Monday's Trends and Indexes 5/31 (NHL, MLB, Misc.)

[Udog]

MLB
Short Sheet


Monday, 5/31/2010

PHILADELPHIA at ATLANTA, 1:05 PM ET
BLANTON: 13-6 TSR as a road underdog of +125 to +150
HANSON: Atlanta 6-15 SU at home vs. Philadelphia

MILWAUKEE at FLORIDA, 1:10 PM ET
NARVESON: Milwaukee 2-9 SU off 4+ home games
ROBERTSON: Florida 21-10 SU off BB games with 0 home runs

CHICAGO CUBS at PITTSBURGH, 1:35 PM ET WGN
WELLS: Cubs 11-23 SU away in May
OHLENDORF: Pittsburgh 15-7 SU at home off 4+ games scoring 4 runs or less

WASHINGTON at HOUSTON, 2:05 PM ET
ATILANO: Washington 13-6 SU after losing 2 of their last 3 games
OSWALT: 19-30 TSR in May

COLORADO at SAN FRANCISCO, 4:05 PM ET
JIMENEZ: 7-18 TSR away in the first half of the season
LINCECUM: San Francisco 23-7 SU at home off 5+ home games

CINCINNATI at ST LOUIS, 4:15 PM ET
ARROYO: 14-5 TSR vs. division opponents
GARCIA: 9-0 Under in all starts this season

ARIZONA at LA DODGERS, 9:10 PM ET
LOPEZ: Arizona 3-14 SU off BB losses
BILLINGSLEY: Dodgers 15-5 SU vs. division opponents

NY METS at SAN DIEGO, 10:05 PM ET
TAKAHASHI: Mets 9-24 SU away off a win by 4+ runs
CORREIA: San Diego 9-1 SU off 5+ home games

CLEVELAND at NY YANKEES, 1:05 PM ET
TALBOT: Cleveland 2-15 SU off BB games allowing 7+ runs
PETTITTE: 24-7 TSR pitching off a team win

OAKLAND at DETROIT, 1:05 PM ET
CAHILL: Oakland 14-3 Under away off a loss by 8+ runs
VERLANDER: 10-0 TSR at home in day games

LA ANGELS at KANSAS CITY, 2:10 PM ET
SANTANA: 9-1 TSR away vs. AL Central opponents
HOCHEVAR: Kansas City 2-12 SU at home off a loss by 6+ runs

TAMPA BAY at TORONTO, 7:05 PM ET
GARZA: 5-17 TSR as a road favorite
MORROW: Toronto 18-11 SU off a win

MINNESOTA at SEATTLE, 10:10 PM ET
LIRIANO: Minnesota 17-4 SU as a favorite of -150 or less
FISTER: Seattle 4-15 SU off BB road games

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

[Udog]

NHL
Dunkel


Philadelphia at Chicago
The Flyers look to bounce back from their Game 1 loss and build on their 13-3 record against the Blackhawks in the last 16 meetings between the two teams. Philadelphia is the pick (+170) according to Dunkel, which has the Flyers favored by 1/2 a goal. Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+170). Here are all of today's picks.

MONDAY, MAY 31

Game 3-4: Philadelphia at Chicago (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 14.201; Chicago 13.491
Dunkel Line & Total: Philadelphia by 1/2; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago (-200); 6
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+170); Under

[Udog]

MLB
Dunkel


Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh
The Pirates look to build on their 7-1 record against the Cubs in the last 8 meetings between the two teams. Pittsburgh is the pick (+120) according to Dunkel, which has the Pirates favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+120). Here are all of today's picks..

