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**StarDust Bum** · 05-26-2010, 01:57 AM

Wednesday's Afternoon Action

I think it’s safe to say that we’re getting ready for the dog days of summer when it comes to betting. The NBA and NHL seasons are both about to go into hibernation. The World Cup will garner a lot of viewership, but not much in terms of action at the betting shops. That means baseball will be the only game in town for many of us at the window. Wednesday sets up a lot like that, with three games setting up during the afternoon. Let’s look at those tilts.

White Sox (18-23, -777) at Indians (14-27, -1,083) – 12:05 p.m. EDT

Cleveland hasn’t had too much to cheer about in a season that is starting to look more and more like “Major League” without the charm of Corbin Bernsen.

One thing that the Tribe has been able to take heart in is their ownership of Chicago this season, taking five of the seven head-to-head meetings. It’s just too bad they can’t figure out the rest of Major League Baseball as the Indians are 3-9 in their last 12 games this season. That includes a 1-5 mark in their past five tilts in Progressive Field.

Jake Westbrook (2-2, 4.56) hasn’t been much of an ace for the Indians this season, having dropped six of his nine starts in 2010. We should give Westbrook some credit though in that he has looked pretty good in his last three appearances, posting a 2-1 record and an earned run average of 2.70.

The White Sox did a novel thing the last time Mark Buehrle (3-5, 4.55) was on the mound…they won. Chicago’s 8-0 home win on May 21 over the Marlins was the first for both Buehrle and for the club with him on the mound since April 11. The Pale Hose lost the six games in between those triumphs.

Chicago has been installed as a $1.14 road favorite (risk $114 to win $100) with a total of 8 ½.

The ‘over’ has been hitting a great clip for the Indians right now with a 5-1 run. Chicago has seen the ‘over’ go 3-1-1 in its last five games.

Chicago has gone 4-6 in 10 road tests against teams in the American League Central. However, they have won three of its last four in this spot.

The Tribe are 5-6 against divisional foes on friendly turf, losing five of their last six. The ‘over’ is 8-3 in those decisions.

Cleveland is just 2-4 at home when taking on left-handed pitchers.

Rangers (25-20, +118) at Royals (17-27, -581) – 2:10 p.m. EDT

Most betting outlets have the Rangers as $1.10 road faves with a total of 9 ½.

The Rangers come into this contest looking to keep a decent cushion in their lead of the AL West. And there are not many teams that they’d want to face to complete that mission right now more than Kansas City. That’s because Texas pulled off a four-game sweep at home against the Royals earlier in the month.

Texas certainly needs something to right the ship at the moment since they’ve lost two straight games entering this series. But Ron Washington’s club has gone just 7-11 away from the Ballpark in Arlington this season, losing five straight. The ‘under’ has been the play for them on the road, evidenced by a 12-6 tally.

Rich Feldman (2-4, 5.90) would do well to gain some momentum in this start. He gave up four earned runs on 12 hits in a six-inning performance in a 13-7 home win on May 20. But the Rangers lost five of Feldman’s last six starts this season. The only problem is that Feldman has been garbage on the road in 2010, going 0-3 with an 8.64 ERA in three road starts.

Kansas City appears to be on its way to another slump as they’ve lost two straight games at home to the Rockies. And playing at home isn’t guaranteeing anything for the Royals since they’ve posted a 4-7 record in their last 11 matches at Kauffman Stadium. The ‘over’ has gone 12-9 for KC at home this season.

Luke Hochevar (4-2, 5.37) has been one of the brighter spots for the Royals this season on the mound. But he has lost four of his past six starts this season. Hochevar at home this year has left a little to be desired as the team is 1-2 in his three starts and he is 0-1 with a 3.92 ERA on his own ledger.

Tigers (25-19, +734) at Mariners (16-28, -1,393) – 3:40 p.m. EDT

Detroit is nipping on the Twins’ heels right now in the AL Central, sitting just one game behind in the standings. Jim Leyland can thank his lucky pack of Pall Malls (unfiltered, of course) and a 5-3 mark in the Tigers’ past eight games. Jeremy Bonderman (2-2, 4.43) has given about as much as you can want out of your No. 5 starter. He has had five straight good starts this, gaining a winning decision in just one of them. And Bonderman picked up a hold on May 16 after throwing an inning of no-hit ball against Boston in a 5-1.

The Mariners continue to prove that they are one of the most inept offenses in the big leagues. Seattle has scored just one run in its last two games and hasn’t crossed the plate more than four times in eight of its past 10 fixtures. It shouldn’t come as a shock that they are 2-6 in those eight matches.

