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**StarDust Bum** · 09-24-2010, 04:53 PM

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record
09/19/10 2-2-0 50.00% -100 Detail
09/18/10 1-1-0 50.00% -50 Detail
09/17/10 1-1-0 50.00% -50 Detail
09/12/10 1-1-0 50.00% -50 Detail
09/11/10 3-1-0 75.00% +950 Detail
09/10/10 1-1-0 50.00% -50 Detail
09/06/10 2-2-0 50.00% -100 Detail
09/05/10 2-0-0 100.00% +1000 Detail
09/03/10 0-2-0 0.00% -1100 Detail
Totals 13-11-0 54.17% +450

Friday, September 24Game Score Status Pick Amount

Montreal - 8:00 PM ET Montreal -5.5 500 *****
Winnipeg - Under 54 500*****

**StarDust Bum** · 09-24-2010, 05:16 PM

How will NL West be won?

With a pair of key matchups, this weekend could go a long way in determining how the NL West will shake out. San Francisco travels to Denver Friday night to open up a three-game series with the Rockies while the Padres should get a stiff test from the Central-leading Reds when Cincinnati invades Petco Park for a weekend series.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
at COLORADO ROCKIES

The Giants enter the weekend atop the West standings, half a game up on San Diego and 3.5 ahead of Colorado. San Francisco looks to build momentum after taking two of three from Chicago where it outscored the Cubs 14-2. Colorado, on the other hand, needs to find a way to win ballgames and gain ground quickly after getting swept in Arizona. The pitching has been the problem, allowing 28 runs over the last four games. Colorado will send Jhoulys Chacin (9-9, 3.30 ERA) to the mound in the series opener against Tim Lincecum (14-10, 3.60 ERA). Saturday will feature Barry Zito (9-13, 3.98 ERA) against Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.56 ERA) and Sunday’s probables are Matt Cain (12-10, 3.00 ERA) and Jorge De La Rosa (8-5, 4.22 ERA).

Here are some trends that point toward San Francisco in this series:

SAN FRANCISCO is 45-29 (+13.6 Units) against the money line vs. teams averaging 2.75 or less extra base hits per game in the second half of the season this season. The average score was SAN FRANCISCO 4.4, OPPONENT 3.5 - (Rating = 1*).

SAN FRANCISCO is 194-133 (+50.5 Units) against the money line with a hot bullpen whose ERA is under 1.50 the last 5 games since 1997. The average score was SAN FRANCISCO 4.7, OPPONENT 4.0 - (Rating = 1*).

SAN FRANCISCO is 46-31 (+13.5 Units) against the money line in the second half of the season this season. The average score was SAN FRANCISCO 4.5, OPPONENT 3.6 - (Rating = 1*) .

CINCINNATI REDS
at SAN DIEGO PADRES

After wrapping up a 10-game road trip that saw the Padres go 5-5, San Diego returns home Friday to take on Cincinnati. Sitting just half a game out of first, the Padres hope some home cooking will put them back atop the West. The Reds come to town in the midst of a nine-game road trip after taking two-of-three from Milwaukee. Cincinnati enters the weekend with a comfortable 7.5-game lead over St. Louis in the Central. Bronson Arroyo (16-10, 3.98 ERA) gets the call for the Reds in the opener against Chris Young (1-0, 0.90 ERA). Travis Wood (5-4, 3.43 ERA) and Jon Garland (14-12, 3.55 ERA) are scheduled for Saturday with Homer Bailey (3-3, 4.73 ERA) and Clayton Richard (13-8, 3.53 ERA) slated for the finale on Sunday.

A few trends point to San Diego having success this weekend:

SAN DIEGO is 11-6 (+6.8 Units) against CINCINNATI over the last 3 seasons.

SAN DIEGO is 81-63 (+18.8 Units) against the money line vs. teams averaging 2.75 or less extra base hits per game this season. The average score was SAN DIEGO 4.2, OPPONENT 3.6 - (Rating = 2*).

Padres manger Bud Black is 24-13 (+12.4 Units) against the money line after scoring and allowing 3 runs or less last 2 games as the manager of SAN DIEGO. The average score was SAN DIEGO 4.4, OPPONENT 3.4 - (Rating = 1*).

**StarDust Bum** · 09-24-2010, 06:50 PM

MLB Betting: NL West has hottest race

The ’over’ has cashed in seven of Colorado’s last eight overall outings.
Baseball's best betting pennant race involves the National League West, where three teams are vying for a postseason berth. The San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies begin a critical three-game series with Friday's baseball matchup at Coors Field.

The Giants started Thursday's action just a half-game behind San Diego atop the NL West standings, while the Rockies were only three games off the pace. The eventual winner of this division will punch its postseason ticket, but the second-place team might garner the wild-card slot.

