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**Udog** · 05-30-2011, 09:14 AM

Monday's betting tips: Longo in leadoff spot paying off

Weather to watch

Los Angeles Angels at Kansas City Royals – A 24-mile-per-hour wind will be blowing out straight to center, according to the forecast. The temperature will be 83, with a 10 to 20 percent chance of rain.

Who’s hot

MLB: The Yankees are 7-1 in their last eight games in Oakland.

MLB: The Over is 9-2-1 in Cleveland’s last 12 games against lefty starters.

Who’s not

MLB: The Over is 0-7 in St. Louis’ last seven home games.

MLB: Cincinnati is 5-11 in Travis Wood’s last 16 starts.

Key stat

7 – That’s how many times Evan Longoria has gotten on base since moving to the top of the lineup Saturday. The All-Star third baseman, who usually hits third or fourth, went 4-for-7 with three walks from the leadoff spot Saturday and Sunday against Cleveland. He homered, doubled and scored three runs. Longoria was in a 4-for-33 slump and batting .209 overall before manager Joe Maddon made the move.

"I explained it to Longo, work good at-bats, get on base and use all of his baseball skills," Maddon said. "I hope he's going to have some fun with it and see where it takes us."

When the Rays host Texas on Monday, there’s a good chance Longoria will bat leadoff again.

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Indians DH Travis Hafner is eligible to come off the DL on Thursday, but he will likely be out at least two more weeks with his right oblique strain. Hafner’s injury in mid-May was a huge blow to the Indians. He was hitting .345, which was third-best in the AL, with an on-base percentage of .409. He had five homers, eight doubles and 22 RBIs through 32 games.

"He's an intimidating figure in our lineup, even when he's not hitting," manager Manny Acta said. "This year he came out swinging and doing everything.”

His primary replacement, Shelly Duncan, is hitting .246 with six doubles and a homer. Duncan has struck out 19 times in 65 at-bats.

Game of the day

San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals (-145, 7.5)

Notable quotable

It’s a “disaster for football,” soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer told the BBC about the corruption scandals enfulging FIFA. “I hope when June 1 comes and the election will be over, then all the discussion about corruption is finished and FIFA can go back to normal. I don’t know what’s going on in the next days, but in general it’s my opinion it’s very, very bad.”

FIFA on Sunday suspended two executive committee members: Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar, who leads Asia’s soccer confederation; and Jack Warner, a FIFA vice president from Trinidad. Both are accused of bribing voters in the presidential election campaign.

Meanwhile, soccer’s governing body cleared president Sepp Blatter of ignoring the alleged bribes, clearing the way for him to be re-elected unopposed to a fourth term Wednesday.

Notes and tips

Canucks center Manny Malhotra has made a remarkable recovery and is expected to play when the Stanley Cup Finals open Wednesday in Vancouver. A faceoff specialist, Malhotra was struck in the left eye by a deflected puck on March 16. Some feared his vision would be permanently impaired, and most assumed he was done for the season. But Malhotra has been medically cleared and will play with a full face shield. “He wouldn’t put himself at risk if the situation wasn’t right,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “The organization wouldn’t put him at risk. Obviously, the medical people wouldn’t either.”

Malhotra acknowledged he’s not 20-20 in his left eye. “But I’ve never been 20-20 in that eye,” he said.

Bodog has Vancouver as a -235 favorite to take home the Cup.

Will Caron Butler, who ruptured his patellar tendon Jan. 1, make his own miraculous return during the NBA Finals? The Mavs 6-7 forward is a longshot to play at all in the series, but coach Rick Carlisle has not shut the door, noting Butler is one to two months ahead of his rehab schedule. Butler played extremely well in Dallas’ two regular-season games with the Heat, averaging 18 points on 54 percent shooting. ESPN.com reported Butler would fly with the team to Miami. Game 1 is Tuesday. The Heat is favored by 4.5 points in the opener, and is favored at -170 or higher in the series.

Just hours after going on an 11-minute tirade defending some of his managerial decisions, Ozzie Guillen watched his Chicago White Sox take a 13-4 beating from the Toronto Blue Jays. "Like I said earlier, guys, the only reward we freaking have in this stupid-(bleep) career is winning," Guillen told reporters after many questioned some of his moves in a 14-inning loss on Saturday. "When you’re not winning, you’re miserable. That’s my life, that’s my job, that’s my passion for the job. The only thing I get rewarded after the game is when we win. That’s it. That’s all we get.” Chicago took the first of the four-game set in Toronto but then dropped the next three, giving up 23 runs along the way.

The Oakland Athletics activated closer Andrew Bailey from the disabled list, but the team will be careful with him over the next week or so. He’s been out all year with a forearm injury and probably won’t see any work in the ninth inning until the team is confident he’s made a full recovery. Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour will continue to handle the closing duties until then.

**Udog** · 05-30-2011, 09:16 AM

Monday's six-pack

-- 15 major league pitchers have already taken a no-hitter into the sixth inning this season.

-- There have already been 32 rainouts this season; there were 21 all of last season.

-- There have been 94 extra-inning games this year, there were 64 at this time last season.

-- The steering wheel for one of those Indy 500 cars costs $45,000.

-- Sergio Garcia was 8-under par Thursday/Friday, +11 Saturday and Sunday, as winds made play a lot tougher in Dallas this weekend.

-- Palmer/Bradley playoff Sunday was fifth in last six weeks on Tour. Golf without Eldrick Woods is more competitive, more fun to watch.

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

Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Sunday.........

13) If I ran a big league ballclub, our outfield fences would be 9-feet high; the most exciting play in baseball is the OF robbing the hitter of a HR.

12) Then again, I traded Michael Pineda for Dan Uggla (last year) in my fantasy league, so its probably just as well I don't run a real ballclub.

11) OK, so this Mets ownership thing is interesting; if the Wilpons pay Mr Einhorn his $200M back in three years, he gets to keep 33% of the team, basically free-of-charge. If they don't pay him back, pretty sure he gets to become the majority owner, which would be Christmas Day all over again for Met fans. Must be nice to be that rich.......lol

10) Major league pitchers posted a 4.42 ERA just two years ago; so far in 2011, that number is 3.80. Offense is harder and harder to come by.

9) White Sox pitcher John Danks is now 0-8, 5.25 this season after Blue Jays whacked him around Sunday. Danks threw 51 pitches in 1st inning, giving up six runs. Hard to win that way.

