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**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:05 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: May 23

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Suns look to beat the Lakers at home, the Blackhawks try to finish off the Sharks, and the Yanks and Mets complete their series.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The Suns will be looking to break into the win column in their third-round series with the Lakers on Sunday night when they play host to Game 3. Los Angeles took a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals with a 124-112 home win in Game 2 on Wednesday night. Pau Gasol had a team-high 29 points for the Lakers in that contest, while Kobe Bryant was good for 21 points and 13 assists. Lamar Odom had 17 points and 11 boards off the bench. Jason Richardson led the Suns' attack with 27 points. Phoenix is pegged as the 2.5-point home favorite for Sunday, with the total set at 219.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Yankees and Mets will finish up their interleague series at Citi Field on Sunday night with CC Sabathia (4-2, 3.43 ERA) taking on Johan Santana (3-2, 3.72 ERA). Lefthander Sabathia dazzled the rival Red Sox in his last trip to the mound, surrendering just one earned run on four hits over seven innings while striking out five batters. Lefthander Santana is also coming off a quality outing, holding the Braves to just two earned runs on five hits in seven innings of work while striking out four batters.

Also on the MLB schedule for Sunday: Atlanta at Pittsburgh, Cincinnati at Cleveland, Baltimore at Washington, Florida at the White Sox, Tampa Bay at Houston, the Cubs at Texas, Milwaukee at Minnesota, Colorado at Kansas City, the Angels at St. Louis, San Francisco at Oakland, San Diego at Seattle, Detroit at the Dodgers, Toronto at Arizona, and Boston at Philadelphia. Tim Wakefield (0-2, 5.31 ERA) will take on Roy Halladay (6-2, 1.64 ERA) in that BoSox/Phillies matchup. Righthander Halladay was the hard-luck loser against the Pirates last time out, allowing just two runs over his nine innings.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The NHL has one playoff game on tap for Sunday, with San Jose at Chicago in Game 4 of the Western Conference final. The Blackhawks pushed the Sharks to verge of elimination last time out, grabbing a 3-2 overtime win and a 3-0 series lead in Game 3 at home on Friday night. Dustin Byfuglien had the OT winner for the Hawks on Friday, while Patrick Sharp and Dave Bolland scored in regulation time. Antti Niemi stopped 44 of 46 San Jose shots in the contest. Patrick Marleau scored both Sharks goals in their Game 3 loss, giving him seven in the playoffs. Evgeni Nabokov blocked 35 shots.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Finally, there are four games on the WNBA's schedule for Sunday, with Washington at Connecticut, Chicago at Indiana, Tulsa at Minnesota, and Atlanta at New York. The Dream have started the 2010 season at both 3-0 straight-up and 3-0 against-the-spread; Atlanta outgunned Connecticut 97-82 in their last game on Friday night. Angel McCoughtry had a team-high 32 points for the Dream in that contest, while Sancho Lyttle was good for 27 points. The Liberty are 1-1 SU but 0-2 ATS after falling 77-61 to Washington last time out. Cappie Pondexter led New York with 14 points in that game.

**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:06 AM

Bettor's best friend: Sunday's wagering tips

Lines to keep an eye on

Minnesota Lynx at Tulsa Shock – The home team opened as 4.5-point favorites but that spread has climbed to 7 points on most boards.

Marlins at White Sox – Most books have elevated the total in this game to 8.5 after opening at 8.

Rays at Astros – Houston surfaced as a +170 home dog but that number can be found as low as +150 in some markets.

Cubs at Rangers – Texas opened as a -175 favorite but the moneyline has come down at some books to as low as -155.

Weather to watch
(Forecasts are extracted from Weather.com the night before the game.)

Cubs at Rangers – A 16 mph wind will be blowing in from right field. There was a strong wind in Game 1 of this series and the final score was 2-1.

Rockies at Royals – A 17 mph wind from the south-southwest will be blowing out to right field.

Yankees at Mets – A 30-40 percent chance of rain is called for.

Orioles at Nationals – A 50 percent chance of rain is in the forecast.

Red Sox at Phillies – A 50 percent chance of rain is called for.

Who’s hot

The Suns and Lakers have sailed OVER the totals in two games by an average of 22.5 points per game.