Though the Atlanta Braves from the NL East currently have the same record as the Padres, they finish the regular season at home against Florida and Philadelphia. The Marlins are playing out the string, while the Phillies will have likely clinched the NL East and will rest players for the postseason.

Most offshore sportsbooks monitored by the Don Best odds product installed the Giants-Rockies matchup as a ‘pick,' with the total set at 8 ½. Friday's contest is scheduled to begin at 5:10 p.m. PT from Colorado's Coors Field.

Top MLB Betting Action at 5Dimes.com

San Francisco hurler Tim Lincecum (14-10, 3.60 ERA) was riding a personal three-game winning streak until Saturday's 2-1 setback to Milwaukee as a 139 home ‘chalk.' The right-hander was reached for both runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts over five innings and 72 pitches.

The combined three runs never seriously threatened the 6 1/2-run closing total, ending back-to-back ‘over' outings for the 26-year-old. The four-year veteran was pulled for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning in an effort to jumpstart the offense, marking his first loss of September.

Lincecum is 1-2 with a 3.66 ERA in three starts against the Rockies this season. The two-time Cy Young recipient has gone a combined 19 2/3 innings, yielding nine runs (eight earned) on 20 hits (two home runs) with 10 walks and 16 strikeouts.

The Giants prevailed as 102 home favorites, 2-1, while losing as a 102 home selection, 4-0, and as a 103 road selection, 6-3. The ‘under' went 2-1 during those three matchups.

San Francisco, 40-37 away from home, concludes a six-game road trip with this series before embarking on a regular season-ending six-game homestand versus Arizona and San Diego. The Giants are 8-3 their last 11 road outings and 11-4 in Lincecum's past 15 road starts. San Francisco has also seen the ‘over' go 11-4-1 in his previous 16 road contests.

Top MLB Betting Action at 5Dimes.com

Colorado's Jhoulys Chacin (9-9, 3.30 ERA) improved to 4-0 his last six starts after Saturday's 12-2 victory over rival Los Angles as a 124 road favorite. The Venezuela native pitched eight scoreless innings, scattering nine hits with no walks and two strikeouts on 112 pitches. That marked the first time in his major league career that he didn't issue a free pass.

The combined 14 runs eclipsed the eight-run closing total, ending back-to-back ‘under' outings. The 22-year-old is trying to become the first Colorado rookie to finish with an ERA under four while tossing at least 120 innings.

Chacin has led the Rockies to a pair of victories over the Giants this season, tossing a combined 13 innings while allowing three runs on six hits (two home runs) with five walks and 12 strikeouts. Colorado prevailed as a 103 home selection, 6-3, and as a 140 road underdog, 4-1.

The Rockies, 51-24 at Coors Field, wrap up a six-game homestand following this series with three games against Los Angeles. Colorado then concludes the regular season with a four-game road series versus St. Louis. The Rockies have seen the ‘over' go 7-1 in their last eight overall games. Colorado sports a 7-2 record the previous nine meetings with San Francisco.

Friday's weather forecast for Denver, Colorado calls for sunny skies, with a high of 81 degrees and a low of 53.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-24-2010, 06:51 PM

MLB Odds: Weekend betting trends

The Philadelphia Phillies have two strong incentives this weekend. They would like to finish ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East standings, and they would also like to garner the best record in the league.

The top National League team this year gets the luxury of the division series with the extra day off, which means manager Charlie Manuel could start Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt every game at full rest.

The Phillies begin a three-game series against the New York Mets on Friday at Citizens Bank Park with a six-game lead over the Braves in the division and a six-game cushion over the rest of the teams in the NL.

If the Phils clinch this weekend, Manuel will have a week to rest some of his regulars and let his starting pitchers taper down for what he hopes will be a postseason run that lasts into November.

Top MLB Betting Odds at Betonline.

New York will provide a challenge in the series opener when it sends knuckle-ball specialist R.A. Dickey to the mound to oppose Joe Blanton.

The Mets are 4-0 in Dickey's last four starts as a dog of 1.10 to 1.50. However, the Phillies are 5-0 in Blanton's last five starts, and 24-8 in his last 32 as a home favorite.

New York has lost five straight as short-enders, nine of 13 on the highway and six straight against division foes. Philadelphia has won four of five versus the Mets at Citizens Bank Park and four of the last five encounters overall.

The Colorado Rockies must break out the brooms against the San Francisco Giants this weekend at Coors Field or their season will be swept under the rug.

Remember when the Rockies were destined to keep playing brilliantly, brilliantly enough to catch San Diego and San Francisco, because they played so well in past Septembers? They've lost four straight and six of their last nine to fall four games off the pace in the West.

If the Giants score enough runs, they will win the division going away. They're 74-22 when scoring at least three runs - the best in the majors. In addition, the San Francisco rotation is at the peak of freshness. The Giants haven't allowed more than three runs in their last 17 games.

