Announcement

**Udog** · 05-26-2011, 07:38 AM

Thursday’s betting notes: Strong wind blowing at Wrigley

Weather to watch

New York Mets at Chicago Cubs – Meteorologists expect strong winds at Wrigley Field Thursday afternoon. As of Wednesday evening, winds were expected to be ripping in from center field at a 20 mph clip. Oddsmakers have Chicago set as a -145 favorite but no total has been posted.

Who’s hot

NBA: Miami has covered the spread in seven of its last nine games.

MLB: San Francisco has won nine of its last 10 home games.

MLB: Boston is 10-2 over its last 12.

Who’s not

NBA: Just two of the last nine meetings between the Bulls and Miami in Chicago have played over.

MLB: The Mets are 2-7 in their last nine dates at Wrigley Field.

MLB: The White Sox have won three of their last 17 games in Toronto.

Key stat

24 – NBA games are won and lost at the free throw line so it shouldn’t be any surprise the Miami Heat came away with a crucial victory in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead over the Chicago Bulls. The Heat hit their last 24 shots from the charity stripe and hit 84 percent from the line on the night to earn a 101-93 overtime win as 5-point favorites. Miami is hitting about 82 percent of its free throws over the last three games.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Omer Asik, Chicago Bulls: Word has it that Chicago’s reserve center could be out for the rest of the season with a possible fractured left fibula. Asik was questionable for Game 2’s loss and left the game in the first quarter after LeBron James fell on his leg. The 7-footer was playing about 15 minutes per night so Kurt Thomas will have to step up for the Bulls.

Game of the day

Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls (-3, 180)

Notable quotable

"To go through what I went through and get back, it's definitely much more appreciated. I always realized how great it was to be a big league baseball player. But once you're gone and you're away from it, to be back in the big league life, it's definitely much more appreciated." – Ryan Vogelsong, who was out of the big leagues for five years before catching on with the Giants this season. He is 3-0 on the year and hasn’t allowed an earned run over his last three starts ahead of Thursday’s date with the Marlins as a -125 favorite.

Notes and tips

Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the third round of the French Open, but it didn’t come without some controversy. The Roland Garros faithful let Wozniacki hear it as she argued with an umpire about a shot that was ruled out, but she held on for win over Aleksandra Wozniak. Wozniacki is set at +600 to win her first French Open. Oddsmakers have yet to set a line for her upcoming matchup against No. 28 seed Daniela Hantuchova.

Jason Day is pegged at +1600 to repeat as the HP Byron Nelson Champion this weekend in Irving, Texas and he’s definitely playing well enough to be in the running. The 23-year-old Australian has finished among the top 10 in five of his 11 tournaments this season.” the win last year, for me, it spurred me on because I knew I could win on the PGA Tour,” Day told reporters. “Now I want to get out there and build on it. I had a good end to the season last year, and it has moved over into this year. None of that happens if I don't win the Byron Nelson."

Even though the Miami Heat still have some work to do before sending the Bulls packing and advancing to the NBA Finals, oddsmakers have them listed as a heavy -190 favorite to end up lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy. The Heat still have to beat Chicago once more and the books have Miami set as a 3-point road underdog on Thursday.

**Udog** · 05-26-2011, 07:40 AM

Thursday's six-pack

-- Umpire Jim Wolf is a pitcher's ump; his brother pitches in the major leagues. Wolf had St Louis-San Diego game Wednesday, Game had no walks, 14 strikeouts, took 2:04 to play. Like I said, a pitcher's ump.

-- Toronto's Jo-Jo Reyes is now winless in his last 28 starts. Might be time to give someone else a chance.

-- Mets are now 6-0 in games started by Dillon Gee.

-- Red Sox scored seven runs in first inning, pounded Cleveland 14-2 for their 10th win in their last 12 games.

-- Reds-Phillies played deep into the night Wednesday, before Phillies won in the 19th inning, with 3B Valdez the winning pitcher. He is the first position player to be a winning pitcher since '00 (Brent Mayne).

-- Mavericks outplayed Oklahoma City late in game again, eliminating the Thunder 4-1. Now they wait for the Chicago-Miami winner.