MONDAY, MAY 31

Game 901-902: Philadelphia at Atlanta (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Blanton) 14.305; Atlanta (Hanson) 16.672
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 2 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-150); Under

Game 903-904: Milwaukee at Florida (1:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Narveson) 15.439; Florida (Robertson) 14.334
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Florida (-135); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (+115); Over

Game 905-906: Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Wells) 14.002; Pittsburgh (Ohlendorf) 14.699
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-140); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+120); Over

Game 907-908: Washington at Houston (2:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Atilano) 15.332; Houston (Oswalt) 14.265
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Houston (-185); 8
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+165); Under

Game 909-910: Colorado at San Francisco (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Jimenez) 15.421; San Francisco (Lincecum) 15.665
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 5
Vegas Line: Colorado (-115); 6
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-105); Under

Game 911-912: Cincinnati at St. Louis (4:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Arroyo) 16.763; St. Louis (Garcia) 16.563
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-150); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (+130); Over

Game 913-914: Arizona at LA Dodgers (9:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Lopez) 13.159; LA Dodgers (Billingsley) 16.003
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 3; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-175); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-175); Over

Game 915-916: NY Mets at San Diego (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Takahashi) 14.868; San Diego (Correia) 15.796
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: San Diego (-110); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-110); Over

Game 917-918: Cleveland at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Talbot) 14.984; NY Yankees (Pettitte) 14.843
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-260); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+220); Under

Game 919-920: Oakland at Detroit (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Cahill) 16.311; Detroit (Verlander) 15.431
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Detroit (-170); 8
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+150); Over

Game 921-922: LA Angels at Kansas City (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Santana) 16.444; Kansas City (Hochevar) 16.107
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-110); 9
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-110); Over

Game 923-924: Tampa Bay at Toronto (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Garza) 16.039; Toronto (Morrow) 16.152
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-145); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+125); Under

Game 925-926: Minnesota at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Liriano) 15.150; Seattle (Fister) 16.368
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1; 6
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-120); 7
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+100); Under

[Udog]

MLB
Write-Up


Early Games

Monday, May 31

Hot pitchers
--

-- Talbot is 6-2, 3.74 in his last eight starts. Pettitte is 6-1, 2.78 in nine starts this season.
-- Cahill is 3-1, 2.43 in his last five starts. Verlander is 4-2, 2.32 in his last six starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Hanson has 9.20 RA in his last three starts. Blanton is 1-2, 5.63 in his five starts this season.
-- Robertson is 2-4, 5.59 in his last seven starts. Narveson is 1-2, 6.32 in his last three outings.
-- Wells is 0-3, 6.84 in his last five starts. Ohlendorf is 0-3, 6.53 in his five starts this season.
-- Lopez is 0-1, 8.18 in his last couple starts.

--

Totals
-- Phillies' last seven road games stayed under the total.
-- Four of five Robertson home starts went over the total.
-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Pirate games.
-- Seven of last nine Houston games stayed under the total.
--
--
-- Nine of last ten Arizona games went over the total.
-- Six of last seven San Diego games stayed under the total.

-- Over is 8-1-1 in last ten Cleveland games.
-- Under is 9-3 in last twelve games at Comerica Park.
-- Seven of last nine Angel games went over the total.
--
--

Hot teams
-- Braves won 15 of their last 19 games.
-- Brewers won five of their last seven games.
-- Padres won six of their last eight games.
-- Giants won eight of their last nine home games.

-- Blue Jays won 10 of their last 12 home games.
-- A's won nine of their last thirteen games.

Cold teams
-- Phillies lost six of their last eight games.
-- Marlins lost seven of their last ten games.
-- Mets lost nine of their last twelve road games.
-- Nationals lost nine of their last eleven road games.
-- Arizona lost eight of its last nine road games.

-- Indians lost four of their last five road games. Bronx lost four of its last six home games.
-- Tigers lost six of their last eight games.
-- Royals lost their last two games, scoring one run.
-- Rays lost five of their last seven games.

[Udog]

MLB
Write-Up


Update

Monday, May 31

Hot pitchers
-- Oswalt has a 2.25 RA in his last five starts.
-- Jimenez is 9-1, 0.88 in ten starts this season.
-- Arroyo is 4-0, 2.08 in his last four starts. Garcia is 1-0, 0.00 in three home starts (19 IP).
-- Billingsley is 4-0, 2.16 in his last four starts.
-- Takahashi is 1-0, 0.00 in two starts (12 IP).

