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**Udog** · 06-03-2010, 11:35 PM

Bettor's best friend: Friday's wagering tips

Lines to keep an eye on

Phoenix Mercury at Los Angeles Sparks – This total has moved from an opener of 174.5 to as high as 177.5 in some markets. The last three games in this series have gone UNDER.

Padres at Phillies – The home team opened as -185 chalk but sharp money has moved Philly to -200 favorites.

Indians at White Sox – The home squad opened as -245 favorites but that moneyline is being offered at -220 on a few boards. Chicago has not played well at home this season.

Angels at Mariners - Most books have moved the total in this game to 8.5 after opening at 8.

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

Indians at White Sox – The National Weather Service forecast calls for an 18 mph wind to blow in from right-center field. There is also a 40-50 percent chance of precipitation during the game.

Tigers at Royals – The forecast calls for wind to blow out to center field at 13 mph. A 30-50 percent chance of rain is also expected.

Who’s hot

Chicago (WNBA) is 4-0 SU and ATS in its last four meeting versus Atlanta.

The Flyers are 9-1 at home this postseason.

The Yankees are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

Who’s not

New York (WNBA) has played to the under in three straight, going 1-2 ATS in those games.

The Orioles have lost their last eight games, getting outscored 47-14.

The White Sox had dropped eight of their last 11 home games going into Thursday.

Key stat

24-6 – Giants’ record this season when scoring 4 or more runs. San Francisco scored six runs in its last meeting with Pittsburgh.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

U.S. starting forward Jozy Altidore sat out practice Thursday after suffering a sprained ankle one day earlier. Altidore's injury was classified as a mild right ankle sprain. The United States faces Australia in a friendly on Saturday. Altidore will undergo a fitness test Friday to gauge his availability for the match. The Americans open play in the World Cup with a Group C match against England on June 12. Altidore is the only member of the U.S. team to play in the English Premier League.

Game of the day

Chicago Blackhawks at Philadelphia Flyers (-120, 5.5)

Notable quotable

“I see myself in the future managing a team. I would love to start as a hitting instructor or a first base or third base coach and eventually when this whole steroid era blows over become a manager of a Major League Baseball organization.”

-- Former major leaguer Jose Canseco talking about his future aspirations.

Tips and notes

- There is an interesting betting angle in a college baseball regional matchup where a small conference team may be undervalued. The Citadel is facing Virginia Tech and neither team has officially announced a starting pitcher. Citadel coach Fred Jordan said that he is probably going to save his ace, Asher Wojciechowski, for Saturday’s game and pitch lefty Matt Talley (7-3 3.79 ERA). The Hokies will likely counter with Justin Wright (8-4, 3.59) but that is also up in the air. If anyone but Wright starts then The Citadel would likely become a slight dog in this game (+200 currently). If Wojciechowski somehow starts, the team would be a heavy favorite. The Citadel has won 12 straight games while Va. Tech has lost five-of-seven.

- Oakland returns home after a 10-game, 10-day road trip that had them travel 7,000 miles to Baltimore, to Detroit, to Boston and then back to the Bay Area. The A’s faired pretty well on the East Coast excursion going 6-4, but could be a bit jetlagged returning home. The Brewers will also be playing their 11th consecutive game Friday, having to travel overnight Thursday from Miami to St. Louis – a 1,200-mile journey.

- Before being demoted to the minors Max Scherzer had a 7.29 ERA and a career-low 5.57 K/9 ratio. The righty’s average fastball was 91.8 after throwing it in the upper 90’s most of his career. But two starts at Triple-A and Scherzer rediscovered something. He said after reviewing big league film he had “a mechanical flaw” where he was wrapping the ball around his body too much which caused his arm slot to drop. After hitting 97 mph in the minors, Scherzer was called back up last week and struck out 14 hitters in 5.2 innings. Jim Leyland said his pitcher didn’t even have his slider working and he was still that effective. Detroit could be a good team to back (-140) with the resurrected Scherzer on the bump Friday.

**Udog** · 06-03-2010, 11:37 PM

NHL
Long Sheet

If the top trends section updates, I'll add it.