Los Angeles is 5-0 ATS in its last five games and 7-3 ATS over a 10-game stretch.

The Braves had won four straight and 8-of-10 going into Saturday’s game.

The Minnesota Lynx are 6-1 ATS in their last seven meetings versus Tulsa.

Who’s not

San Jose is 0-3 in their last three games, dropping 3.76 units on the moneyline.

The Marlins are on a three-game slide.

The Mets are struggling to produce runs which has equated to a 2-8 record over their last 10 outings.

Key stat

839-671 – Record of the American League versus the National League during interleague play since 2003. The AL collectively defeated the NL in each of those years and the game winning margin is 28. The AL only went 8-6 Friday so more wins from the more dominant league should be expected.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins is making a return trip to the disabled list. The 2007 National League Most Valuable Player injured his groin during Friday's game. Rollins took approximately six steps before limping the remainder of the way down the first-base line. Rollins was sidelined for one month with a calf strain earlier in the season. Juan Castro will start in his place, while Wilson Valdez - who was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh - will be his backup.

Games of the day

Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns (-2.5, 219)

San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks (-175, 5.5)

Notable quotable

"They're a more talented team than we are. They're a more balanced team. It's probably not a stretch in most people's minds just to say they're a better team than we are. So how do we overcome that? That's just all spirit, fight and belief. We've got to rely heavily on those characteristics with this group."

-- Suns point guard Steve Nash said of the Lakers going into Game 3 in Phoenix.

Tips and notes

- Friday’s sampling of interleague games produced some trends that might be worth following/monitoring as the baseball season goes on. Without a designated hitter for AL teams in NL ballparks, those games went 2-5 over/under. The AL also struggled without the DH going 2-5 against the NL in those games. On the flip side, the AL went 6-1 in its own ballparks with the DH in effect.

- After the Cavs were ousted from the NBA Playoffs, Suns forward Amar’e Stoudemire said Cleveland would have won the title if he were on the team. Why would that matter since Phoenix was still in it? Friday, a report came out that said Stoudemire would likely not return to the Suns next season because he felt like “the organization disrespected him.” This comes a week after Amar’e said there was a 50-50 chance he would return? Stoudemire has a total of nine rebounds in two games of the Western Finals and clearly isn’t focused on beating the Lakers.

- Justine Henin is the favorite (+230) to win the women’s singles title at the French Open, which starts Sunday. Henin hasn’t played in the event since winning it in 2007 and has a tough draw to reach the finals. She could face Maria Sharapova in the third round and Serena Williams in the quarters. And don’t forget that the Williams sisters were given the top two seeds and an All-Williams final would draw great TV ratings. On the men’s side Rafael Nadal is the overwhelming favorite (-280), as he was last year when he lost, but his susceptibility to injury should always concern bettors.

**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:07 AM

NBA
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 23

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LA LAKERS (67 - 27) at PHOENIX (62 - 32) - 5/23/2010, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA LAKERS are 42-50 ATS (-13.0 Units) in all games this season.
PHOENIX is 55-37 ATS (+14.3 Units) in all games this season.
PHOENIX is 40-29 ATS (+8.1 Units) when the total is greater than or equal to 210 this season.
PHOENIX is 37-23 ATS (+11.7 Units) as a favorite this season.
PHOENIX is 28-16 ATS (+10.4 Units) in home games this season.
PHOENIX is 36-22 ATS (+11.8 Units) in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 210 over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 31-14 ATS (+15.6 Units) after allowing 105 points or more this season.
PHOENIX is 35-26 ATS (+6.4 Units) after scoring 105 points or more this season.
PHOENIX is 32-21 ATS (+8.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PHOENIX is 22-11 ATS (+9.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
PHOENIX is 37-21 ATS (+13.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
PHOENIX is 22-9 ATS (+12.1 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
LA LAKERS are 35-19 ATS (+14.1 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 12-1 ATS (+10.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive overs this season.
LA LAKERS are 35-22 ATS (+10.8 Units) after allowing 105 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 46-26 ATS (+17.4 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.
LA LAKERS are 55-36 ATS (+15.4 Units) 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 10-4 against the spread versus PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
LA LAKERS is 11-3 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
9 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:09 AM