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

Thursday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind..........

13) Saddest moment in a while was watching Hardcore Pawn on TruTV the other night; guy comes in the shop and needs money so bad, he pawns his artificial leg. Seriously. He pawned his freakin’ leg. Thats a bad day. By time the show had ended, he had gotten some money and got his leg back, but its sad to think someone could need money that badly.

12) Then you think about NFL owners/players not being able to agree on how to divide a $9B pie, and the whole thing becomes annoying very quickly. Figure it out fellas, then wake us up when you do.

11) Maui Classic next November has a monumental field; along with host Chaminade, they have Duke-Kansas-UCLA-Georgetown-Memphis-Michigan and Tennessee. Three of those seven teams are going back to the mainland 1-2.

10) Russell Wilson update—He is former NC State QB who is playing minor league baseball this summer, while choosing a college football team to close out his career with this fall. He is eligible to play immediately, since the Wolfpack basically cut him. Wilson is hitting .216 for the Asheville Tourists, but with 22 walks (.368 OB%). He visited Auburn this week, and could surface as the starter there in September.

9) Eldrick Woods’ manager for the last 12 years has quit IMG, and so Woods (and Annika Sorenstam) have the option of going with him or staying with IMG. Bet you its not as much fun being his agent as it used to be. Would be interesting to know how much he rakes in these days.

8) Only six times in 33 years has any Atlantic City casino reported a monthly loss on blackjack; well, word comes out that there is a guy in Philly who has won $15M from AC casinos, just since December, all from blackjack. If he has a system, no one has discovered it yet.

7) Huge red flag for Bob Geren’s tenure as A’s manager is that Colorado closer Huston Street went out of his way to bash Geren Tuesday night, saying he was the worst person he had ever met in sports, and that included Little League. Yikes. Generally, when the players turn on you, and do it publicly, the end is near, unless a long winning streak follows. Since Oakland has a road trip to Bronx/Boston coming up fairly soon, a long winning streak doesn’t seem imminent.

6) Rafael Soriano, who appears to be a $35M bust as setup man for the Bronx Bombers, is visiting Dr Andrews down in Birmingham this week, never a good sign. Bet the Rays are chuckling at this one, since they plucked Kyle Farnsworth from the Bronx roster and he is doing just fine as the Tampa Bay closer.

5) Greedy bastard update—Gas is actually down a little this week, sitting at $4.07 today, down from a yearly high of $4.17. The hideous humans that run Exxon-Mobil usually raise the price right before any long weekend, especially in the summer, so prices could be going up soon.

4) Tennessee Vols fired their baseball coach of four years Monday, mainly because he hadn’t won very much, failing to even make the SEC tournament. Weird thing is that when AD Mike Hamilton fired the coach (on May 23) it was the first time he had spoken to him since an office Christmas party five months ago. That’s not good management.

3) Sad news from Kansas City is the passing of former Royals’ pitcher Paul Splittorff at age 64; not only was he a pretty good pitcher, Splittorff turned himself himself into a darned fine announcer, doing Royals’ games in summer and Big 12 basketball in winter. He won 166 games pitching for those good Royals teams in the 70's.

2) Read this week that asparagus helps reduce hangovers, since it almost doubles the rate at which the body metabolizes alcohol. I’m thinking I’d rather have a hangover than eat asparagus.

1) Lesson learned this spring: Stop complaining about winter weather; the vast destruction from these tornadoes down south is absolutely scary. Scraping your windshield in cold weather doesn’t seem so bad when you see people losing everything they own with one huge cloud passing over and through their town.