Friday, June 4

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CHICAGO (66-26-0-9, 141 pts.) at PHILADELPHIA (54-41-0-7, 115 pts.) - 6/4/2010, 8:05 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 3-2 (+0.8 Units) against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 3-2-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+1.3 Units)

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**Udog** · 06-03-2010, 11:38 PM

NHL

Friday, June 4

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. PHILADELPHIA
Chicago is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Chicago is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Philadelphia is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

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**Udog** · 06-03-2010, 11:40 PM

NHL

Friday, June 4

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What bettors need to know: Blackhawks at Flyers
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Chicago Blackhawks at Philadelphia Flyers (-120. 5.5)

Chicago leads series 2-1.

Don’t call it a comeback

The Philadelphia Flyers turned heads earlier this postseason with an amazing comeback from 0-3 down to the Boston Bruins. As great as those four straight wins were, the Flyers would rather not have their backs against the wall, especially in the Stanley Cup Final.

Philadelphia is trailing the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 in the final after taking a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory in Game 3 Wednesday night. Forward Claude Giroux netted the game-winning goal just under six minutes into the extra frame.

“Any time we face adversity, we find a way to get it done,” Giroux, who had struggled in Games 1 and 2 of the series told the Toronto Star.

“It was a big game for us. We really needed that win. I don’t think the guys wanted to come back again from being down 3-0.”

While the seventh-seeded Flyers are underdogs in the Cup final, they’ve been with the Blackhawks every step of the way. They lost 6-5 and 2-1 in the opening two games in Chicago, proving that they can hang with the second-seeded Blackhawks.

“I think he loosened up a bit,” Philadelphia coach Peter Laviolette said of Giroux. “You have to remember it’s the Stanley Cup finals. We talked about just lightening up a little bit. At this point of the year, you know what you have to do in order to be successful. There’s a lot of work. There’s a lot of intensity. There’s a lot of competitiveness in the battles.

“If you tighten up too much, you seize up a little bit. We talked about just having some fun tonight, come out and let everything roll. I think he took that advice because he was smiling all day. He came to the rink and went out and played a great game.”

The win also improved the Flyers’ record to 8-1 inside the Wachovia Center this postseason.

Boxed in

The Blackhawks need to find a balance between their trademark physical play and the costly penalties they took Wednesday night.

Chicago was whistled just three times in the entire game but the Flyers made the most of those man advantages, scoring twice on the power play. Daniel Briere opened scoring with a power-play goal in the first period and Scott Hartnell picked up another goal with Chicago in the box midway through the middle frame.

"We maybe took a few penalties that we shouldn't and that's maybe what cost us the game, too,” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews told the CBC. "So we'll be smarter. We don't want to be that team - we've said all along we're going to be smart.

"We've seen other teams take stupid penalties against us, but we're not going to try and let them suck us into playing like that."

Philadelphia has one of the best power-play attacks this postseason, netting 10 goals on the man advantage for a 22.8 percent efficiency. It has scored four times on the power play this series.

"We were right there," Duncan Keith told the media. "We've got to learn what mistakes we did out there and basically it comes to staying out of the penalty box. We talk about that every day. Every day we talk about that and sooner or later we've got to put that in our heads."

Finishing strong

The Flyers have proved harder to kill than a horror movie villain this postseason. And it seems they save their best for last.

Philadelphia has dominated the third period in this series, outshooting Chicago 36-16 in the final frame. The past two games, the Flyers have put up 15 shots in the third to the Blackhawks' four. However, goal scoring in the third period is locked at 2-2.

"I thought we were pretty effective for the first 40 minutes," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville told reporters after Game 3’s loss. "We were pretty good at the start of the third when we scored, then they scored on the following shift.

"We spent a lot of time in our end, not as bad as last game. I thought in overtime we had a couple good looks to end it."

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**Udog** · 06-03-2010, 11:42 PM

NHL

Friday, June 4

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Ice picks: Today's best NHL bets
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Chicago Blackhawks at Philadelphia Flyers (-120, 5.5)

Sometimes the best way to get into an opponent’s head is keep quiet and frustrate the hell out of them with perfect execution.

And that’s exactly what Chris Pronger has done in the finals against Chicago.

The veteran defenseman agitated Blackhawks forward Dustin Byfuglien in front of the Philadelphia net in Game 3 enough to spur a reaction – a slash which drew a penalty.