8) In case you care about such things, the hot dog won his 13th sausage race of the year at Miller Park Sunday, giving him the season lead over his four sausage competitors- the bratwurst, the kielbasa, the Italian sausage and the Chorizo (Latin sausage).

I've never had bratwurst, so I still have that to look forward to someday. If you've never had spaghetti and kielbasa, you're missing out.

7) Arizona is in first place in NL West; not only did Zach Duke win his first Diamondback start Saturday, he homered in his first AB, the first pitcher to homer in his first game with a team since Nolan Ryan in 1980, when he homered for the Astros.

6) PGA Tour drives me nuts with their Fed Ex Cup standings; would it be too much to ask to just use money earned as a yardstick? Who would be against this? They want to make things more interesting at the end of the year? Then put the PGA Championship (a major) in October.

5) Looks like Memphis-Louisville are going to renew their rivalry with a home/home series this winter and next; would be smarter if the Big East would add Memphis as its 18th team, then they could be league rivals.

4) Raiders fired coach Tom Cable after an 8-8 season LY, their first year without a losing record in eight years, but Cable wasn't unemployed long; he is the new offensive line coach for the Seahawks.

3) Someone has to explain to me why NC State has two I-AA teams on its 2011 schedule? One thing for sure, it made the decision to release QB Russell Wilson a hell of a lot easier. No team from a BCS league should ever be allowed to play two I-AA teams- they shouldn't play any!!!!

2) World Series of Poker starts Tuesday in Las Vegas, which means it is only six weeks until my next trip to the desert. Looked in on the WSOP last summer; quite an impressive setup, but more fun to watch on TV. It makes all the difference in the world to be able to see everyone's cards in advance of bets being made.

1) Highlight of this Memorial Day weekend so far was finding a pizza place a mile from my house that delivers until 3am. I'm thankful to our troops for doing all they do, and I'm thankful there are people who sell pizza until 3am. What a country.

**Udog** · 05-30-2011, 09:20 AM

MLB
Dunkel

Colorado at LA Dodgers

The Dodgers look to take advantage of a Colorado team that is 1-8 in its last 9 road games. LA is the pick (-115) according to Dunkel, which has the Dodgers favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-115). Here are all of today's picks.

MONDAY, MAY 30

Game 901-902: Philadelphia at Washington (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Halladay) 13.956; Washington (Hernandez) 15.114
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-200); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+170); Over

Game 903-904: San Diego at Atlanta (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Harang) 14.417; Atlanta (Hudson) 16.045
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-185); 7
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-185); Under

Game 905-906: Houston at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Rodriguez) 14.261; Cubs (Lopez) 15.167
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 10
Vegas Line: Chicago Cubs (-130); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (-130); N/A

Game 907-908: San Francisco at St. Louis (4:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Bumgarner) 15.348; St. Louis (McClellan) 14.122
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 7
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-145); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+125); Under

Game 909-910: Pittsburgh at NY Mets (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Morton) 14.785; NY Mets (Gee) 15.989
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-125); 7
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-125); Over

Game 911-912: Milwaukee at Cincinnati (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Narveson) 14.895; Cincinnati (Wood) 15.727
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-125); 9
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-125); Under

Game 913-914: Colorado at LA Dodgers (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Hammel) 14.751; LA Dodgers (Billingsley) 15.522
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-115); 7
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-115); Under

Game 915-916: Florida at Arizona (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Volstad) 14.643; Arizona (Saunders) 16.357
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Arizona (-115); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (-115); Over

Game 917-918: Minnesota at Detroit (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Blackburn) 15.777; Detroit (Penny) 14.928
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Detroit (-145); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+125); Over

Game 919-920: NY Yankees at Oakland (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Colon) 15.719; Oakland (Cahill) 16.845
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-115); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-115); Under

Game 921-922: Baltimore at Seattle (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Arrieta) 14.751; Seattle (Fister) 15.210
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Seattle (-115); 7
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-115); Over

Game 923-924: LA Angels at Kansas City (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Santana) 15.098; Kansas City (Hochevar) 14.386
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-120); Under

Game 925-926: Texas at Tampa Bay (6:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Holland) 14.773; Tampa Bay (Davis) 16.381
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-115); Under

Game 927-928: Cleveland at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Carmona) 14.665; Toronto (Reyes) 16.122
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-110); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (-110); Over

Game 929-930: Chicago White Sox at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Peavy) 16.001; Boston (Lester) 15.426
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Boston (-190); 8
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (+170); Under

**Udog** · 05-30-2011, 09:29 AM

MLB
Write-Up

Monday, May 30

Hot pitchers
-- Halladay is 4-2, 2.26 in his last seven starts. LHernandez has a 2.25 RA in his last three starts, but Nationals still lost all three games.
-- Harang is 1-0, 3.76 in his last four starts.
-- ARodriguez is 0-0, 2.38 in his last couple starts.
-- McClellan is 2-1, 2.89 in his last four starts. Bumgarner has a 2.75 RA in his last six starts.
-- Mets are 6-0 when Gee starts (4-0, 3.79). Morton is 3-0, 2.10 in his last five starts.
-- Wood is 2-0, 3.38 in his last four starts.
-- Saunders is 1-0, 1.93 in his last couple starts.

-- Blackburn is 3-0, 1.96 in his last five starts. Penny is 3-1, 1.50 in his last five home starts.
-- Cahill is 5-2, 2.17 in his last eight starts.
-- Arrieta is 5-1, 3.74 in his last eight starts.
-- ESantana is 2-0, 0.60 in his last couple starts. Royals won Hochevar's last three home starts (1-0, 2.05).
-- Lester is 7-0, 3.22 in his last eight starts. Peavy is 1-0, 3.00 in his three starts this season.

Cold pitchers
-- THudson is 0-2, 9.77 in his last three starts.
-- Hammel is 0-3, 5.00 in his last four starts.
-- Lopez was 7-16, 5.00 in 33 starts for Arizona LY; this is first start in 2011 for him.
-- Narveson is 1-3, 6.10 in his last six starts.
-- Billingsley is 1-3, 3.67 in his last four starts.
-- Volstad is 0-2, 5.46 in his last five starts.

-- Colon is 0-2, 4.88 in his last five starts.
-- Fister is 0-2, 3.81 in his last four starts.
-- WDavis is 0-2, 5.68 in his last three starts. Holland is 0-0, 5.18 in his last six starts.
-- Reyes is 0-4, 6.27 in his ten starts this year; he is winless in his last 28 starts overall. Carmona is 0-2, 6.18 in his last four starts.