**Udog** · 05-26-2011, 08:50 AM

NBA
Dunkel

Miami at Chicago

The Heat look to build on their 8-3 ATS record in their last 11 road games. Miami is the pick (+3) according to Dunkel, which has the Bulls favored by only 1. Dunkel Pick: Miami (+3). Here are all of today's picks

THURSDAY, MAY 26

Game 519-520: Miami at Chicago (8:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Miami 125.169; Chicago 126.156
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 1; 183
Vegas Line & Total: Chicago by 3; 179 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Miami (+3); Over

NBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 26

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MIAMI (69 - 27) at CHICAGO (71 - 26) - 5/26/2011, 8:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 56-40 ATS (+12.0 Units) in all games this season.
CHICAGO is 45-31 ATS (+10.9 Units) revenging a loss vs opponent over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 27-16 ATS (+9.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CHICAGO is 27-18 ATS (+7.2 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 8-6 against the spread versus CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
MIAMI is 9-6 straight up against CHICAGO over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Write-Up

Thursday, May 26

Three Miami subs were combined +71 in Game 4, as Bulls never subbed for Rose in second half, and his play suffered (8-27 from floor, 7 TOs). Heat scored 82-81-82 points in their three playoff losses. After scoring 103 points in series opener, Chicago scored 75-85-93 in last three games. Bulls are 14-56 from arc in last three games, after being 10-21 on arc in series opener. Bulls' bench was minus-54 last game, which is probably why they don't want to take Rose out of the game. Over is 6-3 in this round so far, counting both series.

NBA

Thursday, May 26

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Trend Report
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8:30 PM
MIAMI vs. CHICAGO
Miami is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Miami is 5-14 ATS in its last 19 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Miami
Chicago is 18-6 SU in its last 24 games

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NBA

Thursday, May 26

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Heat at Bulls: What bettors need to know
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Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls (-3, 180)

THE STORY: The Heat's Big Three united in Miami with the goal of winning multiple NBA titles. The trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can take another major step toward that goal Thursday as the face the host Chicago Bulls in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final. Miami dominated overtime to earn a 101-93 win in Game 4 and take a 3-1 lead in the series.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT

ABOUT THE BULLS: Poor execution cost Chicago a chance to even the series heading back to the Windy City for Game 5. The Bulls turned the ball over 19 times in the game, highlighted by back-to-back turnovers in the extra session that allowed the Heat to pull away. Derrick Rose managed to put up 23 points but shot just 8 for 27 from the field and had seven turnovers. Chicago will need to be more efficient on the offensive end after shooting just over 40 percent from the field and 6 of 24 from 3-point range. The defense performed well in regulation but couldn't rein in Miami's big guns in overtime.

ABOUT THE HEAT: Chicago did a good job of limiting Miami's effectiveness from the field, but James and Bosh aggressively attacked the rim and were rewarded for their efforts. James was 14 for 14 from the free throw line while Bosh finished 10 for 11 from the stripe. The glaring free-throw discrepancy - Miami took 16 more foul shots than Chicago - helped keep the Heat in the hunt before taking control in overtime. The win puts the Heat a victory away from their first trip to the NBA Finals since winning it all in 2006. Should Miami wrap things up and the Dallas Mavericks beat Oklahoma City in Game 5, the Finals could begin as early as Sunday.

WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer both had 20 points while shooting 50 percent from the field Tuesday. The Bulls will need similar efforts from both players if they hope to extend the series. Wade was far from his best in Game 4, making just five of 16 shot attempts for 14 points.

KEY STATISTIC: +71 - The plus-minus rating accumulated by Miami's bench in Game 4. Mike Miller was a +36, Udonis Haslem finished +25 and Mario Chalmers was +10.

LAST WORD: The Heat improved to 40-5 this season in games where James, Wade and Bosh combine to score 70 or more points.

TRENDS: The under is 7-2 in the last nine meetings in Chicago between the two teams.
Miami is 8-3 against the spread in its last 11 road games.
This is the first time Chicago has lost three straight games all season.

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NBA

Thursday, May 26

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Pick 'n' roll: Thursday’s best NBA bets
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Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls (-3, 180)

Forget about LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. When aging veteran Mike Bibby and third-year guard Mario Chalmers can manage nothing more than a decent at the point, the Heat are nearly impossible to beat.

“Our point guards are very key to our team,” James said. “When they play big and make shots and also defend like they are doing, we’re a pretty good team."

Better than just good. Ask the NBA MVP what it’s been like going up against the suddenly dynamic duo. The Heat’s strategy for defending Rose is simple: play him one-on-one and only help if he gets down low in the paint. Otherwise, play him physical and allow him to shoot as many jump shots as he wants.