Seattle will turn to southpaw Jason Vargas (3-2, 3.08) on Wednesday afternoon. The M’s have won two of Vargas’ past three starts this season. Even more importantly for the Mariners is that Vargas has gone 3-1 in his five starting nods at Safeco Field with a 2.41 ERA.

The M’s are $1.08 home favorites with a total of 7 ½ for this contest.

The Tigers have won three straight games on the road against left-handed pitching.

Seattle won two of its three tilts at home against AL Central foes with the ‘under’ going 2-1. Incidentally, those victories came against the Tigers back in Mid-April.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-26-2010, 06:29 PM

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record
05/26/10 3-1-0 75.00% +1020 Detail
05/25/10 18-9-0 66.67% +4740 Detail
05/24/10 1-7-0 12.50% -3240 Detail
05/23/10 17-11-2 60.71% +4095 Detail
05/22/10 15-13-2 53.57% +260 Detail
05/21/10 11-18-1 37.93% -4665 Detail
05/20/10 15-13-2 53.57% +360 Detail
05/19/10 12-18-0 40.00% -3375 Detail
05/18/10 18-10-2 64.29% +5190 Detail
05/17/10 11-17-0 39.29% -3300 Detail
05/16/10 14-14-1 50.00% 0 Detail
05/15/10 16-15-0 51.61% +705 Detail
05/14/10 12-10-2 54.55% +590 Detail
05/13/10 7-6-0 53.85% +1485 Detail
05/12/10 13-13-0 50.00% -300 Detail
05/11/10 12-13-1 48.00% -395 Detail
05/10/10 9-8-0 52.94% +150 Detail
05/09/10 15-14-1 51.72% +20 Detail
05/08/10 18-11-0 62.07% +2840 Detail
05/07/10 13-13-0 50.00% -455 Detail
05/06/10 11-10-1 52.38% -165 Detail
05/05/10 16-13-1 55.17% +1775 Detail
05/04/10 12-15-3 44.44% -1885 Detail
05/03/10 9-10-1 47.37% -645 Detail
05/02/10 9-21-0 30.00% -6870 Detail
05/01/10 14-12-1 53.85% +2450 Detail
Totals 321-315-21 50.47% +385

Evening Games:

Oakland - 7:05 PM ET Baltimore -114 500
Baltimore - Under 9 500

Toronto - 7:05 PM ET Toronto +130 500 *****
LA Angels - Over 9.5 500

Boston - 7:10 PM ET Boston +156 500 *****
Tampa Bay - Over 8.5 500

NY Yankees - 7:10 PM ET Minnesota -120 500
Minnesota - Under 8.5 500 *****

Atlanta - 7:10 PM ET Florida +137 500 ******
Florida - Over 8.5 500

Pittsburgh - 7:10 PM ET Cincinnati -165 500
Cincinnati - Under 9 500 *****

Philadelphia - 7:10 PM ET NY Mets +114 500 *****
NY Mets - Over 8.5 500

LA Dodgers - 8:05 PM ET LA Dodgers +102 500
Chi. Cubs - Over 7.5 500

Houston - 8:10 PM ET Houston +105 500
Milwaukee - Over 8 500

Arizona - 8:40 PM ET Arizona +224 500 *****
Colorado - Under 8.5 500

St. Louis - 10:05 PM ET San Diego +111 500 *****
San Diego - Over 6.5 500

Washington - 10:15 PM ET San Francisco -270 500
San Francisco - Over 7 500*****

-----------------------------------------------------------

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record
05/25/10 2-0-0 100.00% +1000 Detail
05/24/10 0-2-0 0.00% -1100 Detail
05/23/10 1-1-0 50.00% -50 Detail
05/22/10 2-0-0 100.00% +1000 Detail
05/19/10 2-0-0 100.00% +1000 Detail
05/18/10 0-2-0 0.00% -1100 Detail
05/17/10 2-0-0 100.00% +1000 Detail
05/16/10 0-2-0 0.00% -1100 Detail
05/13/10 2-0-0 100.00% +1000 Detail
05/11/10 2-0-0 100.00% +1000 Detail
05/10/10 1-2-1 33.33% -600 Detail
05/09/10 1-3-0 25.00% -1150 Detail
05/08/10 4-0-0 100.00% +2000 Detail
05/07/10 2-2-0 50.00% -100 Detail
05/06/10 2-0-0 100.00% +1000 Detail
05/05/10 1-1-0 50.00% -50 Detail
05/04/10 3-1-0 75.00% +950 Detail
05/03/10 0-4-0 0.00% -2200 Detail
05/02/10 4-0-0 100.00% +2000 Detail
05/01/10 0-2-0 0.00% -1100 Detail
Totals 31-22-1 58.49% +3400