Totals
-- Six of last seven Philly games went over the total.
-- Seven of last ten San Diego road games went over the total.
-- Seven of last nine games at Wrigley Field went over.
-- Last seven St Louis home games stayed under the total.
-- Five of Pirates' last six games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of Reds' last ten games went over the total.
-- Six of last seven Colorado road games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 6-2-2 in last ten Florida games.

-- Under is 7-3-3 in last thirteen Detroit home games.
-- Over is 7-0-1 in last eight Bronx games.
-- 10 of last 13 Baltimore games went over the total.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in Angels' last eight games.
-- Under is 17-6 in Tampa Bay's last 23 home games.
-- Five of last seven Toronto games went over the total.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Red Sox games.

Hot Teams
-- Phillies won seven of their last ten games.
-- Atlanta won six of its last seven home games. Padres won three of their last four games.
-- Cardinals won nine of their last thirteen games.
-- Pirates won seven of their last ten games.
-- Milwaukee won eight of its last nine games.
-- Arizona won 12 of its last 13 games. Marlins won 10 of their last 15.

-- A's won five of their last six games. Bronx is 8-4 in its last twelve.
-- Mariners won nine of their last eleven games.
-- Rangers won five of their last seven games.
-- Toronto won its last three games, scoring 26 runs.
-- Red Sox won 16 of their last 21 games.

Cold Teams
-- Washington lost seven of its last eight games.
-- Cubs are 6-11 in their last seventeen home games. Astros lost 10 of their last 14 games.
-- Giants lost five of their last six games.
-- Mets lost six of their last eight games, allowing 56 runs.
-- Reds lost nine of their last eleven games.
-- Dodgers lost seven of their last eleven games. Colorado lost eight of its last twelve games.

-- Detroit lost eight of its last twelve games. Minnesota lost seven of its last nine games.
-- Orioles lost their last three games, scoring eight runs.
-- Kansas City lost seven of its last eight games. Angels lost six of their last eight road games.
-- Tampa Bay lost six of its last nine games.
-- Indians lost four of their last five games.
-- White Sox lost four of last five games.

**Udog** · 05-30-2011, 10:26 AM

MLB

Monday, May 30

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Trend Report
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1:05 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. WASHINGTON
Philadelphia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 7 games
Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games

1:05 PM
MINNESOTA vs. DETROIT
Minnesota is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
Minnesota is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Detroit is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota

1:05 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of San Diego's last 15 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Diego's last 5 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing San Diego
Atlanta is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against San Diego

2:20 PM
HOUSTON vs. CHI CUBS
Houston is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chi Cubs's last 11 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games when playing at home against Houston

4:05 PM
NY YANKEES vs. OAKLAND
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 5 games when playing on the road against Oakland
NY Yankees are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing Oakland
Oakland is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing NY Yankees
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 7 games at home

4:10 PM
BALTIMORE vs. SEATTLE
Baltimore is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games on the road
Seattle is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 7 games when playing at home against Baltimore

4:10 PM
LA ANGELS vs. KANSAS CITY
LA Angels are 17-8 SU in their last 25 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of LA Angels's last 18 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Kansas City's last 18 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City's last 5 games

4:15 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of San Francisco's last 11 games when playing St. Louis
San Francisco is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of St. Louis's last 13 games

6:40 PM
TEXAS vs. TAMPA BAY
Texas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas's last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Tampa Bay's last 23 games at home
Tampa Bay is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games

7:07 PM
CLEVELAND vs. TORONTO
Cleveland is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games
Toronto is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Cleveland

7:10 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. BOSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chi White Sox's last 10 games when playing Boston
Chi White Sox are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston's last 10 games when playing Chi White Sox
Boston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

7:10 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. NY METS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Pittsburgh's last 14 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
The total has gone OVER in 7 of NY Mets's last 8 games
NY Mets are 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

7:10 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. CINCINNATI
Milwaukee is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Milwaukee's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 6 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Cincinnati's last 8 games

8:10 PM
FLORIDA vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Florida's last 6 games when playing on the road against Arizona
Florida is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 6 games when playing Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Arizona's last 13 games at home

8:10 PM
COLORADO vs. LA DODGERS
Colorado is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Colorado's last 9 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of LA Dodgers's last 14 games at home
LA Dodgers are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games at home

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**Udog** · 05-30-2011, 10:30 AM

MLB

Monday, May 30

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Monday's streaking and slumping starters
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Streaking

Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox (7-1, 3.36 ERA)

Lester has won seven straight decisions after taking a loss on Opening Day and is coming off six shutout innings in a 14-2 blowout of the Cleveland Indians.

He looks like he’s going to make a run at bettering his 19-win season for the BoSox last year and is getting it done with a lot of run support. The lefty hammed the strike zone in his last outing and threw just 97 pitches before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Ervin Santana, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (3-4, 3.95 ERA)

Santana continued his dominance of the Oakland Athletics in his last start, allowing just one run over six innings while striking out six and walking two. He’s now 13-3 lifetime against the A’s, but they made him work for his latest victory.

The right-hander found himself behind in a lot of counts through the evening and ended up firing a season-high 117 pitches. He has struck out at least five batters in all but one of his last seven starts and has walked only three batters over his last three trips to the hill.

Slumping

Jo-Jo Reyes, Toronto Blue Jays (0-4, 4.70)

Things just can’t get any worse for Jo-Jo Reyes. He hasn’t won a game in 28 starts and will set a MLB record if he can’t snap the skid Monday against the Cleveland Indians.

"It kills me because he has pitched so well for us," catcher J.P. Arencibia told reporters. "But we haven’t really scored for him. ... He continues to give us quality starts, and that’s all you can ask for him to do."

Well, that wasn’t the case the last time he took the hill. Reyes was hammered by the Yankees, allowing five runs in three innings. He has a 4.70 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP this season.

Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves (4-4, 3.95 ERA)

The Atlanta veteran was drilled for eight runs on seven hits in a 9-0 loss to the Angels in his last outing and then sat out his next scheduled start in the rotation with back stiffness.

The club is hoping that he’ll get back to the form that saw him limit his opposition to three or fewer runs in five consecutive starts before getting roughed up by L.A. As usual, he’s getting by with finesse and has struck out just 34 batters this season.

Hudson catches a break facing San Diego on Monday. The Padres own the league’s worst offense, producing only 3.38 runs per game.

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**Udog** · 05-30-2011, 10:33 AM

MLB

Monday, May 30

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Hot lines: Monday’s best MLB bets
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Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox (-185, 8)

Sunday was an interesting day for both the Red Sox and White Sox.