That’s the dirty secret about Derrick Rose, who carries an inordinate burden of his team’s offense. If his shot isn’t falling, he fails to create for teammates.

"A percentage? It's a large part," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "There’s no question about it that he generates a lot of their offense. But I think I mentioned this yesterday: he's like trying to contain a tornado. It's unpredictable. The explosiveness, all of that can break down your defense. And then it comes down to your instincts in making multiple efforts."

In the Chicago's only win of the series, Rose was 10-for-22 from the floor with six assists and 28 points. In the three losses, he is averaging just 7.1 field goals on a staggering 23.6 attempts. But more disheartening, he is averaging just over six assists per game for the series – nearly two below his season average.

The Bulls are also having a huge philosophical issue on offense. The team is atrocious from beyond the arc, yet forced up 24 attempts in Game 4. Even worse, Rose was 1-for-9 from distance and continually ditched attacking the rim for jumpers that wouldn’t fall.

Until Rose starts to bloom as a more complete guard, the Bulls will have no way to continually score against the Heat.

Pick: Miami

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**Udog** · 05-26-2011, 09:04 AM

MLB
Dunkel

Boston at Detroit

The Tigers look to build on their 5-1 record in Max Scherzer's last 6 home starts. Detroit is the pick (-115) according to Dunkel, which has the Tigers favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-115). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, MAY 26

Game 901-902: Cincinnati at Philadelphia (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Bailey) 14.623; Philadelphia (Lee) 15.721
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-160); 7
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-160); Under

Game 903-904: NY Mets at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Dickey) 16.215; Cubs (Zambrano) 15.403
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-150); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+130); N/A

Game 905-906: Florida at San Francisco (3:45 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Sanchez) 14.035; San Francisco (Vogelsong) 15.465
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-110); 7
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-110); Under

Game 907-908: Arizona at Colorado (8:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Owings) 15.755; Colorado (Mortensen) 14.904
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Colorado (-160); 9
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+140); Over

Game 909-910: Kansas City at Baltimore (12:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Francis) 14.325; Baltimore (Guthrie) 15.665
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-140); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-140); Under

Game 911-912: Boston at Detroit (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Aceves) 15.533; Detroit (Scherzer) 16.821
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Detroit (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-115); Over

Game 913-914: Oakland at LA Angels (3:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Anderson) 14.708; LA Angels (Pineiro) 15.274
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-110); 7
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-110); Under

Game 915-916: Chicago White Sox at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Humber) 14.882; Toronto (Morrow) 16.242
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Toronto (-135); 8
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-135); Over

**Udog** · 05-26-2011, 09:10 AM

MLB
Long Sheet

Thursday, May 26

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CINCINNATI (26 - 24) at PHILADELPHIA (30 - 19) - 1:05 PM
HOMER BAILEY (R) vs. CLIFF LEE (L)
Top Trends for this game.
CINCINNATI is 118-98 (+8.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 540-620 (+52.3 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997.
CINCINNATI is 118-98 (+8.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
BAILEY is 17-6 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BAILEY is 17-6 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 2-1 (+0.9 Units) against CINCINNATI this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.0 Units)

HOMER BAILEY vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
BAILEY is 0-2 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 6.43 and a WHIP of 1.714.
His team's record is 0-3 (-3.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

CLIFF LEE vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
LEE is 4-2 when starting against CINCINNATI with an ERA of 4.87 and a WHIP of 1.437.
His team's record is 5-3 (+1.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-3. (+1.7 units)

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NY METS (23 - 25) at CHICAGO CUBS (21 - 26) - 2:20 PM
R.A. DICKEY (R) vs. CARLOS ZAMBRANO (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 16-9 (+8.7 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 180-191 (-37.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 46-60 (-28.4 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 620-619 (-117.5 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 46-60 (-28.4 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 5-12 (-9.3 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 45-51 (-20.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
ZAMBRANO is 70-64 (-28.6 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997. (Team's Record)
ZAMBRANO is 70-64 (-28.6 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO CUBS is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against NY METS this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.0 Units)