-- Talbot is 6-2, 3.74 in his last eight starts. Pettitte is 6-1, 2.78 in nine starts this season.
-- Cahill is 3-1, 2.43 in his last five starts. Verlander is 4-2, 2.32 in his last six starts.
-- Hochevar is 2-0, 2.65 in his last couple starts. ESantana is 3-0, 2.86 in his last three outings.
-- Fister is 3-1, 2.02 in his last eight starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Hanson has 9.20 RA in his last three starts. Blanton is 1-2, 5.63 in his five starts this season.
-- Robertson is 2-4, 5.59 in his last seven starts. Narveson is 1-2, 6.32 in his last three outings.
-- Wells is 0-3, 6.84 in his last five starts. Ohlendorf is 0-3, 6.53 in his five starts this season.
-- Atilano has a 6.48 RA in his last five starts.
-- Lincecum is 0-1, 10.24 in his last couple starts.
-- Lopez is 0-1, 8.18 in his last couple starts.
-- Correia is 0-3, 4.24 in his last four starts.

-- Garza is 0-2, 4.01 in his last four starts. Morrow is 1-2, 8.18 in his last five outings.
-- Liriano is 0-3, 5.70 in his last four starts.

Totals
-- Phillies' last seven road games stayed under the total.
-- Four of five Robertson home starts went over the total.
-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Pirate games.
-- Seven of last nine Houston games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Jimenez starts.
-- Under is 8-0-1 in Garcia starts this season.
-- Nine of last ten Arizona games went over the total.
-- Six of last seven San Diego games stayed under the total.

-- Over is 8-1-1 in last ten Cleveland games.
-- Under is 9-3 in last twelve games at Comerica Park.
-- Seven of last nine Angel games went over the total.
-- Five of last seven Garza starts went over the total.
-- Seven of nine Liriano starts stayed under the total.

Hot teams
-- Braves won 15 of their last 19 games.
-- Brewers won five of their last seven games.
-- Padres won six of their last eight games.
-- Giants won eight of their last nine home games. Rockies won seven of their last ten games.
-- Reds won seven of their last ten games. Cardinals won three of four.
-- Dodgers won eight of last eleven home games.

-- Blue Jays won 10 of their last 12 home games.
-- A's won nine of their last thirteen games.
-- Twins won their last four games, allowing nine runs.

Cold teams
-- Phillies lost six of their last eight games.
-- Marlins lost seven of their last ten games.
-- Pirates lost their last five games, outscored 30-10. Cubs are 4-7 in its last eleven road games.
-- Astros lost six of their last eight games.
-- Mets lost nine of their last twelve road games.
-- Nationals lost nine of their last eleven road games.
-- Arizona lost eight of its last nine road games.

-- Indians lost four of their last five road games. Bronx lost four of its last six home games.
-- Tigers lost six of their last eight games.
-- Royals lost their last two games, scoring one run. Angels are 5-12 in their last 17 road games.
-- Rays lost five of their last seven games.
-- Mariners are 5-11 in their last sixteen home games.

[Udog]

NHL
Write-Up


Monday, May 31

Stanley Cup finals
Philly goalie Leighton gave up five goals, got pulled; this is second series in a row Blackhawks won first game without having any power plays in the game. Blackhawks have now won six games in a row and nine of last ten. Flyers are 5-5 on road in playoffs- they had 17 shots in first period of Game 1, but only 15 the rest of the game. Chicago is 6-3 at home so far in playoffs. Flyers were 1-4 on power play in Game 1 (6:46).

[Udog]

Monday's six-pack

-- Albert Pujols has 1,150 RBI, 4th-most ever of players in their first 10 major league seasons, at least in the last 90 years.

-- Phillies scored four runs in six games this week, somehow managed to win two of the six games. They're in a collective funk right now.

-- Buster Posey is 6-9 in his first two big league games. My question to the Giants is, "What took so long?"

-- Angels beat Seattle with walk-off homer for second day in row; this time, no bones were broken in the celebration.