While the Red Sox were celebrating a game-winning, pinch-hit home run from David Ortiz in the opening contest of their doubleheader with the Tigers, Chicago was busy getting manhandled by the Blue Jays after White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had another media outburst.

And there was more bad news after the loss with reliever Tony Pena going on the DL with elbow tendinitis. Meanwhile, the club dropped to 9 ½ games behind the Cleveland Indians.

“At this point of the year, you really don’t watch the scoreboard very much,” Jon Danks told reporters. “But at the same time, you understand you can’t dig yourself a hole you can’t really dig out of. We don’t feel we’re at that point just yet. We definitely feel like, as a whole over the course of this month, we’ve played better."

You have to figure Chicago’s bats will come alive at some point, but that’s not likely to happen on Monday. They’re up against Jon Lester and the Red Sox are on a roll thanks to some solid pitching to go along with an offense that’s scoring 4.87 runs per game (fourth in MLB).

Pick: Under

Florida Marlins at Arizona Diamondbacks (-110, 9.5)

The Arizona Diamondbacks sit atop the National League West division after a 6-1 road trip.

Xavier Nady ripped a two-run double in the eighth inning to put the Diamondbacks ahead for good while moving them a half game in front of the San Francisco Giants.

I've said all along it's a pretty talented group," Nady told reporters. "And when you start playing well it goes a long way and really gets guys believing in themselves, and you dig deeper and find out what you're made of. It's a good road trip, obviously, and hopefully we continue playing well."

Part of the reason confidence is so high is because everybody seems to be sharing the load, chipping in with key hits and strong play in the field. We like the value here and think the Diamondbacks should be able to get to Chris Volstad.

Pick: Diamondbacks

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**Udog** · 05-30-2011, 10:41 AM

MLB
Long Sheet

Monday, May 30

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PHILADELPHIA (33 - 20) at WASHINGTON (22 - 30) - 1:05 PM
ROY HALLADAY (R) vs. LIVAN HERNANDEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 114-83 (+22.2 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 111-80 (+21.5 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 5-1 (+3.8 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)

ROY HALLADAY vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
HALLADAY is 10-1 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 1.98 and a WHIP of 0.930.
His team's record is 12-1 (+10.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-5. (+1.8 units)

LIVAN HERNANDEZ vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
HERNANDEZ is 12-11 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 3.59 and a WHIP of 1.346.
His team's record is 14-15 (+1.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 11-16. (-6.0 units)

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SAN DIEGO (22 - 31) at ATLANTA (30 - 24) - 1:05 PM
AARON HARANG (R) vs. TIM HUDSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN DIEGO is 5-16 (-12.2 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
SAN DIEGO is 13-24 (-11.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less this season.
ATLANTA is 52-24 (+14.6 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
HUDSON is 127-58 (+32.9 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997. (Team's Record)
HUDSON is 127-58 (+32.9 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
SAN DIEGO is 25-21 (+12.5 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 112-104 (+9.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 58-48 (+20.1 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 14-7 (+9.5 Units) against the money line in day games this season.
SAN DIEGO is 56-47 (+18.0 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 41-32 (+16.8 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
HARANG is 29-18 (+19.5 Units) against the money line in road games after a win since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 2-1 (+0.7 Units) against SAN DIEGO this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.0 Units)

AARON HARANG vs. ATLANTA since 1997
HARANG is 1-3 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 4.72 and a WHIP of 1.510.
His team's record is 3-5 (-1.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-6. (-4.6 units)

TIM HUDSON vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
HUDSON is 5-0 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 3.61 and a WHIP of 1.521.
His team's record is 7-1 (+6.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-4. (-1.1 units)

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HOUSTON (19 - 34) at CHICAGO CUBS (23 - 28) - 2:20 PM
ANEURY RODRIGUEZ (R) vs. RODRIGO LOPEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 10-26 (-13.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
HOUSTON is 54-50 (+14.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 182-193 (-37.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 48-62 (-28.5 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 42-58 (-25.3 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 622-621 (-117.6 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 48-62 (-28.5 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 30-43 (-20.9 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 5-17 (-13.1 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
CHICAGO CUBS are 47-53 (-20.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO CUBS is 2-1 (+1.0 Units) against HOUSTON this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.0 Units)

ANEURY RODRIGUEZ vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
No recent starts.

RODRIGO LOPEZ vs. HOUSTON since 1997
LOPEZ is 1-2 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 4.32 and a WHIP of 1.120.
His team's record is 1-3 (-2.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-3. (-2.1 units)

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SAN FRANCISCO (28 - 24) at ST LOUIS (32 - 22) - 4:15 PM
MADISON BUMGARNER (L) vs. KYLE MCCLELLAN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 32-10 (+18.8 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 102-70 (+30.2 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 131-99 (+23.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 64-57 (+10.7 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 130-97 (+24.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 157-127 (+23.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 23-7 (+17.5 Units) against the money line after getting shut out over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 34-34 (-14.2 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 58-56 (-18.7 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN FRANCISCO is 2-1 (+0.8 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.8 Units)

MADISON BUMGARNER vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
BUMGARNER is 1-0 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 2.57 and a WHIP of 1.429.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

KYLE MCCLELLAN vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
No recent starts.

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PITTSBURGH (24 - 27) at NY METS (24 - 28) - 7:10 PM
CHARLIE MORTON (R) vs. DILLON GEE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 36-92 (-32.1 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 15-42 (-18.3 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 32-77 (-23.2 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 32-77 (-23.2 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 18-54 (-22.1 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 55-101 (-24.1 Units) against the money line 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.