R.A. DICKEY vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
DICKEY is 0-1 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 10.50 and a WHIP of 1.500.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.3 units)

CARLOS ZAMBRANO vs. NY METS since 1997
ZAMBRANO is 5-3 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 3.57 and a WHIP of 1.381.
His team's record is 6-5 (-1.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-6. (-1.4 units)

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FLORIDA (28 - 19) at SAN FRANCISCO (27 - 21) - 3:45 PM
ANIBAL SANCHEZ (R) vs. RYAN VOGELSONG (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 130-96 (+25.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 55-33 (+18.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 119-70 (+31.2 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 47-21 (+18.1 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 7 or less over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 129-94 (+26.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 156-125 (+24.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 56-38 (+15.6 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 24-14 (+12.3 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 3 seasons.
FLORIDA is 14-7 (+9.4 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
FLORIDA is 14-7 (+9.4 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field this season.
FLORIDA is 56-45 (+20.3 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 3 seasons.
FLORIDA is 548-608 (+45.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
FLORIDA is 2-0 (+2.5 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)

ANIBAL SANCHEZ vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
SANCHEZ is 1-0 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 1.20 and a WHIP of 0.533.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

RYAN VOGELSONG vs. FLORIDA since 1997
No recent starts.

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ARIZONA (25 - 24) at COLORADO (24 - 24) - 8:40 PM
MICAH OWINGS (R) vs. CLAYTON MORTENSEN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 160-214 (-46.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 34-70 (-25.4 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 13-37 (-20.0 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 32-69 (-27.9 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 64-95 (-31.8 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 38-17 (+16.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 108-104 (-21.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 80-86 (-25.0 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 108-104 (-21.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 64-75 (-29.7 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 65-69 (-21.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 5-3 (+3.8 Units) against COLORADO this season
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.4 Units)

MICAH OWINGS vs. COLORADO since 1997
OWINGS is 2-1 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 1.65 and a WHIP of 1.163.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.8 units)

CLAYTON MORTENSEN vs. ARIZONA since 1997
No recent starts.

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KANSAS CITY (22 - 26) at BALTIMORE (23 - 24) - 12:35 PM
JEFF FRANCIS (L) vs. JEREMY GUTHRIE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BALTIMORE is 47-44 (+18.8 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 16-6 (+10.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
KANSAS CITY is 12-6 (+7.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
BALTIMORE is 120-120 (-44.8 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -125 to -150 since 1997.
BALTIMORE is 285-399 (-110.9 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
BALTIMORE is 3-2 (+1.0 Units) against KANSAS CITY this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.9 Units)

JEFF FRANCIS vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
FRANCIS is 0-2 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 5.78 and a WHIP of 1.446.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+1.1 units)

JEREMY GUTHRIE vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
GUTHRIE is 2-0 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.380.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

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BOSTON (27 - 22) at DETROIT (25 - 23) - 1:05 PM
ALFREDO ACEVES (R) vs. MAX SCHERZER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 65-38 (+18.0 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 52-25 (+20.1 Units) against the money line in home games in day games over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 65-38 (+18.0 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 43-18 (+20.0 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 57-33 (+20.0 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 17-5 (+9.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DETROIT is 69-80 (-17.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against DETROIT this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

ALFREDO ACEVES vs. DETROIT since 1997
No recent starts.

MAX SCHERZER vs. BOSTON since 1997
SCHERZER is 0-1 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 5.56 and a WHIP of 1.589.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

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OAKLAND (23 - 27) at LA ANGELS (26 - 25) - 3:35 PM
BRETT ANDERSON (L) vs. JOEL PINEIRO (R)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 14-23 (-12.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
LA ANGELS are 24-12 (+14.6 Units) against the money line as a home underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 3 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 25-9 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 75-42 (+34.5 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 46-28 (+17.1 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 97-106 (-20.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 47-57 (-18.3 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
OAKLAND is 4-4 (+1.1 Units) against LA ANGELS this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.9 Units)

BRETT ANDERSON vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
ANDERSON is 0-2 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 4.55 and a WHIP of 1.200.
His team's record is 1-4 (-3.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-3. (-1.3 units)