NBA

Sunday, May 23

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Trend Report
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8:30 PM
LA LAKERS vs. PHOENIX
LA Lakers are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
LA Lakers are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Phoenix
Phoenix is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games when playing LA Lakers
Phoenix is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Lakers

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**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:10 AM

NBA

Sunday, May 23

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Pick 'n' Roll: Today's best NBA bets
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Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns (-2.5, 219)

The Lakers barely broke a sweat at home in the first two games against the Suns, but now the series shifts to Phoenix where Steve Nash and Company are 12-1 straight up and 11-1-1 against the spread.

"It's still somewhat comical to me that when we won our first two games against San Antonio (in Phoenix) all everyone wrote is that, 'Well, they really haven't done anything. They just did what they were supposed to do,' " Suns coach Alvin Gentry told the Arizona Republic.

"Then we lost the first two games in LA and they already got us buried. Has anyone gone in there and won a game this year on their court in the playoffs? All right. I'm just wondering about that."

Phoenix will need Amar’e Stoudemire to start producing for it to turn things around. So far all Stoudemire has done is a lot of talking and not much on the court to back up his words.

The All-Star big man tweeted the Cavs would have won the championship with him on their roster after Cleveland was eliminated from the postseason, he followed that up by saying Laker forward Lamar Odom was “lucky” getting 19 points and 19 rebounds in Game 1.

Meanwhile Stoudemire has grabbed just nine rebounds in two games vs. Los Angeles and has played the part of a chair perfectly while trying to defend Pau Gasol.

As miserable as the Suns played so far in this series, you have to figure they’ll put one game out on their home floor.

Pick: Suns

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**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:11 AM

NHL
Long Sheet

Sunday, May 23

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SAN JOSE (59-24-0-13, 131 pts.) at CHICAGO (63-26-0-8, 134 pts.) - 5/23/2010, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 60-46 ATS (-21.3 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 36-16 ATS (+10.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN JOSE is 35-18 ATS (+8.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 8-7 (+2.0 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 8-7-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
7 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.5 Units)

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***THA FIX*** · 05-23-2010, 12:11 AM

Thanks for you do UDOG!!!

**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:12 AM

NHL

Sunday, May 23

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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks (-175, 5.5)

Coming back from 3-0 series deficit isn’t an easy thing to do in the Stanley Cup, especially after a deflating loss like the Sharks suffered Friday night.

The Sharks tied the game late in the third period and outplayed Chicago for much of the overtime before a missed defensive assignment left Dustin Byfuglien wide open in the slot area.

"We just want to win a game and get back to San Jose and see what happens there," Sharks center Joe Thornton told the San Jose Mercury News.

The Sharks can take comfort knowing that the Flyers just climbed out of a 3-0 series hole last round against the Bruins.

"It just happened, so it's not impossible,” Sharks sniper Patrick Marleau said. “We can try to feed off of that.”

Yes, but Philadelphia’s turnaround began at home, much like the Red Sox’s back in 2004. Starting the long haul back on the road is no easy task.

Pick: Blackhawks

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**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:13 AM

Originally posted by ***THA FIX*** View Post

Thanks for you do UDOG!!!

NP, FIX! Hope it's helping!

**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:15 AM

NHL

Sunday, May 23

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What bettors need to know: Sharks at Blackhawks
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San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks (-175, 5.5)

Toothless Sharks

San Jose finished on the wrong side of another one-goal game and fell behind 3-0 in its best of seven series against the Blackhawks. Chicago only has to win at home on Sunday to secure its spot in the Stanley Cup finals.

The Sharks are on the brink of elimination despite not playing a bad game yet in this series. They’ve outshot the Hawks in all three games but haven’t been as opportunistic with their chances as their rivals.

"Nobody's feeling sorry for us," Sharks forward Joe Thornton told the San Jose Mercury News following Friday’s 3-2 overtime loss. "There are 13 teams in each conference that would love to be still playing right now."

Antti is the antidote

All season long, Chicago’s one big question mark was between the pipes. The club let proven vet Nikolai Khabibulin go in the offseason thinking Cristobal Huet could carry the load in his place.