Wednesday, May 26Game Score Status Pick Amount

Boston - 8:30 PM ET Boston +4 500 *****
Orlando - Under 186.5 500 *****

----------------------------------------------------------

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record
05/25/10 3-1-0 75.00% +950 Detail
05/23/10 4-4-0 50.00% -200 Detail
05/22/10 4-2-0 66.67% +900 Detail
05/21/10 1-3-0 25.00% -1150 Detail
05/19/10 0-2-0 0.00% -1100 Detail
05/16/10 5-3-0 62.50% +850 Detail
05/15/10 4-6-0 40.00% -1300 Detail
Totals 21-21-0 50.00% -1050

Thursday, May 27Game Score Status Pick Amount

Minnesota - 7:30 PM ET Connecticut -7 500 *****
Connecticut - Over 161 500 *****

Seattle - 8:00 PM ET Seattle -4 500 *****
Chicago - Over 146.5 500 *****

Good Luck !

**bryce** · 05-26-2010, 06:45 PM

Good luck SDB!!

**StarDust Bum** · 05-26-2010, 07:11 PM

Does Orlando stir the pot to make series compelling?

While waiting for the lines to come out on Game 5 between Boston and Orlando, did some perusing to see what the common man was thinking about this series after the Magic upset the Celtics 96-92 in overtime. Some were hilarious, other thoughts were insights into what Joe Average has running around in his dome, even if he still is allowed to drive and place online sports betting wagers.

The most common theme was this is all fixed by David Stern and Orlando was going to come back and tie the series at 3-3, with opinions varying who wins the deciding seventh game. This subject of fixed games will show up later this week in another article.

Many praised Orlando for not emailing it in and wondered aloud if this is the sign of the Magic finally playing up to capabilities or if it was a one night stand and reality comes a callin’ back at home. Most thought it was a gift to take Orlando at +7 seeing that was a two touchdown turnaround (14-point swing) in less than week, regardless of the location.

Equal numbers lambasted Boston for not bringing the necessary determination to close out opponent who had been all but willing to be beaten for large expanses of the series and questioned the Celtics commitment to excellence. What was read into this was they had the C’s minus the seven.

For those that see Stern as the reason the series was extended at least one more contest, it turns out the real culprit was Stan Van Gundy, the Magic coach.

Van Gundy may look like Ron Jeremy’s brother more than his own sibling Jeff; however he made two wise moves before Game 4 even started.
He had witnessed three games and broken down tape and determined Rajon Rondo was too disruptive as defender, especially against Jameer Nelson. Instead of setting single screens which Rondo routinely beat, he set up staggered screens.

This created more room for Nelson to operate, who is a shooter first and passer second as a point guard. Rondo couldn’t use his quickness to jump thru or around two Orlando players and Boston seemed puzzled as to what to do with Nelson in more open areas.

This placed different Celtics big men in no-man’s land and Dwight Howard for the first time had room to work with and the Magic’s offense had continuity, sending them home 16-5 ATS after failing to cover two of their last three against the spread this season.

While it’s impossible to gauge the impact, Orlando played more ready from the start. Van Gundy had told his squad no team had EVER come back from 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs (93-0), because they had not placed enough value on winning the fourth game in the series. Most of the Orlando players showed more passion and they own a diabolical angle moving ahead - 13-0 ATS after a win by six points or less this season, with average margin of victory 16 points.

Boston deserves plenty of blame for this series extension. The first aspect is the Celtics play after the third quarter in this East Finals. Most of the time Doc Rivers squad has enjoyed big leads going into the final 12 minutes and NBA contests have a natural ebb and flow, nonetheless after awhile you wonder about a team being outscored 105-78 in the last quarter and beyond. (Outscored all four games)

What has gotten the Celtics to this juncture is team basketball, yet in the last segments of game, a much larger volume of isolation plays are called or run, which is why Boston had such an awful spread record during the regular season by blowing leads for losses or non-covers. Despite the defense, it makes more sense why they are 5-17 ATS after two or more consecutive Under’s this year.

Sportsbook.com has Orlando as four-point favorites, but they are only 2-6 ATS when doling out 4.5 or less points at home. Boston right now is not in scurrying mode from one loss –“There's definitely no need to panic. We like the position we're in," Ray Allen said. The Celtics are 15-5-1 ATS as postseason underdogs.