CHARLIE MORTON vs. NY METS since 1997
MORTON is 0-0 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 3.60 and a WHIP of 1.800.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-0. (+0.0 units)

DILLON GEE vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
GEE is 0-0 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 1.500.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

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MILWAUKEE (29 - 24) at CINCINNATI (27 - 27) - 7:10 PM
CHRIS NARVESON (L) vs. TRAVIS WOOD (L)
Top Trends for this game.
MILWAUKEE is 30-42 (-15.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 31-15 (+12.4 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 20-6 (+12.8 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 69-42 (+20.8 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CINCINNATI is 5-1 (+4.5 Units) against MILWAUKEE this season
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.0 Units)

CHRIS NARVESON vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
NARVESON is 0-2 when starting against CINCINNATI with an ERA of 7.25 and a WHIP of 1.464.
His team's record is 0-3 (-3.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.4 units)

TRAVIS WOOD vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
WOOD is 2-0 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 2.95 and a WHIP of 0.764.
His team's record is 2-1 (+0.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-2. (-1.1 units)

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COLORADO (25 - 27) at LA DODGERS (24 - 30) - 8:10 PM
JASON HAMMEL (R) vs. CHAD BILLINGSLEY (R)
Top Trends for this game.
COLORADO is 109-107 (-25.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 43-62 (-23.2 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 80-87 (-26.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 109-107 (-25.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 65-77 (-31.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 65-72 (-26.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 41-48 (-26.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 106-112 (-19.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 106-112 (-19.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 14-24 (-12.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
LA DODGERS are 7-15 (-10.5 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
LA DODGERS are 12-20 (-9.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against LA DODGERS this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)

JASON HAMMEL vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
HAMMEL is 2-1 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 3.79 and a WHIP of 1.374.
His team's record is 4-2 (+2.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-3. (-0.3 units)

CHAD BILLINGSLEY vs. COLORADO since 1997
BILLINGSLEY is 2-5 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 4.64 and a WHIP of 1.565.
His team's record is 3-7 (-6.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-4. (+0.5 units)

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FLORIDA (30 - 21) at ARIZONA (29 - 24) - 8:10 PM
CHRIS VOLSTAD (R) vs. JOE SAUNDERS (L)
Top Trends for this game.
ARIZONA is 29-24 (+9.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ARIZONA is 29-24 (+9.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ARIZONA is 14-7 (+9.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
FLORIDA is 14-7 (+9.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
FLORIDA is 25-15 (+12.5 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 3 seasons.
FLORIDA is 16-9 (+9.5 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
FLORIDA is 16-9 (+9.5 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field this season.
FLORIDA is 24-13 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
FLORIDA is 41-22 (+19.4 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
FLORIDA is 15-5 (+10.0 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.

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

CHRIS VOLSTAD vs. ARIZONA since 1997
VOLSTAD is 1-2 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 6.06 and a WHIP of 1.408.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

JOE SAUNDERS vs. FLORIDA since 1997
No recent starts.

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MINNESOTA (17 - 34) at DETROIT (26 - 26) - 1:05 PM
NICK BLACKBURN (R) vs. BRAD PENNY (R)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 10-23 (-11.4 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
MINNESOTA is 17-34 (-14.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 8-20 (-12.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
MINNESOTA is 15-29 (-11.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
MINNESOTA is 12-26 (-12.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
DETROIT is 117-71 (+26.4 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 117-71 (+26.4 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 98-58 (+27.4 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 228-249 (-62.1 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents since 1997.
DETROIT is 14-22 (-10.0 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 2-0 (+2.1 Units) against MINNESOTA this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.0 Units)

NICK BLACKBURN vs. DETROIT since 1997
BLACKBURN is 4-3 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 4.27 and a WHIP of 1.254.
His team's record is 5-4 (+1.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-3. (+2.6 units)

BRAD PENNY vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
PENNY is 2-0 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 5.19 and a WHIP of 1.269.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-0. (+3.0 units)

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NY YANKEES (28 - 23) at OAKLAND (27 - 27) - 4:05 PM
BARTOLO COLON (R) vs. TREVOR CAHILL (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY YANKEES are 69-55 (-14.4 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 48-28 (+19.1 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 130-66 (+43.6 Units) against the money line in home games after 3 or more consecutive wins since 1997.
CAHILL is 27-14 (+12.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CAHILL is 26-13 (+12.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CAHILL is 15-5 (+9.9 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CAHILL is 28-16 (+14.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)

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

BARTOLO COLON vs. OAKLAND since 1997
COLON is 6-5 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 3.72 and a WHIP of 1.262.
His team's record is 8-7 (-1.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-7. (-0.6 units)

TREVOR CAHILL vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
CAHILL is 0-2 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 12.60 and a WHIP of 1.600.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-1. (-0.3 units)

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BALTIMORE (24 - 27) at SEATTLE (26 - 26) - 4:10 PM
JAKE ARRIETA (R) vs. DOUG FISTER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BALTIMORE is 155-280 (-108.5 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
SEATTLE is 19-9 (+10.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less this season.
SEATTLE is 44-82 (-36.1 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 33-51 (-21.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 88-126 (-34.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 7-16 (-11.7 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 21-43 (-23.7 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 85-120 (-32.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
FISTER is 15-33 (-15.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
FISTER is 11-25 (-12.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
FISTER is 8-22 (-13.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
BALTIMORE is 3-0 (+3.2 Units) against SEATTLE this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

JAKE ARRIETA vs. SEATTLE since 1997
ARRIETA is 0-0 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.167.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

DOUG FISTER vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
FISTER is 1-0 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.167.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-0. (+2.0 units)

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

LA ANGELS (28 - 27) at KANSAS CITY (23 - 29) - 4:10 PM
ERVIN SANTANA (R) vs. LUKE HOCHEVAR (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA ANGELS are 99-108 (-21.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 47-59 (-21.0 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 44-30 (+14.3 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 597-585 (+69.8 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997.
LA ANGELS are 25-17 (+11.5 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 76-43 (+34.5 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 3 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 54-35 (+18.6 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 3-1 (+2.5 Units) against LA ANGELS this season
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.0 Units)

ERVIN SANTANA vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
SANTANA is 5-4 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 4.42 and a WHIP of 1.388.
His team's record is 5-6 (-4.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-5. (+0.1 units)

LUKE HOCHEVAR vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
HOCHEVAR is 0-3 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 8.26 and a WHIP of 1.897.
His team's record is 0-3 (-3.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-0. (+3.0 units)

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

TEXAS (28 - 25) at TAMPA BAY (28 - 24) - 6:40 PM
DEREK HOLLAND (L) vs. WADE DAVIS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 258-277 (+24.6 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
TEXAS is 24-16 (+11.0 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 2 seasons.

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

DEREK HOLLAND vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
HOLLAND is 2-1 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 7.05 and a WHIP of 1.696.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-0. (+3.0 units)

WADE DAVIS vs. TEXAS since 1997
DAVIS is 1-1 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 10.80 and a WHIP of 2.281.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.2 units)

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

CLEVELAND (31 - 19) at TORONTO (27 - 26) - 7:07 PM
FAUSTO CARMONA (R) vs. JO-JO REYES (L)
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 112-104 (+15.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 149-104 (+29.7 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 since 1997.
TORONTO is 19-11 (+10.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
TORONTO is 91-75 (+20.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
TORONTO is 57-52 (+15.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 31-19 (+16.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CLEVELAND is 15-8 (+8.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
CLEVELAND is 21-10 (+13.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
REYES is 15-32 (-19.7 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)

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

FAUSTO CARMONA vs. TORONTO since 1997
CARMONA is 3-0 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 3.21 and a WHIP of 1.456.
His team's record is 4-1 (+2.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-1. (+3.2 units)

JO-JO REYES vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
No recent starts.