-- Someone needs to explain to me why four major league teams aren't playing on a national holiday Monday. How does this make sense?

-- Its Memorial Day and the A's are in first place. Very cool.


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


Monday's List of 13: 13 Kids who made an impression at Gym Rat

I spent most of this weekend so far watching high school kids play ball at one of the best spring tournaments in North America, the Gym Rat here in Albany. Three age groups, 210 teams-- here are 13 kids who made an impressions on me while I was watching their games......

This is not a ranking of any kind; I'm one person. Not only didn't I see all the teams, I only saw two or three teams enough times to be totally sure of what I'm writing about them. Comments are made after watching just a small sample of play, but I do trust my eyes enough to write about it.

-- Jayon James, IZOD Red-- By far the most intriguing player I saw this weekend; powerfully built guard who really passes well, showed an easy 3-point range, and is a 4.0 student. Supposedly was going to Fordham but decommitted after the coaching change. Would love to go to Ivy League school, but word is Ivy/Patriot coaches aren't thrilled with a sometimes emotional exterior. If it was me? I'd definitely sign the kid up.

-- Zack Houston, NY Falcons-- Kid looks like Tim Lincecum; his dad led the nation in scoring in late 80's as a guard from West Point. Zach shoots it well, is fundamentally sound and might get overlooked because he isn't very big. If he falls to a D-III team, he'll score 1,500-2,000 points.

-- Four McGlynn, York Ballers-- Only kid here who wore his first name on his uniform; yes, he wears number 4. Plays for his dad, is exceptional with ball in his hands-- had 91 points in three games in pool play. Word is the Patriot League is looking at him. He might be better than that.

-- Devontae Watson, Crons-- 6-9, very thin, really soft touch on his shot for such a young kid (will be soph in fall). Game I saw, refs let opponents rough him up pretty good, so he needs to eat/lift weights to get stronger. I was told he blocked 21 shots in a high school game last winter. 21.

-- Tyron Smith Jr, Connecticut Knights-- Terrific with ball in his hands, got by his man at will, had trouble finishing vs bigger defenders, especially in game where he got hammered several times and never got a call. Needs to work on his conditioning; he was gassed in hot gym in game I saw.

-- Chris Compas, IZOD Red-- Terrific leaper, clever finisher around hoop who needs to get stronger. Has advantage of playing with skilled passers who find him for easy hoops when he gets to good spots. Looks like a kid who will add weight easily in college and become a rebounding force.

-- Dennis Clifford, Bay State Magic-- 6-11 kid heading to Boston College; is interesting to watch him play in something like this, then project him to be in the ACC next year. Runs fairly well, launched a 3-pointer, will be a fascinating study in next few years.

-- Kyle Bradley, NY Falcons-- If they wrote Moneyball about high school hoops, this kid would get drafted by the A's. Doesn't look like much in the layup lines, then the game starts and he does most everything right. Is a great teammate, would be terrific in Princeton-style offense. Smart.

-- Christian Walck, York Ballers-- Had terrific game in first round of 17s tournament, better than his prolific teammate McGlynn, then struggled in next round against the player who is next on this list. Headed to a D-II in Pennsylvania, from what I'm told.

-- Stephon Wyatt, IZOD Red-- Sleeper of the weekend; slightly built, is a terrific defender, and doesn't force things on offense. Needs work on his shot (him and 300 other kids). He has anticipatory skills you can't teach, and he'll get stronger with age. From winning program at St Peter's HS. If you need a lockdown defensive guard, this kid is available.

-- Robert Poole, Jersey Shore Warriors-- Tall jumpshooter with decent range on shot; plays on team that likes to get out in transition-- most of the time in games I saw, he didn't get that many touches. In last game I saw he got hot, made 3-4 treys in one sequence. Already committed to Siena Saints.

The last two kids were from the 15-and-under tournament
-- Charles Correa, Rhode Island Hawks-- Controls tempo of game with a poise that belies his age; has 3-point range, is smart, fearless and plays in control. Goes to St Raphael's Academy.