The Magic face a second match point trying to force a sixth conflict and build further momentum. ESPN will be on hand at 8:30 Eastern, with KG and company 11-2 UNDER revenging a straight up loss as a home favorite.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-26-2010, 07:11 PM

Yankees or Twins could win two today

The New York Yankees have only one win in their last six games, but they’ll have the opportunity to pick up two victories Wednesday. After New York’s first game at Target Field was suspended due to rain, the Yankees and Minnesota Twins will pick up their series opener in the sixth inning before continuing the three-game set with a full game in the evening.

Although the Twins (26-18,+2.7 units) were rained out May 7 against Baltimore, Tuesday marked the first time there was a mid-game delay at their new stadium, which opened this year after the team spent 28 seasons playing inside the Metrodome. “You can’t do anything about it,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “Mother Nature decided to water her plants.”

The game was suspended because it was still scoreless when it was stopped after five innings. The bullpens will have to take over after New York’s A.J. Burnett and Minnesota’s Scott Baker each allowed three hits.

The Yankees (26-18,+0.8) were especially in need of strong starting pitching after their staff posted a 5.54 ERA while the team dropped five of its last six. Manager Joe Girardi may have preferred to keep playing. “I didn’t think it was raining too hard to play,” Girardi said.

The Twins have also been scuffling, dropping four of six overall, but they’re 14-7 at home this year and 116-69 over the last three seasons, and maintain a 1 1/2-game lead on second-place Detroit in the AL Central.
They’re hoping to harness some momentum from their last game against New York, a 6-3 win at Yankee Stadium on May 16 that was punctuated by Jason Kubel’s go-ahead grand slam off Mariano Rivera.

Prior to that game, the Twins had lost 12 straight to New York, including a three-game sweep in last year’s AL division series. The Yankees have won their last four in Minneapolis and have exceptional 53-25 record in the second game of a series.

After the completion of the suspended game, both teams will look for bounce-back efforts from left-handers as Francisco Liriano and Andy Pettitte square off.

Liriano (4-3, 3.25 ERA, 1.272 WHIP) won four straight starts from April 15-May 2, but he’ll be trying to avoid a fourth straight defeat since that stretch. His shortest outing of the season came Thursday night at Boston, where he gave up five runs - including two home runs - in 4 2/3 innings of a 6-2 defeat.

“It wasn’t a good performance by him,” Gardenhire said. “A lot of pitches and not very many innings, and he really missed in some big situations.” The Twins are 1-6 when Liriano starts against teams with winning records.

While Liriano was better against the Yankees on May 15, yielding three runs in six innings, he still fell to 0-2 in his career against New York because he was outdueled by Pettitte.

Pettitte (5-1, 2.68, 1.252) allowed two hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings in the 7-1 win, remaining unbeaten at the time, but he finally suffered his first loss of 2010 on Friday night against Tampa Bay. The Rays launched three homers off Pettitte, who gave up seven runs - six earned - in five-plus innings in the 8-6 defeat.

“Heck, I don’t even know what to say,” Pettitte told the Yankees’ official website. “I just didn’t get it done.”

Pettitte is 10-5 with a 3.53 ERA in 20 career starts against Minnesota, and he may have been unhappy to see the Twins leave the Metrodome. He went 4-1 with a 2.74 ERA in his final six starts there. The veteran lefty is 18-6 UNDER in road night games the last three seasons.

Sportsbook.com has Minnesota as a -114 money line favorite and do they thrive in this spot. The Twins are 14-2 when the ML is -100 to -150 this season, including perfect 9-0 at Target Field. With the total Un9, the Yankees are comfortable they can counter having Pettitte on the hill, since this combination is 26-9 when the total is 8.5 to 10 the previous three years.

This AL showdown will be on ESPN2 just after 7:00 Eastern with the Twinkies 38-16 as favorites.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-26-2010, 07:12 PM

MLB Systems that circle the bases

The weather is heating up across most of the country, which makes going a baseball a very comfortable experience. On the topic of hot, this Wednesday we have four smokin’ systems in the big leagues that begging to be considered for online sports betting. All money lines and totals are from Sportsbook.com.

Oakland at Baltimore 7:05E MASN

After smacking the ball around the yard for 31 hits in two games early last week, the Athletics offense has gone nearly dormant with more than seven base hits once in last six outings. Oakland is 12th in runs scored in the American League at 3.8 per game and will face Baltimore’s Brian Matusz (2-4, 5.26 ERA), whose last three outings have been like the stock market. (3 2/3, six runs allowed -seven shutout innings – 2 1/3, seven runs allowed)

Sportsbook.com has a total on this tilt of Ov8.5, but history shows AL teams that score 4.5 or less runs a contest after three consecutive games of seven hits or fewer, against a starting pitcher with ERA in 4.70 to 5.70 range, have a strong tendency to play UNDER with 39-13 record since 1997.