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

CHI WHITE SOX (24 - 31) at BOSTON (30 - 23) - 7:10 PM
JAKE PEAVY (R) vs. JON LESTER (L)
Top Trends for this game.
CHI WHITE SOX are 52-44 (+14.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
CHI WHITE SOX are 51-46 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 42-37 (-17.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

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

JAKE PEAVY vs. BOSTON since 1997
PEAVY is 0-1 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 2.000.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

JON LESTER vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
LESTER is 2-2 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 4.99 and a WHIP of 1.435.
His team's record is 3-2 (+0.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-4. (-3.4 units)

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

**Udog** · 05-30-2011, 12:08 PM

MLB
Short Sheet

Monday, May 30

National League

PHILADELPHIA at WASHINGTON, 1:05 PM ET
HALLADAY: PHI 12-0 Under Away if total is 6 or 6.5
HERNANDEZ: WASH 17-45 off BB one run losses

SAN DIEGO at ATLANTA, 1:05 PM ET MLB
HARANG: SD 8-0 after scoring/allowing 5 runs or less L4 games
HUDSON: ATL 14-29 after allowing 1 run or less

HOUSTON at CHICAGO CUBS, 2:20 PM ET WGN
RODRIGUEZ: HOU 10-26 vs. righties
LOPEZ: CUBS 5-17 off a win

SAN FRANCISCO at ST LOUIS, 4:15 PM ET
BUMGARNER: SF 23-7 off shutout loss
MCCLELLAN: StL 34-19 Under at home off win

PITTSBURGH at NY METS, 7:10 PM ET
MORTON: 4-17 TSR as underdog of +100 to +150
GEE: METS 7-0 at home vs. Pittsburgh

MILWAUKEE at CINCINNATI, 7:10 PM ET MLB
NARVESON: MIL 9-0 Under Away after allowing 2 runs or less
WOOD: CIN 11-0 at home after a game w/ 4 combined runs or less

COLORADO at LA DODGERS, 8:10 PM ET
HAMMEL: COL 25-35 off loss by 2 runs or less
BILLINGSLEY: 16-4 Under vs. division

FLORIDA at ARIZONA, 8:10 PM ET
VOLSTAD: FLA 15-5 off loss
SAUNDERS: 14-4 Under when the money line is +125 to -125

American League

MINNESOTA at DETROIT, 1:05 PM ET MLB
BLACKBURN: MIN 12-26 vs. righties
PENNY: 44-21 TSR at home when the total is 8.5 to 10

NY YANKEES at OAKLAND, 4:05 PM ET
COLON: NYY 20-9 Over after allowing 1 run or less
CAHILL: 27-14 TSR in all starts

BALTIMORE at SEATTLE, 4:10 PM ET
ARRIETA: BAL 32-15 Over Away if total is 7.5 or less
FISTER: SEA 5-20 off loss by 6+ Runs

LA ANGELS at KANSAS CITY, 4:10 PM ET
SANTANA: ANGELS 76-43 in day games
HOCHEVAR: KC 5-20 off 6+ road games

TEXAS at TAMPA BAY, 6:40 PM ET
HOLLAND: TEX 24-16 as a road underdog of +100 to +125
DAVIS: 20-5 Under as favorite

CLEVELAND at TORONTO, 7:07 PM ET
CARMONA: 15-3 Over Away vs. AL East
REYES: 15-32 TSR in all starts

CHI WHITE SOX at BOSTON, 7:10 PM ET MLB
PEAVY: 7-0 Over in road night games
LESTER: 3-8 TSR vs. AL Central

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

**Udog** · 05-30-2011, 12:48 PM

NBA
Dunkel

Dallas at Miami

The Mavericks look to open the series and build on their 6-0-1 ATS record in their last 7 playoff games as an underdog. Dallas is the pick (+4 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Heat favored by only 3. Dunkel Pick: Dallas (+4 1/2). Here are all of today's picks

TUESDAY, MAY 31

Game 701-702: Dallas at Miami (9:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Dallas 126.163; Miami 129.292
Dunkel Line & Total: Miami by 3; 183
Vegas Line & Total: Miami by 4 1/2; 187 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Dallas (+4 1/2); Under

NBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, May 31

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DALLAS (69 - 28) at MIAMI (70 - 27) - 5/31/2011, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 14-6 ATS (+7.4 Units) after allowing 85 points or less this season.
DALLAS is 57-38 ATS (+15.2 Units) in all games this season.
DALLAS is 20-10 ATS (+9.0 Units) as an underdog this season.
DALLAS is 32-16 ATS (+14.4 Units) in road games this season.
DALLAS is 29-16 ATS (+11.4 Units) in road games in non-conference games over the last 3 seasons.
DALLAS is 13-2 ATS (+10.8 Units) in all playoff games this season.
DALLAS is 29-11 ATS (+16.9 Units) after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
DALLAS is 37-18 ATS (+17.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DALLAS is 24-10 ATS (+13.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
DALLAS is 34-21 ATS (+10.9 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game this season.
DALLAS is 21-12 ATS (+7.8 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game - 2nd half of the season this season.
MIAMI is 10-24 ATS (-16.4 Units) in a home game where where the total is between 185 and 189.5 points over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 4-2 against the spread versus MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 6-0 straight up against MIAMI over the last 3 seasons
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NBA
Short Sheet

Tuesday, May 31

NBA Finals - Game 1 - Series Format 2-3-2
DALLAS at MIAMI, 9:05 PM ET ABC
DALLAS: 17-4 ATS as road underdog of 6 pts or less
MIAMI: 0-3 ATS at home vs. Dallas

** (TC) Denotes Time Change

NBA

Tuesday, May 31

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Trend Report
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9:00 PM
DALLAS vs. MIAMI
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas's last 6 games when playing on the road against Miami
Dallas is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Miami's last 11 games

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NBA

Tuesday, May 31

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NBA Finals: Series odds, preview and pick
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Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat

Series odds: Mavs (+155), Heat (-175)

The Miami Heat became instant favorites to win the NBA title after LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in South Beach. And while their path to the Finals had some rocky moments, it’s clear they’re now playing their best basketball of the season.