"I don't know how he would be getting into our heads, whether it's vocally or whatnot," Jonathan Toews said. "He's not talking a lot out there. He's playing. He's doing his job the way he knows he can do it. So, I mean, he's just one player.”

The 36-year-old Pronger has logged heavy ice time in this series, playing at least 28 minutes in each of the three games. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville, who was with Pronger for eight seasons in St. Louis, believes the officials are looking the other way in certain situations instead of penalizing his former player.

"I think there's a couple for sure late in the game," Quenneville said. "There was one that got my attention. Whether it's stick use or obstruction, I think we'll keep an eye on it."

Whether intentional or not, Pronger has become the villain in this series and is clearly clouding the minds of the Blackhawks.

Pick: Flyers

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**Udog** · 06-03-2010, 11:43 PM

MLB

Friday, June 4

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Hot Lines: Today's best MLB bets
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San Diego Padres at Philadelphia Phillies (-200, 7.5)

The Phillies aren't just in a "slump" anymore; the offense has broken its back and completely fallen over. And it could be a mental thing.

"I don't see a young player on our roster,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “These guys have been around a long time. If they haven't learned something from their hitting by now, and they don't know some of the things that they do when they go bad…it's up to you to master your hitting.

"I see a whole lot of cockiness and big-headedness and complacency," he added.

Philadelphia has scored just 14 runs in its last 11 games, losing nine of those contests and getting shut out in five. The heart of the team’s lineup (Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth) has registered five RBIs during the slide.

Fortunately for the Phils in this matchup, they may only need to squeak out one run to get the win. Roy Halladay is making his first start since a perfect game last Saturday and the Padres have never faced him before.

Pick: Under

Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles (+165, 9)

Reports have surfaced that Baltimore manager Dave Trembley will be removed from his position before Friday’s game against Boston. And some of the players are not too pleased about it.

"We're the ones that throw the ball, we are the ones that swing the bats and catch the ball," Luke Scott said. "All the manager can do is put his best nine out there. I mean, it's not his fault.”

"We haven't played good," veteran Kevin Millwood said. "I don't see it. I don't see how most of that is [Trembley's] fault."

The O’s hold the worst record in baseball (15-39) and have dropped eight straight, getting outscored 47-14 in that stretch.

Boston got swept by Baltimore in early May so look for the BoSox to save a little face in this series. They will send Clay Buchholz to the hill and the team is 4-0 in his last four starts.

Pick: Red Sox

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**Udog** · 06-03-2010, 11:44 PM

MLB

Friday, June 4

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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking

Clay Buchholz (7-3, 2.73), Boston Red Sox

After giving up nine earned runs in his first two May starts, Buchholz has only surrendered four runs in four games since. Buchholz and the Sox went 4-0 in those games.

In his last outing, Buchholz outdueled Royals ace Zack Grienke after 7.0 innings of four-hit ball in the 1-0 victory.

“We matched up against a guy who was on top of his game and is one of the best pitchers in the American League,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said.

“I think it’s just the natural progression of a real good pitcher,” said Terry Francona of Buchholz, who is 3-0 with a 1.32 ERA in his last three outings.

Mat Latos (5-3, 3.08), San Diego Padres

If the Padres are going to beat Roy Halladay on Friday, this guy may give them the best chance to do so.

Latos has a streak of six straight quality starts and shut out the opposition twice in that span. San Diego is 4-0 in his last five outings.

“He’s a big kid with a big arm and tons of talent,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said after Latos threw a complete game, one-hit shutout against his team. “He had good command of all his pitches and he showed good poise, too.

The Phillies lineup has never seen Latos and that situation usually benefits the pitcher.

Slumping

Dallas Braden (4-5, 3.60), Oakland Athletics

Since dealing a perfect game on May 9, the A’s lefty is 0-3 with a 4.13 ERA in four starts.

Braden was removed early from one of those outings because of the flu, but the lingering illness may still be affecting his performance as he yielded 11 hits and five earned runs in his next start.

“They got the leadoff hitter on in every inning and scored in all but one of them,” Braden said after the game. “I’m not a math major, but that doesn’t seem good for me.”