Boston at Tampa Bay 7:10 E NESN

For the last several years the Red Sox have scuffled in Tampa Bay with 6-16 record coming into the series. They are starting to turn that around with a pair of wins to begin three-game set. Boston will go for the sweep of the AL East division leaders having won four in a row and eight of nine.

The Red Sox have been swinging hot bats and are now second to Toronto in home runs in the big leagues with 62 and they’ve received excellent pitching, holding the Rays to one run in the first two games. John Lackey (4-3, 5.07) continues to struggle with his new club and will take on Matt Garza (5-2, 2.37) who is 8-2 against the BoSox.

Oddsmakers have made Boston +144 road underdogs and teams averaging 1.25 or more home runs game after allowing two runs or less and are visiting dogs of +125 to +175, are 26-86 the last five seasons.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati 7:10E

While San Diego and Tampa Bay have garnered most of the attention for their early season exploits, one team has quietly gone about their business, yet is surprisingly tied for a division lead. The Cincinnati Reds are 26-20 (+6.5), with seven wins in their last 11 contests. The Reds strength has been their offense, averaging 5.6 RPG since May 4.

Tonight, Cincy is a -166 ML choice and home favorites of -125 to -175, batting .290 or better over their last 20 games, in May, are 45-13 since 2006.

Arizona at Colorado 8:40E

On the baseball card for Hump Day, one of the biggest presumed mismatches is this NL West battle. The reason is simplistic, National League Cy Young Award candidate, Ubaldo Jimenez (8-1, 0.99) is pitching, leading baseball in wins and earned run average.

How dominant has Jimenez been; he’s the second major league starter in the past 90 years to begin a season with nine starts of six or more innings while giving up three or fewer runs.

The Rockies are -240 ML faves against Arizona’s up and down offense and road underdogs of +175 to +250, batting .250 or worse over their last 20 games, against opponent with a hot starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.000 or less over his last five starts are beggarly 3-47. Ouch!

**StarDust Bum** · 05-26-2010, 07:18 PM

Celtics at Magic, Game 5

Many people figured each of the conference finals would end up in sweeps after both Boston and Los Angeles took 2-0 series leads. The Suns saved their series with a Game 3 home victory, while the Magic avoided the sweep after holding off the Celtics in overtime of Monday's Game 4. Orlando heads back home to try and extend this series to a Game 6. However, the Magic has to take care of business in Wednesday's Game 5, looking for their first home win of the series.

Stan Van Gundy's team saved face with Monday's performance, as the Magic led throughout the game before the Celtics forced overtime. Dwight Howard put Orlando on his back with a 32-point, 16-rebound performance, the most points the Magic center has scored in 11 playoff games against Boston. Jameer Nelson drilled back-to-back threes to put the game away in overtime, as Orlando hit a series-high ten treys.

For as great as Rajon Rondo has been in the postseason, Nelson outplayed the ex-Kentucky guard in Game 4. Rondo was limited to nine points on 3-10 shooting from the floor, but did dish out eight assists. Despite committing a game-high six turnovers, Nelson put up 23 points and nine assists, his fifth 20+ point game of the playoffs.

Paul Pierce paced the Celtics with 32 points, but failed to hit a three-pointer in six attempts. Both Pierce and Kevin Garnett recorded double-doubles, while Ray Allen helped lead the comeback with 22 points and five treys. The Boston bench was noticeably silent by scoring just 12 points, a stark contrast from the 28-point effort in Game 3.

The most interesting storyline to come out of Monday's contest was from the totals perspective. The side was never really in doubt, as Boston's biggest advantage was two points, spelling a nice underdog victory (and money-line win) for Orlando. Following a 57-point opening quarter, 'over' players felt good about their chances. However, the pace slowed down considerably with 41 and 37 point quarters to get 'under' bettors back in the game. The lone question going into the final minutes of regulation was if the contest would go to overtime. Neither team scored in the last 1:15, causing 'under' players to sweat. The teams combined for 16 points in overtime to land on 188, but depending on the line you got could have spelled a win, loss, or push.

Since most books closed the total at 187 ½, we'll call it an 'over,' the first time these teams didn't play to an 'under' in this series. In fact, eight of the last ten meetings have finished 'under' the total, all being listed in the 187-191 range.

The underdog has profited greatly in this series, even dating back to the regular season. After Orlando's cover as seven-point 'dogs in Game 4, the club getting points improved to 7-1 ATS in the teams' eight meetings this season. The Magic owns a 7-4 SU and 5-6 ATS mark at home off a road victory, as Orlando lost to Boston in this situation in the series opener.