Top MLB Betting Odds at Betonline.

However, the Rockies are 51-24 at Coors Field and they have cashed seven of the last nine versus the Giants at home. In addition, Tim Lincecum has lost his last four in Denver.

Colorado leads the season series 8-7, so home field advantage for a one-game playoff could be at stake.

San Diego returns to Petco Park to open its final homestand of the regular-season trailing the Giants by one-half game. The Padres finish the season next weekend at San Francisco. Their next six games at home will be against NL-Central citizens Cincinnati and Chicago.

The Reds, on the verge of locking up the Central crown, haven't fared well against the Friars, losing five of the last six meetings and four straight at Petco Park.

Tampa Bay will be keeping one eye on the scoreboard and one eye on the Seattle Mariners this weekend. The Rays completed their heavy lifting Thursday, pulling out of Yankee Stadium with a series split after losing the first two games.

Tampa Bay now has the luxury of playing their final 10 games against the Mariners, Baltimore and Kansas City, while New York faces Boston six times and finishes the season with six straight on the road.

A deep slump has overtaken the Texas Rangers on the road. The Rangers are hitting just .199 during their current 10-game trip and they have scored just 14 runs.

Texas lost the series opener on Thursday at Oakland, but it still leads the A's by seven games with 10 remaining. However, the Rangers have lost five of the past six with Oakland overall and five of six in the Bay Area.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-24-2010, 06:52 PM

MLB Odds: Padres begin crucial homestand

The San Diego Padres will be in control of their own playoff destiny Friday night when they begin a weekend home series against the NL Central Division-leading Cincinnati Reds. It's the first baseball betting game of a seven-game homestand.

San Diego leads San Francisco by a half-game in the NL West and Colorado by three-games. The wild-card is a good possibility for the division loser.

The Padres are fortunate to be in the race after a 10-game losing streak in late August and early September. They're 9-7 since and are going for a sweep of the woeful L.A. Dodgers on Thursday night. L.A. is 6-17 since August 27.

Shortstop Miguel Tejada hit his 300th career home run on Wednesday during a 3-1 win. The trading deadline acquisition from Baltimore brings much-needed experience down the stretch. Infield depth was hurt when Jerry Hairston Jr. was ruled out for the regular season because of a leg injury.

Top MLB Betting Action at BetUS.com

San Diego hasn't played at home since Sept. 12 and is only 4-10 in its last 14 home games. The ‘under' is 10-3 in the last 13 home dates. This is the start of a seven-game homestand before a final series in San Francisco.

Chris Young (1-0, .90 ERA) will get the start for San Diego. He missed over five months of the baseball betting season with an injury to his right pitching shoulder. He returned last Saturday at St. Louis and allowed one earned run over four innings (69 pitches).

Young was only clocked in the mid-80s on the radar gun. He never had an overpowering fastball, but he's an intimidating presence at 6-foot-10 and 270 pounds.

Young's ERA was much lower at home (2.07) versus away (5.44) from 2007-2009. This is his first start of the year at home, with the first two away. His one career start against Cincinnati came way back in September 2006.

The Reds (86-67) are 3-3 on their current nine-game road trip. They have an eight-game lead in the NL Central over St. Louis, with their magic number down to three.

Cincinnati will be very careful with injuries with a playoff spot certain. First baseman Joey Votto (sinus) is hoping to return Friday after missing two games. He's the favorite for NL MVP. Outfielder Jim Edmonds (leg) will try to return for the playoffs.

Bronson Arroyo (16-10, 3.98 ERA) will be the opposing pitcher. This is the most wins he's had in a season and he's surpassed 200 innings (203 2/3) for the fifth consecutive year. This is despite having his lowest strikeout rate (5.04) since 2005.

Top MLB Betting Action at BetUS.com

The 33-year-old righty has 12 quality starts in 15 tries since June 1. He's pitched well on the road all year (10-5, 3.77 ERA), with the ‘under' going 5-2-1 in his last eight away starts. Home runs remain a problem, as his 28 allowed are third most in the NL.

Arroyo faced San Diego once this year (April 23) and allowed eight earned runs over three innings. He's 2-2 with a 2.54 ERA in four lifetime starts at Petco Park. Cincinnati is 5-1 in his last six starts versus the NL West.

San Diego recorded a 2-1 win during the only series meeting this year at Cincinnati back in April. The Padres went 6-1 against the Reds last year, including a three-game sweep at Petco.

The first pitch on Friday night is 7:05 p.m. (PT). The weather forecast calls for clear skies with temperatures around 70 degrees.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-24-2010, 06:53 PM

MLB Odds: Yanks’ magic number shrinks

The good news is that the New York Yankees may not be popping champagne corks in Fenway Park next weekend. The bad news is that means the Boston Red Sox will be eliminated by then.