Returning

Carlos Zambrano (1-3, 6.12), Chicago Cubs

Big Z will climb onto the mound in a starter’s role for the first time since April 20 on Tuesday. He was scheduled to return to action Wednesday but his start got bumped to today.

Chicago’s former ace of the staff, Zambrano was demoted to the bullpen after going 1-2 with a 7.45 ERA to start the season.

"He should be able to go six innings, 90 pitches," manager Lou Piniella said. "We'd be very pleased with that -- a nice sharp, crisp performance and then build him up from there."

Zambrano didn’t exactly earn his way back into the rotation with quality work out of the pen. The right-hander was 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 13 relief appearances so who knows what to expect Friday. He hasn’t thrown more than 35 pitches in a game in six weeks.

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**Udog** · 06-03-2010, 11:45 PM

MLB

Friday, June 4

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This Day in Baseball
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On June 4 in Baseball History...

1943 - Mort Cooper of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches back-to-back one-hitters, beating the Brooklyn Dodgers on May 31 and the Philadelphia Phillies on June 4. Hits by Billy Herman on May 31 and by Jimmy Wasdell of the Phils deprive him of no-hitters.

1953 - Pittsburgh trades outfielder Ralph Kiner, catcher Joe Garagiola, pitcher Howie Pollet, and outfielder Catfish Metkovich to the Cubs for catcher Toby Atwell, pitcher Bob Schultz, first baseman Preston Ward, third baseman George Freese, outfielder Bob Addis, outfielder Gene Hermanski, and $150,000.

1964 - Sandy Koufax becomes the fourth pitcher to hurl three no-hitters by blanking the N.L.-leading Phillies 3-0 at Connie Mack Stadium. Koufax strikes out 12 and walks one.

1967 - Curt Flood's record string of 568 straight chances without an error ends when he drops a fly ball during a 4-3 win over the Cubs at St. Louis. The Cardinals center fielder had played an N.L.-record 227 straight games without an error beginning Sept. 3, 1965.

1970 - In the June draft, the Padres select high school catcher Mike Ivie as the number one pick. Choosing next, the Indians take Stanford pitcher Steve Dunning. The Pirates wait till the 15th round to take Dave Parker.

1972 - A major-league record eight shutouts are pitched in the day's 16 games — five in the A.L., three in the N.L..

1974 - On Ten-Cent Beer Night at Cleveland, unruly fans stumble onto the field and cause the Indians to forfeit the game to the Rangers with the score tied 5-5 in the ninth inning.

1975 - Danny Goodwin, picked first in the June 1971 free-agent draft, is picked first again, this time by the Angels. The next four picks fail to make the major leagues. Montreal picks future hall of famer Andre Dawson during the tenth round.

1988 - Rickey Henderson steals two bases in New York's 7-6, 14-inning loss to the Orioles, giving him a club-record 249 steals.

1989 - Toronto beats Boston 13-11 in 12 innings after trailing 10-0 after six innings. It is the biggest lead the Red Sox have ever blown and is also their 12th consecutive loss to the Blue Jays at Fenway.

1990 - Ramon Martinez, 22, strikes out 18 Braves in a 2-0 Dodgers win. He ties Sandy Koufax's club record and is one short of the N.L. mark. Martinez whiffed none in the ninth inning.

1992 - San Jose voters tell the Giants they don't want them by rejecting a plan to build a new stadium in their town. Then the Astros add insult to injury by swatting the ball every which way in a 12-6 drubbing at Candlestick Park in front of just 8,850.

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**Udog** · 06-03-2010, 11:46 PM

WNBA

Friday, June 4

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
CHICAGO vs. ATLANTA
Chicago is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
Chicago is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Atlanta is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Chicago
Atlanta is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Chicago

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**Udog** · 06-03-2010, 11:47 PM

WNBA

Friday, June 4

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Lady Luck: Today's WNBA best bets
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Minnesota Lynx at Tulsa Shock (-3.5, 169)

Behaving badly isn’t just reserved for the NBA’s bad boys.

The WNBA has its fair share of wild girls, including Tulsa Shock starting guard Alexis Hornbuckle, who will miss Friday’s matchup with Minnesota after being suspended two games by the league.