But Huet proved unreliable and Antti Neimi won the starting job in the last month of the regular season. The Fin struggled at times in his first two playoff series but he’s rounded into form nicely.

Neimi carries a 1.50 goals against average, a .959 save percentage and a 4-0 record in his last four playoff games into Game 4 on Sunday.

"We're running up against a good goaltender. We've got to keep going and persevere," Thornton told reporters.

Lone gunman

The only Shark player who’s having any success against Neimi is Patrick Marleau. The former team captain has scored four of San Jose’s five goals in this season.

Dany Heatley is the Sharks’ top sniper but he’s been a shell of himself this postseason with just two goals this postseason.

"If you're a goal-scorer, you have to score goals," Heatley told the Chicago Tribune before Game 3. "I haven't gotten many so far. But I'm just trying to do the right things and create chances."

Home away from home

The Blackhawks are 7-1 on the road and just 4-3 at home during this year’s playoffs. The club decided to capitalize on the trend by trying to trick themselves into thinking Game 3 was an away date.

The Hawks checked into a downtown Chicago hotel after a morning skate before returning later that evening to the United Center for Game 3.

"I don't think we're superstitious as a group or anything like that,” Hawks captain Jonathan Toews told reporters. “Definitely the more time we spend together, the more we're focused on our job collectively as a team."

Apparently Chicago players are pushing to repeat the process for Game 4.

"I hope so — (it) has really good beds," forward Kris Versteeg said. "Four hundred bucks a night, I hope it does."

Don't forget...

Road teams facing elimination in this year’s playoffs are 6-2.

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**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:16 AM

MLB

Sunday, May 23

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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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Los Angeles Angels at St. Louis Cardinals (-170, 7)

Tony La Russa is set in his managing ways. But five days ago he decided to drop Albert Pujols from the No. 3 spot in the lineup to cleanup.

The experiment didn’t last too long because on Saturday The Machine was back hitting in the first inning.

"Our lineup is Albert third," La Russa said. "The best player on your team hits third. One of the values that Matt (Holliday) showed last year and one reason we were so excited to bring him back is he's our cleanup hitter.”

The Cardinals went 4-1 while Pujols was in the four-hole but it wasn’t because the offense was pounding out runs with a new lineup. The team averaged 4.6 runs in those five games and Pujols went 6-for-16 with three runs scored and zero RBI.

After returning to the cleanup spot Saturday, Holliday went 2-for-4 with two RBIs while hitting his first home run in St. Louis. Pujols went 0-for-4 as the No. 3 hitter but should return to form now that he’s back in a comfortable spot.

Even with the team’s two aces on the hill for the Sunday matinee, these lineups are heating up (10-7 Saturday) and bettors should expect this game to eclipse the total.

Pick: Over

Chicago Cubs at Texas Rangers (-165, 9)

The Cubs stole away renowned hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo from Texas this offseason but the move hasn’t paid dividends yet.

Two of Chicago’s biggest sluggers, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee, have failed to produce this season.

Lee is hitting .222 with five homers and 18 RBIs while Ramirez is even worse with a .166 batting average and only three multi-hit games all season.

"Their timing is off, and they're not letting the ball get deep enough [in the strike zone]," said Jaramillo. “It's something they have to work out as they go. It can be mechanical, it can be mental, or it can be both."

“I haven't found that groove where I'm really seeing the ball and putting a good swing on it when I get my pitch,” said Lee, who is hitting fewer line drives and ground balls than last year according FanGraphs.com. “I know I've had a ton of poor starts, but I didn't see this coming."

These two “power-hitting” squads played a 2-1 game in the opener of this series Friday and have combined for a 33-44-9 over/under record this season.

Pick: Under

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**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:17 AM

MLB

Sunday, May 23

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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking

David Price (6-1, 1.81), Tampa Bay Rays

The southpaw phenom is flourishing in his first full season in The Show.

Price currently leads the AL in ERA and wins. He’s gone at least 6.0 innings in his last three outings, all victories, and gave up zero runs in two of those starts.

“I feel like there’s still room for improvement. I feel like I’ve left some stuff out there that I shouldn’t have,” said Price, who is 4-0 with a 1.03 ERA in his last five outings.