The magic baseball betting number for the Yankees to eliminate the Sox is three, so Boston still has a pulse as they arrive in the Bronx on Friday to open a three-game weekend series.

However, rather than focusing on their age-old rival six times in the final 10 games in a winner-take-all struggle for a postseason berth, the Red Sox are merely playing out the string.

New York, meanwhile, is on the verge of clinching a postseason berth and trying to hold off the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League East crown.

Top MLB Betting Action at BetUS.com

The Yankees have led the division all year and have the game's deepest lineup - not to mention Mariano Rivera and C.C. Sabathia. Yet their recent struggles have exposed the bullpen and the back of the rotation as big weaknesses.

New York isn't likely to defend its crown without a healthy Andy Pettitte (11-2, 2.81), so one can't blame Joe Girardi for wiping the drool off his chin after watching the lefty pitch last Sunday at Baltimore.

Pettitte was even sharper than expected in his first start in two months, limiting the Birds to a run on three hits in 6 1/3 innings. Only one of those hits made it to the outfield, and the veteran was economical, needing only 79 pitches.

Pettitte returns to the mound in Friday's opener at Yankee Stadium to face the Red Sox for only the second time this season and for the first time since April 7. He limited the Sox to one run and six hits in six innings, improving his record against them to 15-8 and lowering his ERA to 3.87.

The Yankees are looking forward to taking their licks against Josh Beckett (5-5, 5.71). The hard-throwing right-hander served up batting practice pitches against the defending champs this year, posting a 0-2 record and an 11.17 ERA in four starts. New York has hit .363 against Beckett and stroked five homers in just 19 1/3 innings.

Top MLB Betting Action at BetUS.com

Boston hits the road, where it has won four straight, after dropping four of six at home to division rivals Toronto and Baltimore.

The Sox are 68-32 following an off day. They have lost eight of their last 10 versus southpaws and are 2-6 in Beckett's last eight starts.

New York has won four straight with Pettitte on the bump against Boston and 11 of 16 when he toed the rubber at home against the Sox.

The Yankees have won 16 of the past 22 series scuffles and 10 of 13 in the Bronx.

**StarDust Bum** · 09-24-2010, 06:54 PM

CFL Betting Preview: Montreal at Winnipeg

It is a battle between first and last in the East Division as the Montreal Alouettes take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. This Week 13 matchup is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 24 at Canad Inns in Manitoba with kickoff scheduled for 5 p.m. (PT).

Montreal is coming off a 31-14 win over Edmonton this past Sunday in a game it was favored to win by 13 points. The 'total' in this game stayed well ‘under’ the 52 ½-point CFL betting line.

The victory lifted the Alouettes to 8-3 straight up and 6-5 against the spread on the year. They now lead the East Division by two games over both Hamilton and Toronto, who are tied with one another in second place at 6-5. Montreal is 4-1 both SU and ATS in the division, including an earlier 39-17 win over Winnipeg as an 11 ½-point home favorite. The Alouettes are 3-2 SU on the road this season but just 2-3 ATS.

Winnipeg lost a hard fought 17-13 decision to Toronto last week as one-point road underdog. The loss dropped the Blue Bombers’ record this season to 3-8 SU and 5-6 ATS. The final in this game also stayed way ‘under’ the 51-point line. While they have struggled on the road this year going winless in six games, they are 3-2 both SU and ATS at home.

The Week 8 meeting between these two teams ended up being bittersweet for the Alouettes as they rolled to a dominating win but lost their No.1 player, QB Anthony Calvillo, in the process. Calvillo took a vicious hit by Winnipeg DE Odell Willis and sustained a cracked rib and bruised sternum. He was finally able to return to action in last week’s win over the Eskimos and ended the day completing 24-of42 attempts for 327 yards but still looked a bit shaky on some of his deep throws.

The key for the Blue Bombers this time around will be to hit Calvillo early and often to keep him from getting into any kind of passing rhythm.

Statistically these two teams are closer than their records indicate. Montreal is ranked second in total points scored with 341 while Winnipeg is ranked fourth with 291. They are almost dead even in time of possession with the Alouettes averaging 31:20 minutes per game verse 29:56 for the Blue Bombers.

Defensively, Montreal is giving up an average of 22.8 points per game; second best in the league. Winnipeg is giving up an average of 26.4 points which is ranked fourth.

Sportsinteraction.com has Montreal listed as a six-point CFL spread favorite and the ‘over/under’ line at 54½. The Alouettes have won seven of the last 10 meetings between these two teams SU and is 6-2 ATS in the last eight. The final score has gone ‘over’ in three of the last five games.

There are only seven games left in the regular season and Winnipeg’s postseason chances continue to hang in the balance. Calvillo is back, but will still not be 100 percent for this game, giving the Blue Bombers an excellent chance to keep this game close enough to cover the six points at home.

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