The Game 4 defeat halted a six-game ATS winning streak for the Celtics in the postseason, dropping Doc Rivers' club to 11-4 ATS. Heading into Wednesday's contest as an underdog, the Celtics are 6-2 ATS when receiving points in the playoffs, while winning six of those games straight-up.

On the flip side, despite a pair of losses in the first two games of the series, the Magic is 7-3 ATS as a favorite in the postseason. Since April 1, Orlando has made bettors plenty of money with a 15-5 ATS mark, but that can all go up in flames with a setback in the most important game of the season.

Orlando is listed as four-point 'chalk' at most books, while the total is set at 186. The game tips off at 8:30 PM EST and will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood:

-- Amazingly, Game 4 between the Magic and Celtics was the first game to go to overtime this postseason. In an otherwise bland playoffs, Orlando did buck up when it could have packed it in on multiple occasions. For those that got burned on the 'over,' I decided to go back and see how many times overtime affected totals. There were 73 games that went to at least one overtime this season, as only ten games still finished 'under' the total even after the extra five minutes. Meanwhile, 31 of those games finished regulation 'under' the total prior to a bail-out in overtime.

-- How much does the Coach of the Year Award really mean? Not including Oklahoma City's Scott Brooks, who won the award this past season, each of the last six winners are no longer with their teams. Mike Brown, Byron Scott, Sam Mitchell, Avery Johnson, Mike D'Antoni, and Hubie Brown are all elsewhere, with D'Antoni the lone coach still employed by a team, albeit the Knicks. Utah's Jerry Sloan has never won the award, while Phil Jackson has not been named Coach of the Year with the Lakers, so you figure out the motivation behind it. Basically, it's "Coach of the team that improved the most Award," and it doesn't buy you a long time if you don't take your team far consistently.

**StarDust Bum** · 05-26-2010, 07:20 PM

Under the Lights

Gamblers have a stacked, 15-game slate on the MLB card for Wednesday, including three afternoon affairs broken down by Judd Hall. Let’s take a look at a trio of contests that’ll be played under the lights tonight.

**Yankees at Twins**

--New York (26-18, +108) lost five of its previous six games going into Tuesday’s series opener against the Twins. The slide dropped the Yankees to 5 ½ games back of the American League East-leading Rays. With Boston beating Tampa Bay on Tuesday, the Yanks pulled to within five games after last night's contest with the Twins was suspended due to weather with the game tied at 0-0 in the sixth.

--Minnesota (26-18, +297) went into Tuesday’s action clinging to a one-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central. The Twins were swept in a quick two-game series at Boston last week, only to respond by taking two of three against the Brewers at home over the weekend.

--Joe Girardi will turn to veteran Andy Pettitte (5-1, 2.68) for the middle game of this three-game set. Pettitte is coming off his worst outing of the year in an 8-6 loss to the Rays. The veteran lefty gave up six earned runs in five innings, shooting his ERA up from 1.79 to 2.68. Nevertheless, the Yankees are still 7-1 in his eight starts this season.

--Pettitte owns a 10-5 record and 3.53 ERA in 20 career starts against Minnesota. Twins slugger Joe Mauer is 4-for-13 (.308) against the left-hander with one homer, while Justin Mornea is 5-for-13 (.385) off Pettitte with a pair of doubles.

--Francisco Liriano (4-3, 3.25) appeared to have regained the form he displayed in 2006 when he went 12-3 with a miniscule 2.16 ERA before elbow woes sidelined him for the entire 2007 campaign. However, Liriano has been shelled in his last three outings, going 0-3 with a 7.02 ERA.

--Liriano is 0-2 with a 3.32 ERA in three career starts against the Yankees. Derek Jeter is 4-for-9 (.444) against the southpaw with one homer, while Alex Rodriguez has just a single in six at-bats versus Liriano for a .167 batting average.

--The Yankees are 9-7 against lefties, while the Twins have torched southpaws for a 9-4 record.

--Minnesota has posted a 14-7 record at home, while the Yankees are 13-12 on the road.

--The ‘over’ has cashed in six of the Yankees’ last seven games. For the season, the ‘over’ is 25-21 overall for the Bronx Bombers, 14-13 in their road assignments.

--The ‘under’ is on a 12-6 run for the Twins, who have seen the ‘under’ go 24-18 overall, 12-7 in their home contests.

--Most betting shops have the Twins as minus-115 favorites with a total of nine 'under' (minus-115).

**Braves at Marlins**

--As of late this morning, most books were listing the Braves as minus-145 favorites with a total of 8 1/2 'over' (minus-115).