What’s even more special about this kid is that you can be assured he won’t beat himself on the mound mentally as Price is a Vanderbilt product.

Carlos Silva (5-0, 3.35), Chicago Cubs

Maybe Carlos Silva is worth the $12.75 million he’s making this season.

The veteran righty is 3-0 in this last three starts and hasn’t yielded more than a pair of runs during his last two outings – victories that came against power-hitting teams in the Rockies and Marlins.

“He’s been a pleasant surprise, super-consistent each time out. I’d hate to think where we’d be without him,” said Ryan Theriot.

“We found out rather quickly in spring training that he was healthy,” Lou Piniella said. “When a pitcher’s healthy and he’s had success like he did in Minnesota, you figure you’ve got a chance.”

But beware, back in his days with the Twins and Mariners Silva accrued a hefty 5.20 ERA in 13 starts against the Rangers.

Slumping

Felix Hernandez (2-3, 3.95), Seattle Mariners

What’s wrong with King Felix these days?

Hernandez is 0-3 in his last five starts and gave up a season-high 11 hits in his last outing. After surrendering seven earned runs two starts prior, the King was pulled after 3.1 innings on the mound and said his mechanics felt off.

The Mariners don’t provide their pitching staff with much run support so these guys have to be on top of their game most of the time in order to get a win.

John Lannan (1-2, 6.02 ERA), Washington Nationals

Lannan’s lowest earned-run total this season is two and he’s only accomplished that in two of his eight starts. He hasn’t won a game since April 10 and hasn’t gone deeper than six innings in each of his last three starts (12 earned runs).

Lannan isn’t a starter that is going to blow hitters away with fastballs. The left-hander is a finesse pitcher that’s been missing his spots this season and only has three quality starts.

“I started missing some pitches on the outside corner,” Lannan said after giving up six runs in 5.0 innings versus the Marlins last weekend. “I’ve got to live on that corner. I’m not throwing hard enough to blow balls by guys.”

Lannan is 2-1 in three career starts against the Orioles with a 3.66 ERA.

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**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:18 AM

MLB

Sunday, May 23

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This Day in Baseball
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On May 23 in Baseball History...

1926 - Hack Wilson smacks a fifth inning home run off the Wrigley Field scoreboard, situated at ground level, to start a 14-8 rout of the Braves. Wilson is the first player to hit a ball off the scoreboard, which, in 1937, will be moved atop the newly built bleachers. Later that night, Wilson and a few others are arrested at a friend's apartment for drinking beer in violation of the Prohibition Act.

1944 - Wartime restrictions are eased and the Polo Grounds is the scene of the first night game in metro New York since 1941. The Giants Bill Voiselle loses a 2-1, ninth-inning lead because an apparent last-out fly ball is dropped by center fielder Johnny Rucker when Charles Mead runs into him. Two runners score and the Dodgers win 3-2.

1978 - The A.L. approves the transfer of the Red Sox to a group headed by Jean Yawkey, Buddy LeRoux, and Haywood Sullivan. The purchase price is $15 million. Sullivan had a seven-year catching career for the Red Sox and Royals, while LeRoux was the Boston trainer for eight years.

1980 - Five hours after the midnight deadline passes, the players and owners avert a strike by announcing a new four-year basic agreement. The new deal raises the minimum salary from $21,000 to $30,000 and increases the clubs' contributions to the players' pension fund, but the major issue of free-agent compensation remains unresolved.

1989 - Cleveland loses to Detroit 7-2 to drop its record to 21-22, but remains in first place in the A.L. East by percentage points. It marks the latest in a season a sub-.500 team has been in first place.

1991 - Tommy Greene tosses the season's second no-hitter, a 2-0 win over Montreal.

1995 - Cubs pitcher Kevin Foster and Rockies hurler Marvin Freeman each hit home runs off each other in a 7-6 Chicago win at Coors Field. Foster and Freeman are just the tenth duo this century to hit and throw gopher balls against each other.

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**Udog** · 05-23-2010, 12:43 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

Sunday's Trends and Indexes 5/23 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Sunday's Trends and Indexes 5/23 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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