JOEL PINEIRO vs. OAKLAND since 1997
PINEIRO is 8-8 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 4.10 and a WHIP of 1.397.
His team's record is 11-10 (+1.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 12-8. (+3.2 units)

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CHI WHITE SOX (23 - 28) at TORONTO (24 - 25) - 7:07 PM
PHILIP HUMBER (R) vs. BRANDON MORROW (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHI WHITE SOX are 7-14 (-10.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
TORONTO is 109-103 (+13.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 18-10 (+11.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
TORONTO is 90-74 (+21.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 54-47 (+13.1 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
MORROW is 17-5 (+13.1 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997. (Team's Record)
CHI WHITE SOX are 47-40 (+12.7 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

PHILIP HUMBER vs. TORONTO since 1997
No recent starts.

BRANDON MORROW vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
MORROW is 0-1 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 8.38 and a WHIP of 2.172.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.2 units)

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**Udog** · 05-26-2011, 09:12 AM

MLB
Write-Up

Thursday, May 26

Hot pitchers
-- Bailey is 3-1, 2.42 in four starts this season. Lee has a 2.62 RA in his last five starts.
-- Sanchez is 2-0, 1.23 in his last three starts.
-- Vogelsong is 2-0, 0.49 in his last three starts.

-- Scherzer is 2-1, 2.10 in his last four starts. Aceves allowed one run in five IP in his first '11 start, just sixth of his career Aceves is 15-1 in his big league career.
-- Pineiro is 2-0, 2.73 in five starts this season.
-- Humber is 2-1, 2.38 in his last five starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Zambrano is 0-1, 6.50 in his last three starts. Dickey is 1-3, 5.84 in four daytime starts.
-- Mortensen is 1-1, 4.34 in three starts this season. Owings allowed four runs in 5.1 IP in his first '11 start.

-- Royals are 0-4 in Francis road starts (0-3, 7.36). Guthrie is 1-3, 5.33 in his last four starts.
-- Anderson is 0-3, 5.04 in his last five starts.
-- Morrow is 1-1, 7.53 in his last three starts.

Totals
-- 13 of Phillies' last 20 games stayed under the total. Five of Reds'last six games went over.
-- Last five games at Wrigley Field that went 9+ innings went over.
-- Over is 8-3 in Florida's last eleven road games.
-- Under is 7-1-1 in Arizona's last nine road games.

-- Seven of last nine Baltimore games went over the total.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Detroit home games.
-- Five of last six Oakland road games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last seven Texas games stayed under the total.

Hot teams
-- Phillies won 12 of their last 18 home games.
-- Arizona won eight of its last nine games.
-- San Francisco won nine of its last eleven home games. Marlins won eight of their last eleven road games.

-- Baltimore won its last four games, allowing ten runs.
-- Detroit won its last three games, scoring 15 runs. Red Sox won 13 of their last 17 games.
-- Angels won three of their last four games.
-- White Sox won 12 of their last 18 games overall.

Cold teams
-- Reds lost seven of their last eight games.
-- Cubs lost nine of their last thirteen home games. Mets lost three of their last four games, allowing 31 runs.
-- Colorado lost six of its last eight games.

-- Royals lost eight of their last ten road games.
-- Oakland lost seven of its last eight games.
-- Toronto lost its last three games, scoring nine runs.

**Udog** · 05-26-2011, 09:18 AM

MLB

Thursday, May 26

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Trend Report
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12:35 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. BALTIMORE
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 6 games
Kansas City is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 6 games at home

1:05 PM
CINCINNATI vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Cincinnati is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Cincinnati

1:05 PM
BOSTON vs. DETROIT
Boston is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games
Boston is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Detroit is 3-5-1 SU in its last 9 games ,

2:20 PM
NY METS vs. CHI CUBS
NY Mets are 3-7 SU in their last 10 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Mets's last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Mets
Chi Cubs are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing at home against NY Mets

3:35 PM
OAKLAND vs. LA ANGELS
Oakland is 2-10 SU in their last 12 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
Oakland is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Angels's last 8 games when playing at home against Oakland
LA Angels are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games when playing at home against Oakland