Hornbuckle was suspended after being charged for a DUI which happened back in Detroit last year. She will miss Friday and Saturday’s game in Chicago. She is averaging more than five points, three assists and three rebounds per game this season.

“Alexis was back for the end of practice (on Wednesday),” Shock coach Nolan Richardson told Tulsa World. “She thanked me for being understanding for what had happened before the team moved to Tulsa. She was happy to be back working out with the team.”

The absence of Hornbuckle leaves the Shock with just four guards for this weekend’s double-header. Scholanda Robinson, Shanna Crossley, Natasha Lacy and Marion Jones round out the Tulsa backcourt that faces a Lynx squad coming off a huge win over the defending champion Phoenix Mercury earlier this week.

Pick: Minnesota

Chicago Sky at Atlanta Dream (-6.5, 160.5)

A tough road schedule finally caught up with the Atlanta Dream Tuesday.

The Dream dropped their first game of the season, 90-72, to the Seattle Storm, closing a four-game road stretch at 3-1 straight up and against the spread. Atlanta, which ranks second in the WNBA in scoring (84.7 points per game), shot just under 36 percent from the field and managed only 27 points in the first half.

"It was just one of those days when things didn't go our way," Dream forward Angel McCoughtry told reporters following the loss. "But at the same time, we've got to learn how to play through it. We were just getting by, 6-and-0, winning -- we were feeling good. This is a humbling experience for us."

While the trip home is a welcome thought for Atlanta, their opponent Friday has had their number in recent meetings. The Sky have knocked off the Dream in four straight meetings and own a 6-1 record against the franchise, covering in six of those seven contests.

Pick: Chicago

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**Udog** · 06-03-2010, 11:47 PM

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

**Udog** · 06-04-2010, 08:36 AM

Daily Sports Roundup: June 4

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Yankees visit the Blue Jays, the Phillies play host to the Padres, and the Stanley Cup final stages Game 4 of its set in Philadelphia.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League schedule for Friday has Boston at Baltimore, Tampa Bay at Texas, Detroit at Kansas City, Cleveland at the White Sox, Minnesota at Oakland, the Angels at Seattle, and the Yankees at Toronto. A.J. Burnett (6-2, 3.28 ERA) is slated to take on Brett Cecil (5-2, 3.81 ERA) in that last matchup. Righthander Burnett picked up his second straight win last time out, holding the Indians to three runs (one earned) on five hits over his eight innings of work, and fanning eight. Lefthander Cecil beat the Orioles in his last trip to the mound, surrendering two runs in his eight innings pitched.

Over in the National League on Friday it'll be San Francisco at Pittsburgh, Cincinnati at Washington, Florida at the Mets, the Cubs at Houston, Milwaukee at St. Louis, Colorado at Arizona, Atlanta at the Dodgers, and San Diego at Philadelphia. The Padres are expected to go with Mat Latos (5-3, 3.08 ERA) on Friday, with the Phillies sending ace Roy Halladay (7-3, 1.99 ERA) to the hill. Righthander Latos beat the Nationals last time out, allowing two earned runs on four hits over six innings and striking out eight. Righthander Halladay tossed a perfect game against the Marlins in his last trip to the mound, fanning 11 Florida hitters as he dropped his ERA under 2.00.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The Stanley Cup final continues in Philadelphia with Game 4 on Friday night, with the Flyers looking to tie up the series at 2-2. Philadelphia cut the series gap to 2-1 on Wednesday night in Game 3, getting a Claude Giroux overtime marker in a 4-3 victory. Daniel Briere, Scott Hartnell, and Ville Leino scored for the Flyers in regulation time, while Michael Leighton blocked 24 of 27 Chicago shots. Duncan Keith, Brent Sopel, and Patrick Kane had the Hawks' goals in the loss, and Antti Niemi stopped 28 shots. Philadelphia had been the -140 favorite for Game 3, which went OVER the total of 5.5.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Finally, there are four games on the WNBA's schedule for Friday, with New York at Connecticut, Minnesota at Tulsa, Los Angeles at Phoenix, and Chicago at Atlanta. The Dream lead the Eastern Conference standings at 6-1 straight-up (and 6-1 against-the-spread) through seven games, but they fell 90-72 to Seattle last time out. Angel McCoughtry poured in 16 points for Atlanta in their first loss of the season. The Sky (2-4 SU, 3-3 ATS) picked up a 73-58 road win over Minnesota in their last game, with Sylvia Fowles scoring 18 points in the victory. Jia Perkins added 10 points in the game.