--Atlanta (23-22, -240) saw its five-game winning streak snapped in Sunday’s 3-2 loss at Pittsburgh in 10 innings. Nevertheless, Bobby Cox’s club has climbed out of the cellar and was in second place in the NL East before last night's 6-4 loss to the Marlins. The Braves are now in third place trailing the division-leading Phillies by 3 1/2 games.

--Florida (24-22, +19) is in second place in the NL East, three games behind first-place Philadelphia. The Marlins snapped a three-game losing slide by trouncing the White Sox by a 13-0 count Sunday. Josh Johnson improved to 5-1 by throwing six scoreless innings, while Cody Ross blasted a pair of homers for the Fish.

--Florida plated three runs in the bottom of the eighth to help its money-line backers (like me) cash nice 'plus' tickets in the +160 range. The Braves answered with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to send the game 'over' the nine-run total. Bettors on the 'over' have rookie Jason Heyward to thank. He had a two-RBI single to make it a 6-4 final.

--Atlanta RHP Tommy Hanson (3-3, 4.18) will get the starting nod in this spot after the worst outing of his career. Hanson gave up eight earned runs to the Reds in just 1 2/3 innings of work. He told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the he was “lightheaded and didn’t feel well” after the game. On the bright side, his teammates rallied by erupting for seven runs in the bottom of the ninth for an improbable comeback victory.

--Hanson is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in a pair of career starts against Florida.

--Florida LHP Nate Robertson (4-4, 4.56) is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in four home starts this season. Robertson has just one career appearance against the Braves, pitching one scoreless inning out of the bullpen when he was with Detroit.

--Fredi Gonzalez’s squad is 13-10 at home, while Cox’s team is 10-16 on the road.

--The Braves have limped to a 5-8 record against left-handed pitching.

--Going into Tuesday’s series opener in South Florida, the ‘under’ had cashed in four consecutive Atlanta games. That changed with five late runs last night. For the season, the Braves have watched the ‘under’ go 25-19 overall, 15-10 in their road assignments.

--The 'over' is 22-21 overall for the Marlins, 16-9 in their home games.

--The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Eastern on Fox Sports South and Fox-Florida.

**Red Sox at Rays**

--Tampa Bay (32-14, +1161) is obviously playing fabulous baseball, as evidenced by its five-game lead in MLB’s toughest loop, the AL East. The Rays have especially thrived on the road, cashing tickets at an astounding 19-5 clip. With that said, they lost the series opener 6-1 to the Red Sox on Monday as minus-130 favorites, and then dropped a 2-0 decision last night.

--Boston (26-21, -29) pulled to within 6 1/2 games of the Rays with last night's victory. The Red Sox have won four in a row and seven of their last eight. In Monday’s triumph, they won behind homers from Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz. On Tuesday, it was Jon Lester working six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts. The bullpen got it done in the final three innings. Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon was ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

--Youkilis has hit a team-high 10 homers, while Big Papi now has nine for the season. Ortiz got off to another brutal start in April for the second straight year, but he’s coming around once again.

--John Lackey (4-3, 5.07) is 9-3 with a 3.77 lifetime ERA against Tampa Bay. However, the right-hander got smacked around for nine hits and eight earned runs in an 8-2 loss to the Rays on April 19.

--Boston is 4-5 in Lackey’s nine starts since coming to the franchise from the Angels during the offseason.

--Matt Garza (5-2, 2.37) owns a 6-2 record and 2.92 ERA in 13 career starts against the Red Sox. The hard-throwing righty threw eight scoreless innings in a 7-1 win at Boston back on April 18.

--The Rays are 6-3 in Garza’s nine starts this season, but they are 1-2 in his last three outings.

--Ortiz is 3-for-22 (.136) against Garza with a double and a pair of homers. Mike Lowell is 3-for-20 (.150, 1 HR) off Garza, while J.D. Drew is 3-for-21 (.143) with a double and one dinger.

--Totals have been an overall wash for Boston (22-22), but the 'under' is 11-8 in their road games.

--The ‘under’ is 25-19 overall for the Rays, 14-8 in their home outings.

--Most books have the Rays installed as minus-155 favorites with a total of 8 1/2 flat (-110 either way). Bettors can take Tampa Bay on the run line for a decent plus-135 return (risk $100 to win $135).

**B.E.’s Bonus Nuggets**

--The ‘over’ had hit in five straight Arizona games until last night’s 3-2 loss at Colorado. Nonetheless, the ‘over’ remains an MLB-best 32-14 overall for the Diamondbacks.

--The Cubs bested the Dodgers 3-0 last night behind eight scoreless innings from Ryan Dempster. The ‘under’ improved to an MLB-best 25-14 in Cubs’ games.

--Seattle, with its 17-28 record, has the worst money tally in the baseball (-1264).