3:45 PM
FLORIDA vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Florida4-1-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Florida is 3-5-1 SU in its last 9 games ,when playing San Francisco
San Francisco9-1-1 SU in its last 11 games at home
San Francisco is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games ,when playing Florida

7:07 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. TORONTO
Chi White Sox are 2-12 SU in their last 14 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Chi White Sox are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games

8:40 PM
ARIZONA vs. COLORADO
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 7 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Arizona is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Colorado
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 5 games

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**Udog** · 05-26-2011, 09:20 AM

MLB

Thursday, May 26

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Hot lines: Thursday's best MLB bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers (-115, 8.5)

Sooner or later, you knew two of Boston’s most lethal hitters would come around. We might end up looking back to Wednesday’s blowout win over the upstart Indians as the date the tide really turned for the Red Sox.

Boston sent 12 batters to the plate in putting up seven runs on the board in the first inning, on the way to a 14-2 win over Cleveland.

Carl Crawford went four-for-four with a home run, two doubles, three runs and a pair of RBIs to raise his average from .212 all the way to .229. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia also got a monkey off his back with his first homer in 136 trips to the plate. In all, the Red Sox ended up with 20 hits.

So while they’re up against a tough customer in Max Scherzer, we’ll jump all over Boston as an underdog. Alfredo Aceves makes his second start of the season for the Red Sox.

Pick: Red Sox

Chicago White Sox at Toronto Blue Jays (-130, 8)

The Toronto Blue Jays head home after dropping two of three games against the Yankees and have their work cut out for them again on Thursday against the White Sox.

Wednesday’s loss to the Yanks went down in the record books after Jo-Jo Reyes failed to pick up the win in his 28th consecutive start – tying a dubious record set by Oakland’s Matt Keough back in 1978-79.

The Jays look to get back on track with Brandon Morrow on the hill and he has had a tough time recently, allowing 12 runs over his last three starts. However, the good news is that Morrow is usually money at the Rogers Centre.

He has won 12 of his last 15 home starts and really needs to deliver in this spot after giving up a season-high nine hits to the miserable Astros last time out.

We’ll see if he’s up to the challenge.

Pick: Jays

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**Udog** · 05-26-2011, 11:13 AM

MLB
Short Sheet

Thursday, May 26

National League

CINCINNATI at PHILADELPHIA, 1:05 PM ET
BAILEY: 17-6 TSR all starts
LEE: 17-7 Under as favorite of -125 to -175

NY METS at CHICAGO CUBS, 2:20 PM ET
DICKEY: Mets 1-11 off 4+ Overs
ZAMBRANO: Cubs 16-9 off a loss

FLORIDA at SAN FRANCISCO, 3:45 PM ET
SANCHEZ: FLORIDA 8-2 as road underdog of +100 to +150
VOGELSONG: SF 31-14 Under off one run loss

ARIZONA at COLORADO, 8:40 PM ET
OWINGS: ARIZONA 13-37 in division road games
MORTENSEN: COLORADO 24-10 Over at home w/ double revenge

American League

KANSAS CITY at BALTIMORE, 12:35 PM ET
FRANCIS: KC 20-6 Under Away off a loss by 6+ runs
GUTHRIE: BAL 19-4 Under off 3+ wins

BOSTON at DETROIT, 1:05 PM ET
ACEVES: BOS 8-0 Over off win by 10+ runs
SCHERZER: DET 19-10 Over vs. righties

OAKLAND at LA ANGELS, 3:35 PM ET
ANDERSON: OAK 46-28 in day games
PINEIRO: 62-37 Over when the money line is +125 to -125

CHI WHITE SOX at TORONTO, 7:07 PM ET
HUMBER: CHW 4-11 vs. Toronto
MORROW: 17-5 TSR in home games

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 05-26-2011, 11:16 AM

NBA
Short Sheet

Thursday, May 26

Eastern Conference Finals - Game 5 - MIAMI 3-1
MIAMI at CHICAGO, 8:30 PM ET TNT
MIAMI: 27-15 Under Away off BB wins
CHICAGO: 17-8 ATS off SU loss

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

Announcement

Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 5/26 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 5/26 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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