**Udog** · 06-04-2010, 08:36 AM

Friday's six-pack (+2)

Odds for the World Cup, which starts next week. I am told the betting on this event is absolutely staggering.........

-- Spain 4-1--My man Dennis in Las Vegas tells me more money is bet on every World Cup game than on any Super Bowl.

-- Italy 5-1-- Can't tell you the difference between Slovakia/Slovenia.

-- England 11-2-- ESPN tells me they play Americans in opener.

-- Argentina 9-1-- There's a country called Ivory Coast? Sounds like the name of a new casino, either that or a detergent.

-- Italy 11-1-- Could you imagine Dick Vitale announcing soccer?

-- France 12-1-- The stadium in Johannesburg seats 94,000. Nice.

-- Paraguay 66-1-- I would add some pithy/witty comments here, but I know absolutely nothing about soccer.

-- United States 50-1-- My godson says Paraguay is better than the US. He would know, being a citizen of both countries.

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

Friday's List of 13 (+3): Looking at the National League teams

16) Diamondbacks-- Haven't scored in last 33 innings; bullpen is on way to worst ERA in MLB history. Lost last four games on walkoffs, first team in 21 years to do so. Other than that, they've been great.

15) Astros-- Paulino allowed two or less runs in four of last five starts; he has 1.80 RA in last three outings. Won four of last five games, winning Thursday on Lee's walk-off homer. How does a team that plays in a park like Minute Maid have a .331 slugging percentage?????

14) Brewers-- 22-31 despite being 2nd in NL in runs scored. Axford looks like he could be new closer. Who's the new manager going to be? Suppan makes $12,750,000; Ollie Perez makes $12M- why not trade one disaster for another and see if change of scenery works for either one? Milwaukee has now lost Capuano's last 19 starts, tying an infamous modern record.

13) Pirates-- Ryan Doumit must have done something terrible in previous life to get stuck on Pirates for so long. You'd think a catcher-starved team like the Rangers would exile him from western PA. You'd think.

12) Cubs-- Leadoff hitter Theriot has seven walks in 214 PA; he has 59 hits, but 54 of them are singles. Derrek Lee is 24th amongst MLB first basemen with .366 slugging %age. Not many 24-29 teams have too many starting pitchers, but Cubs really do, with prospect Cashner now up.

11) Nationals-- Strasburg is coming just as they start to freefall; Guzman misplayed line drive in 9th inning Thursday that would have ended game, then Carlos Lee sent Nats home reeling. If Strasburg is real deal, he will be a financial boon to franchise that needs a savior-- his debut game Tuesday is already a sellout. How many Tuesday Pirate games sell out?

10) Mets-- Johan Santana, in his last four road starts, allowed three runs in 29 IP, but the Mets lost all four games, by scores of 2-1/3-2/2-0/5-1. Since beginning of '09 season, Ollie Perez is 3-7, 6.65 in 21 starts, but he is still on the roster. Why? Just hit him with a bat and put him on DL.

9) Marlins-- Sold 3,000 tickets from Halladay's perfect game in just four hours earlier this week-- these were all sold at face value, and were sold to Phillies fans, for most part. Nothing like profiting from your own failure. Think the Tigers are going to send Jim Joyce a bill for 3,000 tickets?

8) Rockies-- One reason Dexter Fowler got sent to minors; he came to bat 11 times with man on third base. None of them scored. Jimenez 0.78 ERA has him in position to challenge Bob Gibson's 1.12 mark from 1968!!!!

7) Phillies-- Mystifying offensive skid continues; Howard has come to bat with 180 men on base, 31 more than any other Phil-- he's knocked in just 14.4% of them. Last four years, his OBI% was .192/.203/.178/.179, so until Howard starts living up to his contract, this funk will continue.

6) Giants-- They got rid of Freddie Lewis, who is leading AL in doubles with Toronto; they brought rookie Posey up to play 1B, moving Huff to LF, which hurts defense, helps hitting. Derosa is going on rehab trip this weekend; if he comes back healthy, he'll help somewhere.