The Mavericks are getting a good deal of respect from the books. Dallas is a short underdog in the series and – with apologies to the Celtics and Bulls – will be the best team Miami’s played this postseason.

Here’s a peek at how I see this series matching up:

OFFENSE

James, Wade and Bosh account for 74 percent of the Heat’s scoring in the playoffs and it’s safe to say those three will be relied on even more in the Finals.

Miami is averaging almost 10 fewer points per game in the playoffs (92.9) than it did during the regular season (102.1) but I would argue their offense is more impressive now after succeeding in crunch time against two of the league’s best defensive teams.

Dallas has what the Chicago Bulls desperately lacked: reliable knock-down shooters. The Mavericks’ outside touch spaces the floor and shouldn’t allow Miami to pack the paint like it did against the Bulls.

The Mavs don’t suffer long scoring droughts like the Heat sometimes do. Miami has a bad habit of running too much isolation. It only helps Dallas defensively if there’s no ball movement when the Heat are on offense.

Edge: Dallas

DEFENSE

Mavs big man Tyson Chandler makes up for a lot of Dallas’ defensive shortcomings, but even with Chandler, there’s no debating who the better defensive team is.

The Heat play outstanding perimeter defense and even when opponents get past the primary defender, the defensive rotation is always there ready to contest or draw a charge. You have to give credit coach Erik Spoelstra for making defense the top priority on his team.

Dallas will show more zone against Miami to try and hide its weaker defenders, but we will see some pretty ugly mismatches when Jason Terry and Jose Barea are on the court together and one of them has to guard Wade.

The best thing the Mavs have going for them is that Miami, like every other team in the league, doesn’t have someone on its roster who can guard Dirk Nowitzki.

Please don’t assume LeBron will be able to shut down Dirk like he did Derrick Rose. The league MVP is a half-foot shorter and 60 pounds lighter than LBJ. Dirk doesn’t share those physical disadvantages.

Edge: Miami

PREDICTIONS

I think this series is going to be higher scoring than most people expect. I’ll take the over in any game with a total lower than 190 without hesitating. Dallas will score at a high rate in this series and both teams will look to push the pace and get baskets in transition.

I’m leaning toward playing on the road team in every game in the series. Home court just doesn’t mean much to these two clubs. Dallas and Miami both finished with 28 away wins during the regular season and are a combined 10-3-1 against the spread on the road these playoffs.

And finally, for the series pick, give me the Mavericks in seven games.

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NBA

Tuesday, May 31

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Four key statistics for capping this year's NBA Finals
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In the business world, the Four Factors of production are land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship.

The Four Factors of advanced basketball statistics, though according to Ken Pomeroy, are effective field goal percentage, free throw rate, turnover rate and offensive rebounding rate.

Oddsmakers have the Miami Heat (-175) favored to beat the Dallas Mavericks (+155) in the NBA finals. Let's take a look at the Four Factors, what they mean, and how the two finalists stack up in each category:

Effective field goal percentage

This statistic adjusts for the fact that a 3-point field goal is worth one more point than a two-point field goal and its formula is field goals made plus 0.5 times 3-point field goals made divided by field goal attempts (FGM + 0.5 * 3P/FGA).

Say Player A, for example, goes 4-for-10 with two threes while Player B goes 5-for-10 with no threes. Each player would each have 10 points from field goals and thus would have the same effective field goal percentage of 50 percent.

The Mavericks had a slightly higher eFG% than the Heat in the regular season, 52.48-52.44, with Dallas finishing third in the league and Miami fourth.
Center Tyson Chandler led the way for Dallas at 65.4, which ranked second in the NBA to the 68.6 of Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, while forward Dirk Nowitzki had a 54.5 mark. Miami was led by LeBron James' 54.2.

Defensively, the Heat held opponents to a 47.51 eFG% while the Mavericks were at 48.83. Miami wound up third while Dallas was ninth.
The difference between Miami's offensive and defensive eFG% was 4.93, compared to Dallas' 3.65. Thus, the Heat hold the edge in this category.

Free throw rate

This is a measure of how often a team gets to the foul line and cashes in, the formula being free throws made divided by field goal attempts (FT/FGA).
Using the Heat in their clinching victory over the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals last Thursday as an example, they made 25 free throws and attempted 66 field goals. So Miami’s free throw rate was 37.9.

The Heat were second in the NBA in FTR during the regular season with a 36.3 mark, Each of the Big Three of guard Dwyane Wade (47.0) forward Chris Bosh (45.0) and James (45.0) repeatedly made their way to the charity stripe. Meanwhile, the Mavericks were just 21st with a 28.6 mark despite the presence of Chandler (72.0), who ranked second in the league to Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard at 88.0.

Dallas was better at keeping teams away from the line with a 27.5 FTR while the Heat was 29.9 as the teams ranked fourth and 13th, respectively. However, Miami has the edge in this category with a difference of 6.38 to Dallas' 1.13.

Turnover rate

This metric is calculated with the formula of turnovers times 100divided by field goals attempts plus free throw attempts times 0.44 plus turnovers [(100 * TO/FGA + (FTA * 0.44) + TO)].

We'll use the Mavericks as an example from their clinching victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder last Wednesday in the Western Conference finals as an example. Dallas had 12 turnovers while taking 78 shots from the field and 36 from the foul line. Thus, its turnover rate was 11.34.

Miami had a 13.52 TOR, which was 19th in the league, while Dallas was 21st with a 13.60 rate. Surprisingly, Bosh was the Heat's best ball handler with a 9.85 mark. The Mavericks were topped by Nowitzki's 9.07 TOR.

Both teams were better at forcing turnovers as Miami was fifth at 12.62 and Dallas was 13th at 12.99. The Heat again holds the advantage in this category, though, with a difference of 0.90 to the Mavericks' 0.61.

Offensive rebounding rate

This measure determines the percentage of offensive rebounds a team grabs and is calculated by the formula of 100 times offensive rebounds divided by offensive rebounds plus opponents' defensive rebounds [(100 * OREB) / (OREB + Opp DREB)].

Using the Mavericks again an example from the win over the Thunder, they had 14 offensive rebounds and Oklahoma City grabbed 34 defensive boards. Thus, Dallas' offensive rebounding rate was 29.17.