-- Josh Depetro, Rhode Island Breakers-- Game I saw his team just got waxed by a powerful BABC outfit, but this kid kept his team in the game in second half, hitting few 3-pointers and couple driving shots. Best thing I can say about him is that he competed hard in a hopeless cause, and thats no small thing.

[Udog]

Debating the NBA Finals: Who you got?

An NBA Finals pitting arch rivals Boston and Los Angeles against each other was bound to anger up the blood. But we’re not about allegiances; we’re about backing the winner.

Larry Josephson explains why the luck will be on the Irish’s side while Ashton Grewal makes the case for the NBA title going to Tinseltown for the second straight year.

Why the Celtics - especially at +162 – are the right team to back:



Who guards Rajon Rondo?

A younger Derek Fisher was OK in 2008, but that won’t work this time around. Kobe Bryant? Fine, but that will likely cost L.A. on the offensive end and allow Ray Allen to run Fisher off backscreens all night. Rondo is just a freaky point guard – maybe not the best in the league but definitely the most unique.

He’s the biggest threat to Showtime 2.0 – a player fast and elusive enough to force the Lakers backcourt to work on defense, and smart and quick enough to prevent penetration and drop-offs to the Lakers' bigs. He’s the Finals MVP.

Kobe Bryant can and will be stopped – kind of, maybe, OK not completely

In case you missed it, the Celtics can play some defense. More than Oklahoma City, more than Utah and certainly more than Phoenix. It’s a defense that isn’t played in the Western Conference. By the time Game 1 tips off on Thursday, assistant coach Tom Thibodeau will have had nearly a full week to scheme for Bryant. The Celtics are at their best when they need to stop one player (Wade, James, Howard).

The ground is beginning to rumble in Falls Church, Va.

That’s where Red Auerbach is buried. Auerbach hated the Lakers almost as much as they hated him, and he had particular animus for Phil Jackson, whom he considered a phony coach who rode the coattails of superstars to NBA titles.

Auerbach loved veterans and this team bears a striking resemblance to the 1969 Celtics, who were supposedly washed up but had enough in the tank to beat the Lakers in the Finals.

Auerbach would hate Pau Gasol, respect Derek Fisher and stay awake at night figuring out ways to slow down Bryant. The 2009-10 Celts are Auerbach’s type of team – tough and gritty – and he would sell his children into slavery to wipe the smugness off Jackson’s face.

Why the Lakers at -180 is a gift and you’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t take it now:



Pau Gasol is the most talented post-up player since Hakeem Olajuwon.

Because of his goofy looks, Gasol will never be confused with a Hollywood hulk. But just like Tom Cruise, the Lakers' big man has all the right moves. The Spaniard can face up and shoot with touch from 18 feet, or he can drive past slower defenders (that’s you KG) and finish at the rim.

He’s more than comfortable in the low block feeding opponents baby hooks, baseline spins and turnaround J’s. And he’s most dangerous in the high post, where he showcases his passing skills and feeds the rock to cutting teammates.

Critics will argue he was soft in the 2008 Finals but those same people forget that he was still getting familiar with his new mates. Playing with Kobe Bryant isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. Gasol has two and a half years under his belt with the Lakers and he knows his role.

The Lakers can play defense too

Don’t go into this series thinking it’s going to be L.A.’s offense against Boston’s defense. This isn’t like a Super Bowl matchup between the Saints and the Ravens.

The Lakers finished the regular season with the fifth-best defensive field goal percentage (44.6) and they’ve improved that number to 43.7 in the postseason. Boston plays great defense but the Lakers are no slouches.

Because Kobe says so

Of all the similarities between Kobe and Michael Jordan, the strongest has to be competitiveness. The Black Mamba hates to lose especially against a team led by a guy who needs four teammates to carry him off the court.

Boston does a better job than any other team at defending him, but Kobe doesn’t need to score 30 points every night. He can expose cheating defenses with his passing like he did against the Suns.

Kobe can smell blood and he wants more than anything to get closer to Jordan’s most recognized feat – six championship rings.