0-2, 7.84 in his last six starts. Ross allowed three runs in 3.2 IP (62 PT) in his first big league start.
-- Liriano is 1-2, 5.21 in his last three starts.
-- Feldman is 0-4, 9.20 in his last six starts. Orioles lost last five Matusz starts (0-3, 3.77).
-- Buehrle is 0-5, 7.43 in his last six starts. ESantana has a 5.68 RA in his last two starts.

Totals
-- Six of last eight Atlanta games went over the total.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Dempster starts.
-- All four Robertson road starts stayed under the total.
-- Six of last nine Milwaukee road games went over the total.
-- Four of five Atilano starts stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven Jimenez starts.
-- Five of last seven Lincecum starts went over the total.
-- Under is 8-2-1 in last 11 San Diego games; 7-3-1 in last 11Dodger games.

-- Over is 9-4 in last thirteen Cleveland home games.
-- Three of last four Bonderman starts stayed under the total.
-- Six of seven Vargas starts stayed under the total.
-- Last three Shields starts stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Lester starts stayed under the total.
-- Four of Rangers' last five games stayed under the total; six of last seven Feldman starts went over.
-- Three of four Buehrle home starts went over the total.

Hot teams
-- Cubs won last four games, giving up a total of eight runs.
-- Braves won seven of their last nine games. Reds won nine of their last eleven games.
-- Pirates won four of their last six games.
-- Marlins won eight of their last ten games. Cardinals are 9-5 in their last fourteen home games.
-- Dodgers won nine of their last ten games.
-- Giants won four of their last six games.

-- Blue Jays won 15 of their last 20 games.
-- Red Sox are 3-1 in second game of home series if they won the opener.
-- Rays won seven of their last eight games. Bronx won 12 of its last 16 home games.
-- Rangers won 11 of their last 13 home games.
-- Royals won five of their last seven games.
-- A's are 9-4 in their last thirteen home games.

Cold teams
-- Phillies lost their last two games, scoring one run in each.
-- Mets lost nine of their last 11 games. Nationals lost five of their last six games.
-- Brewers lost their last nine games, outscored 68-31.
-- Arizona lost nine of its last twelve games.
-- Padres lost four of their last six games.
-- Astros lost five of their last six games. Colorado lost five of its last six road games.

-- Indians lost six of their last seven home games.
-- Twins lost four of their last six games.
-- Orioles lost four of their last five games.
-- White Sox lost four of their last five home games. Angels lost ten of their last thirteen road contests.
-- Tigers lost four of their last six road games.
-- Mariners lost 15 of their last 18 games.

Umpires
-- Cin-Atl-- Underdog won last three Barksdale games.
-- Chi-Phil-- Last five Hohn games stayed under the total.
-- Fla-StL-- Favorites won last five Gibson games.
-- Mil-Pitt-- Five of last seven Hirschbeck games stayed under total.
-- NY-Wsh-- Four of last five Tschida games stayed under the total.
-- Colo-Hst-- Under is 5-3 in Nauert games this season.
-- SF-Az-- Last six Wegner games went over the total.
-- SD-LA-- Road team won five of six Crawford games.

-- KC-Clev-- Under is 5-2-1 in Foster games this season.
-- Det-A's-- Average total in last four Dimuro games: 6.9.
-- Tor-Sea-- Three of last four McClelland games went over te total.
-- TB-NY-- Five of seven Vanover games stayed under the total.
-- Min-Bos-- Three of last four Runge games stayed under the total.
-- Blt-Tex-- Five of last six Bucknor games stayed under the total.
-- LA-Chi-- Three of last four Cousins games went over the total.