--The ‘under’ has cashed in six consecutive games for Oakland

**StarDust Bum** · 05-26-2010, 07:21 PM

Diamond Trends - Wednesday

Blue Jays at Angels – The Blue Jays are 0-10 since April 30, 2009 as a dog after a 5+ run loss and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $1000 when playing against. The Blue Jays are 5-0 since May 02, 2010 after a loss and it is the last game of the series for a net profit of $500.

Astros at Brewers – The Astros are 0-10 since July 04, 2009 as a dog after a loss in which they were shut out in the first 6 innings and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $1000 when playing against. The Astros are 0-7 since April 09, 2010 after a loss in which they allowed 12+ hits for a net profit of $705 when playing against.

Dodgers at Cubs – The Dodgers are 0-6 since July 28, 2009 on the road when they are off two losses in which they never led and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $620 when playing against. The Cubs are 0-4 since May 04, 2010 vs a team that has lost at least their last two games for a net profit of $570 when playing against.

Nationals at Giants – The Nationals are 0-9 since April 24, 2009 as a 170+ dog when they are off a loss in which they never led for a net profit of $900 when playing against. The Nationals are 4-0 since October 01, 2009 as a road dog when they lost the last two games their starter started for a net profit of $720. The Giants are 9-0 since May 26, 2009 when Tim Lincecum starts at home after more strike outs than hits allowed on the road for a net profit of $900.

White Sox at Indians – The White Sox are 10-0 since April 23, 2010 after allowing 6+ runs loss for a net profit of $1115. The White Sox are 5-0 since April 29, 2010 on the road after allowing 6+ runs loss for a net profit of $615. The Indians are 0-5 since April 20, 2010 as a dog when they are off a win in which they never trailed for a net profit of $500 when playing against.

Tigers at Mariners – The Mariners are 11-0 since June 03, 2009 as a favorite after a win and it is the last game of the series for a net profit of $1100. The Mariners are 0-6 since April 18, 2009 at home after a win in which they had fewer than five team-left-on-base for a net profit of $630 when playing against.

Braves at Marlins – The Braves are 5-0 since July 20, 2009 when Tommy Hanson starts as a 140+ favorite after facing 25 or fewer hitters for a net profit of $500.

Phillies at Mets – The Phillies are 0-6 since May 07, 2009 on the road after being shutout for a net profit of $700 when playing against. The Phillies are 6-0 since November 02, 2009 vs a team that has won at least their last two games and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $650. The Phillies are 6-0 since June 01, 2009 when Joe Blanton starts as a favorite after going at least 6 innings and giving up 6 or fewer hits and they won in his previous start for a net profit of $600.

Athletics at Orioles – The Athletics are 6-0 since June 11, 2009 when Trevor Cahill starts after going at least 6 innings and giving up no home runs for a net profit of $685. The Orioles are 0-6 since April 24, 2010 when Brian Matusz starts for a net profit of $625 when playing against.

Cardinals at Padres – The Padres are 0-5 since April 26, 2010 as a dog when they scored two or fewer runs for their starter in his last start for a net profit of $500 when playing against.

Red Sox at Rays – The Red Sox are 7-0 since August 02, 2009 on the road vs a team that has lost at least their last two games and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $740. The Rays are 13-0 since May 03, 2009 as a home favorite when they lost by one run in their starter's last start for a net profit of $1300. The Rays are 0-5 since April 14, 2009 when Matt Garza starts as a favorite after going at least 6 innings and giving up 6 or fewer hits on the road for a net profit of $690 when playing against.

Pirates at Reds – The Pirates are 0-5 since August 05, 2009 when Ross Ohlendorf starts after facing 25 or fewer hitters for a net profit of $520 when playing against. The Reds are 5-0 since April 11, 2010 at home after a loss in which they had a higher team-left-on-base than their opponent for a net profit of $520.

Diamondbacks at Rockies – The Diamondbacks are 5-0 since October 02, 2009 as a 140+ dog when they are off a loss in which they never led for a net profit of $790. The Rockies are 5-0 since August 12, 2009 when Ubaldo Jimenez starts as a 140+ favorite after the team won his last two starts for a net profit of $500.

Rangers at Royals – The Rangers are 6-0 since May 23, 2009 when Scott Feldman starts as a road favorite after his team won the last time he started for a net profit of $600. The Rangers are 0-5 since September 29, 2009 when Scott Feldman starts after he had a WHIP of at least 2 his last start for a net profit of $590 when playing against. The Royals are 0-7 since July 19, 2009 when Luke Hochevar starts at home after throwing more than 100 pitches for a net profit of $700 when playing against.

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