5) Reds-- One-third of way thru season, Rolen has 13 HRs, 37 RBI and Gomes is hitting .303 with seven HRs, 35 RBI. Rookie Leake skipped the minor leagues and is 4-0, 2.45-- tremendous job by Cincy scouts there. Leake is also hitting .381 (8-21), and with a wooden bat.

4) Cardinals-- Of the four active major league managers who've won two or more World Series, LaRussa is only one who did it with two different teams. Rams QB Sam Bradford throws out first ball at Busch Stadium on Friday night.

3) Dodgers-- Scored five runs in last three games; Russell Martin having second straight sub-par year with bat; has all this time behind plate hurt his hitting? Of the 30 current major league managers, 18 have managed in the playoffs at least once.

2) Padres-- David Eckstein looks like a batboy, but in his career, he has played on teams that finished a combined 85 games over .500, winning a couple of World Series titles. No coincidence. Padres have pitching and pitching wins, especially in this new era of less speed/lot less power.

1) Braves-- Won last eight games, have 2.5-game lead in NL East, with Jurrjens 0-3, 6.38 this year and Kawakami 0-7, 4.66. Hudson has been terrific. Rookie Heyward has .412 OB%, Prado leads league in hitting as Bobby Cox steams towards Cinderella ending to his brilliant career.

**Udog** · 06-04-2010, 08:40 AM

MLB
Dunkel

San Francisco at Pittsburgh
The Pirates look to build on their 7-3 record in their last 10 games as an underdog from +110 to +150. Pittsburgh is the pick (+115) according to Dunkel, which has the Pirates favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+115). Here are all of today's picks..

FRIDAY, JUNE 4

Game 901-902: San Diego at Philadelphia (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Latos) 14.290; Philadelphia (Halladay) 15.166
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-210); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-210); Under

Game 903-904: Cincinnati at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Harang) 14.599; Washington (Hernandez) 14.844
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Washington (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-115); Under

Game 905-906: San Francisco at Pittsburgh (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Sanchez) 14.209; Pittsburgh (Duke) 15.231
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1; 9
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-135); 8
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+115); Over

Game 907-908: Florida at NY Mets (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Sanchez) 15.522; NY Mets (Dickey) 15.375
Dunkel Line: Florida by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Florida (-110); Over

Game 909-910: Chicago Cubs at Houston (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Zambrano) 15.470; Houston (Paulino) 13.753
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-120); Over

Game 911-912: Milwaukee at St. Louis (8:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Wolf) 14.351; St. Louis (Wainwright) 16.767
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 2 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-220); 8
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-220); Under

Game 913-914: Colorado at Arizona (9:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Cook) 14.878; Arizona (Kennedy) 14.647
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Arizona (-120); 10
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+100); Under

Game 915-916: Atlanta at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Kawakami) 15.781; LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 16.544
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 7
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-165); 8
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-165); Under

Game 917-918: NY Yankees at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Burnett) 14.562; Toronto (Cecil) 16.226
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-130); 9
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+110); Under

Game 919-920: Boston at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Buchholz) 16.025; Baltimore (Tillman) 13.814
Dunkel Line: Boston by 2; 10
Vegas Line: Boston (-180); 9
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-180); Over

Game 921-922: Tampa Bay at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Davis) 14.965; Texas (Wilson) 16.211
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Texas (-115); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-115); Under

Game 923-924: Cleveland at Chicago White Sox (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Masterson) 14.321; White Sox (Danks) 14.711
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-230); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-230); Over

Game 925-926: Detroit at Kansas City (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Scherzer) 15.160; Kansas City (Chen) 16.022
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Detroit (-140); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+120); Under

Game 927-928: Minnesota at Oakland (10:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Baker) 16.215; Oakland (Braden) 15.985
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Oakland (-110); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-110); Over

Game 929-930: LA Angels at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Saunders) 16.530; Seattle (Snell) 17.303
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1; 9
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (+100); Over

Announcement

Friday's Trends and Indexes 6/4 (NHL, MLB, WNBA, Misc.)

Friday's Trends and Indexes 6/4 (NHL, MLB, WNBA, Misc.)

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