Neither of the finalists was very adept on the offensive glass in the regular season as Miami was 19th with a 25.17 percentage and Dallas was 26th with a 24.08 mark. The Heat was topped by Bosh's 6.3 and the Mavericks' leader was Chandler (12.1).

The Heat also held the edge in opponents' ORR, 25.16-24.48. Furthermore, the 0.69 difference between Miami's ORR and its opponents' is better than Dallas minus-1.08, giving the Heat a clean sweep of the Four Factors.

So what we can derive from the Four Factors?

The biggest surprise is that Chandler is much more of a force inside than traditional statistics suggest as his regular-season averages of 10.1 points and 9.4 rebounds were solid but not spectacular. He could be an X factor against the Heat, not noted for its frontcourt play.

However, the numbers show that the Heat are the rightful favorites to win the series.

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**Udog** · 05-30-2011, 01:10 PM

NHL
Dunkel

Boston at Vancouver

The Bruins look to open up the series and build on their 4-1 record in their last 5 games in Vancouver. Boston is the pick (+170) according to Dunkel, which has the Bruins favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Boston (+170). Here are all of today's picks.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1

Game 1-2: Boston at Vancouver (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 13.155; Vancouver 12.322
Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Vancouver (-200); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (+170); Over

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, June 1

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BOSTON (58-31-0-11, 127 pts.) at VANCOUVER (66-23-0-11, 143 pts.) - 6/1/2011, 8:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
VANCOUVER is 66-34 ATS (+19.5 Units) in all games this season.
VANCOUVER is 42-19 ATS (+4.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
VANCOUVER is 30-13 ATS (+11.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
VANCOUVER is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest this season.
VANCOUVER is 13-4 ATS (+13.0 Units) revenging a home loss versus opponent this season.
VANCOUVER is 53-26 ATS (+21.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 124-111 ATS (+248.0 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 since 1996.
BOSTON is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in road games when playing with 3 or more days rest this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 2-1 (+1.8 Units) against the spread versus VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
BOSTON is 2-1-0 straight up against VANCOUVER over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+2.0 Units)

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NHL

Wednesday, June 1

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Trend Report
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8:00 PM
BOSTON vs. VANCOUVER
Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games when playing Vancouver
Vancouver is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Vancouver's last 14 games at home

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NHL

Wednesday, June 1

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Stanley Cup Final series preview and pick
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No. 1 (West) Vancouver Canucks vs. No. 3 (East) Boston Bruins

SERIES PRICE: Vancouver -225, Boston +201

SEASON SERIES: Boston won the only meeting with Vancouver, 3-1, as a +134 road underdog on February 26.

OFFENSE

Now that the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, are awake and fully engaged in the playoffs, there is little doubt that the Canucks have an edge in firepower with one big caveat. Make that one giant caveat in the form of hulking Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara, who plays havoc with skill players, especially Europeans.

Remember when the Sedins struggled mightily against Nashville’s Shea Weber and Ryan Suter in the second round? That’s old news for Canucks supporters. However, as the pair combined for 18 points against the Sharks in the Western final and the Canucks will need more of that against the Bruins. Center Ryan Kesler has been a stud throughout and leads the team with 18 points (fourth overall in the playoffs), including 14 points in his previous 11 games.

The Canucks have been getting contributions from all four lines and may have the added benefit of Manny Malhotra’s return later in the series.

The Bruins had a couple of breakout games offensively in the Eastern Conference final, most notably with big efforts from Nathan Horton, David Krejci and the one-game breakthrough by rookie Tyler Seguin. The problem with the Bruins is that their scoring has been mainly limited to that one line.

EDGE: Canucks

DEFENSE

The Bruins pride themselves on their defense - a point of emphasis in head coach Claude Julien’s philosophy. With Chara as the anchor, the B’s have the potential to be a shutdown unit but have lacked the consistency during the playoffs. While there have been some good efforts, like the 1-0 series clincher against Tampa Bay, on too many nights goaltender Tim Thomas has had to make up for some of the sloppiness in front of him.

While Chara is a legitimate Norris Trophy finalist, he could use some help beyond his partner, Dennis Seidenberg. That pairing did an excellent job in quieting Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis in the previous series but will face an even stouter test this time from the varied Canucks attack.

The Vancouver defense is known for two things: Its ability to help out the offence and its depth. That depth will get a nice boost with the return of Christain Ehrhoff, who was injured early in the Western final.

EDGE: Bruins

SPECIAL TEAMS

This is perhaps the greatest mismatch NHL bettors have seen in these playoffs. You can argue quite forcefully that the Canucks’ power play was the key to their win over San Jose in the Western Conference final. With Kessler and the twins, and a back end not afraid to jump into the play, they are a threat

The Bruins, meanwhile, have been horrid with the extra man.

The acquisition of defenseman Tomas Kaberle at the trade deadline to help boost the power play has been a disaster. The Bruins connected on just 5 of 61 attempts in the postseason for a shameful 8.2 success rate - more than 20 points lower than the Canucks, who were 17 for 60 (28.3 percent).

On the kill, the teams are virtually equal: 80.6 for the Canucks, 79.4 for the Bruins.

EDGE: Canucks

GOALTENDING

What more can you ask for than a matchup of Vezina Trophy finalists?

For Boston, Tim Thomas has been spectacular at times, erratic at others but has established himself as a truly elite netminder. Thomas had a league-best 2.00 goals against average in the regular season and a monster .938 save percentage. Luongo, on the other hand, had more wins than any other netminder with 38 and put up a 2.11 GAA - the best in his career.

In the playoffs, there hasn’t been much to choose between either as both advance to the final with a 2.29 GAA and both have a pair of shutouts. While Thomas has been spectacular at times, Luongo seems to have settled into a consistent playoff performer, which was the biggest knock on him in the past. He outplayed the Sharks Antti Niemi dramatically in the last round, which will help his confidence.

EDGE: Even

It’s a Stanley Cup Final that has a little bit of everything. In the Bruins, we have an Original Six franchise that hasn’t won the Cup since 1972.

The Canucks, who have never won since joining the league in 1970, are attempting to become the first Canadian-based team to hoist the Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

Each team struggled early in the postseason: Vancouver against the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks and Boston against the Canadiens. But, they are both deserving conference champions.

As the best team in the regular season and with a deeper, more consistent roster, the Canucks are favorites and will provide the toughest test yet for the Bruins.

PICK: Canucks in seven

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Announcement

Monday's Trends and Indexes - 5/30 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

Monday's Trends and Indexes - 5/30 (NBA, NHL, MLB, Misc.)

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