**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 07:16 AM

MLB

Thursday, May 20

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Trend Report
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12:05 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. CLEVELAND
Kansas City is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Kansas City is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home
Cleveland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Kansas City

1:05 PM
CHI CUBS vs. PHILADELPHIA
Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
Chi Cubs are 4-8 SU in their last 12 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 8-4 SU in their last 12 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
Philadelphia is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games

1:05 PM
CINCINNATI vs. ATLANTA
Cincinnati is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Atlanta
Cincinnati is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
Atlanta is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
Atlanta is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Cincinnati

1:40 PM
FLORIDA vs. ST. LOUIS
Florida is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
St. Louis is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home

3:35 PM
DETROIT vs. OAKLAND
Detroit is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Detroit is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Oakland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Oakland is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games

3:40 PM
TORONTO vs. SEATTLE
Toronto is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Seattle
Toronto is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games on the road
Seattle is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Toronto
Seattle is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto

7:05 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. PITTSBURGH
Milwaukee is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Pittsburgh
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

7:05 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. NY YANKEES
Tampa Bay is 5-11 SU in their last 16 games when playing NY Yankees
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
NY Yankees are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
NY Yankees are 11-5 SU in their last 16 games when playing Tampa Bay

7:05 PM
NY METS vs. WASHINGTON
NY Mets are 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
NY Mets are 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against NY Mets
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games

7:10 PM
MINNESOTA vs. BOSTON
Minnesota is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota

8:05 PM
BALTIMORE vs. TEXAS
Baltimore is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games on the road
Baltimore is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Texas
Texas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Baltimore
Texas is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Baltimore

8:05 PM
COLORADO vs. HOUSTON
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Houston
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Houston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Colorado
Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games

8:10 PM
LA ANGELS vs. CHI WHITE SOX
LA Angels are 3-10 SU in their last 13 games on the road
LA Angels are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
Chi White Sox are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Angels
Chi White Sox are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games

9:40 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. ARIZONA
San Francisco is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
San Francisco is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Arizona is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home
Arizona is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Francisco

10:10 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. LA DODGERS
San Diego is 5-11 SU in their last 16 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
San Diego is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
LA Dodgers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games at home
LA Dodgers are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games

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**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 07:19 AM

MLB

Thursday, May 20

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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds (-165, 7.5)

The first-place Cincinnati Reds don't need much relief after taking a Leake ... in the first round of the 2009 draft, that is.

Rookie righty Mike Leake is off to an impressive 4-0 start (perhaps more importantly, 6-1 against the money line) with a team-best 3.09 ERA and has not thrown fewer than six innings in each of his seven starts. He came straight to the majors after starring for four seasons at Arizona State.

"I'm passed being surprised," manager Dusty Baker said of the rookie sensation. "Just do your thing."

Beyond his effectiveness, Leake's ability to stay on the mound has avoided the need for relying too heavily on a shaky bullpen, which is overrated considering the team has won 10 games in their last at-bat this season.

It's rare for a rookie not have have a breakdown against big-league hitting. It's a good thing the Braves aren't big-league hitters. After their 11-run explosion against Arizona on Saturday they scored just six runs in their next three games and rank in the bottom third in batting average, home runs and RBIs.

Look for Leake to make it rain against the light-hitting Braves.

Pick: Reds

Milwaukee Brewers at Pittsburgh Pirates (105, 9)

The Brewers and Pirates play today for the seventh time this season and only one of those meetings has gone under the posted total of 9.

In fact, two of those meetings resulted in a total of 20 runs. Apparently average hitting wins out when it runs into sub-par pitching.

Expect no different today when Milwaukee's Christopher Narveson (3-1, 5.29 ERA) battles Pittsburgh's Paul Maholm (3-3, 4.40) on the mound.

Narveson was just added as a starter last month and the Brewers lost Doug Davis due to a heart condition over the weekend, further throwing their rotation out of whack.

Malholm has been hammered by the Brewers on a consistent basis. He is just 3-9 in his last 12 starts vs. Milwaukee, not including a no-decision in last month's 6-5 victory by the Brew Crew.

The Brewers, which rank in the top five in virtually every offensive category, have lost eight straight while the Pirates are 3-6 in their last nine. Both team's recent poor play makes it tough to pick a winner, but not necessarily a number.

Pick: Over

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**Udog** · 05-20-2010, 07:20 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.

Announcement

Thursday's Trends and Indexes 5/20 (NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Thursday's Trends and Indexes 5/20 (NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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