Thursday's Trends and Indexes - 6/16 (NHL, MLB, WNBA, Misc.)

[Udog]

Trends and Indexes

Thursday, June 16

Good Luck on day #167 of 2011!

At this time, the sports menu in this thread consists of MLB and WNBA until their seasons are played out. Also, general sports news and notes will be posted.

NOTE:
As information becomes available, we will attempt to post the trends and indexes as soon as possible.
Information is posted from what we believe are reliable sources.
Any opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the posting member or BettorsChat.

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[Udog]

Thursday's betting tips: MLB favorites on a roll

Who’s hot

MLB: The over is 9-3-2 in Boston’s last 14 games.

MLB: Arizona has won 10 of its last 14 home games.

WNBA: Connecticut is 6-1-1 against the spread in its last eight meetings with Washington.

Who’s not

MLB: Kansas City has won just four of Jeff Francis’ last 14 starts.

MLB: Cleveland was just 2-12 heading into Wednesday’s action.

MLB: Pittsburgh is 3-9 in James McDonald’s last 12 road starts.

Key stat

58.73 – Underdogs got off to a great start to the MLB season, but the favorites have answered back in a big way, winning 58.73 percent of the games in the last month (232-163). Road favorites are really boosting that number, checking in with a 71-42 mark (62.83 percent)

Injury that shouldn’t be overlooked

Alfonso Soriano, Chicago Cubs: Soriano was activated from the DL on Wednesday but didn’t find his way into the starting lineup due to some wet conditions at Wrigley Field. The outfielder has been out of commission since straining his left quad on May 31 and start Thursday afternoon.

Game of the day

Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays (-115, 8)

Notable quotable

"The greens are certainly firming up from a week ago when I played. They are significantly firmer. They were even watering them, so they’re even concerned right now that they’re getting too firm." – Luke Donald told reporters about the U.S. Open’s course conditions. There was a lot of concern that the course wouldn’t be in top form after last week’s heat wave, but for what it’s worth, all of the tournament’s officials were raving about the course’s condition on Wednesday. Thursday’s weather forecast calls for light to moderate rain throughout the morning.

Notes and tips

Brian Gordon has caught on with the New York Yankees after opting out of his contract with the Phillies and the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that he will get the call for the Bronx Bombers on Thursday against Texas. Gordon is a converted outfielder who has just three MLB relief appearances under his belt. The 32-year-old hasn’t pitched in the bigs since 2008.

It may be Washington Mystics coach Trudi Lacey’s first year coaching in the WNBA, but it doesn’t take a seasoned veteran to see that her club needs to get out of the gate a lot better. The Mystics have been outscored by an average of 10.3 in the first half so far this year and was trailing by 17 to the Sky in a 84-77 loss to Chicago as a 4.5-point favorite on Saturday. The Mystics are pegged as a 2.5-point favorite at home against Connecticut on Thursday.

[Spark]

Morning dog!!!


Thanks

[Udog]

Thursday's six-pack

-- This spring was first time since 2002 that NBA Finals ended before the Stanley Cup Finals. NHL starts 18 days earlier than the NBA.

-- Announced crowd of 14,151 in Toronto for Oriole-Blue Jay game the same time Game 7 of Cup Finals was going on. Crowd seemed smaller.

-- Mets are now 10-0 when Dillon Gee starts; he was the 663rd player taken in the 2007 Draft, in the 21st round. Scouting is very important.

-- Read somewhere in my travels that the 11th hole at Congressional this week might be the hardest par-4 ever in a major.

-- Twins stayed hot with a 4-1 win over White Sox, game in which total of just 213 pitches were thrown. Game took 2:06 to play. There were only 68 balls and 41 called strikes. Both starting pitchers finished.

-- Angels cut once-promising lefty Scott Kazmir, who has been having a brutal time trying to come back from injury. If I'm Kazmir's agent, my butt is on the phone to Dave Duncan and the Cardinals this morning.


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Thursday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but...........

13) I was 12 years old the last time the Bruins won the Stanley Cup; got sent to my room during the last game for being totally obnoxious (both my parents were Ranger fans). Last night was the first time since then the Stanley Cup will be coming to Beantown. Enjoy the parade, people.

12) American golfers have won only once in last six majors, losing last four; they’ve never gone five majors in a row without winning one. We’ll see if that holds up this week.

11) Tough month for baseball coaches; couple hitting coaches got canned last week; Astros dumped their pitching coach Tuesday, and Baltimore’s simply quit, citing the demands of the job.

10) Tampa Bay Ray fans have no right to give Carl Crawford a hard time on his return to the Trop; Rays made zero attempt to sign him to a contract (much like Miguel Tejada when he left the A’s), CC has always been very classy, he helped them win the ’08 AL pennant and he’s by far the best player in Tampa Bay history. He took advantage of the system to become extremely wealthy. It is what it is, an unfair system for teams in smaller markets.

9) Bobby Valentine pointed out on TV Sunday night that it is 60 feet, six inches from the pitching rubber to the back point of home plate, but only 59 feet to the front of home plate. Had never thought of it that way.

8) Thinking about the debacle that this season has become for the A’s, you realize they miss pitching coach Curt Young very badly; he kept their rotation of young pitchers healthy and in line and it was the strength of the team. With him gone, the rotation is in tatters and a team with a lousy rotation is like an NFL team with a cruddy offensive line- they have no chance to win.

7) Surprising part of Orlando Cabrera breaking up Justin Verlander’s no-hitter Tuesday was that it was Cabrera’s 2000th career hit; no idea he had that many hits. Then again, Cabrera played 7.5 years with the Montreal Expos, so he's been around an awful long time, too.

6) The more you read about realignment, you see two things: the players want this to happen, and the divisions are going to remain, only with one less team in NL Central and one more in AL West, which means rolling interleague play through the whole season, with 15 teams in each league.

5) Its hard to believe that Michigan was 6-18 in Big 11 football the last three years under rich Rodriguez; in the eight years before he came to Ann Arbor, the Wolverines were 50-14 in conference play.

4) Underdogs are 29-10 vs spread in NC State’s last 39 road games; Wolfpack is 0-10 vs spread in its last ten games as a road favorite, 26-10 in its last 36 as a road underdog.

3) Ohio State will be highly unpredictable this season, but I guarantee you this: they won’t come near their turnover ratios of the last three season, which totalled a remarkably good plus-48. No way are the Buckeyes double-digits in the plus column in turnover margin this season, not with a new QB, an interim coach and a boat load of other distractions.

2) Was surprised to see that Miami Hurricanes are minus-27 in turnovers the last five years, during which time they went 19-21 in ACC games. Last time Miami was plus in turnovers for the season was 2005.

1) Tony Gwynn signed on for three more years as baseball coach at San Diego State; he’s already been there nine years, with a 264-276 record (135-95 in MWC play).

Speaking of the Aztecs, basketball player Dwayne Polee Jr agreed to transfer to San Diego State from St John’s. He needs to improve his shot, but he is athletic and he’ll help Steve Fisher’s club, which graduated a lot of guys this season.

[Udog]

Morning dog!!!


Thanks

Mornin Spark!! I haven't seen any news yet. Is there anything left of Vancouver?

[Spark]

Mornin Spark!! I haven't seen any news yet. Is there anything left of Vancouver?

I just opened a thread regarding those idiots ... unreal

[Udog]

I just opened a thread regarding those idiots ... unreal

Disgraceful! Why don't people ever get that worked up over important things?

I'll read the thread as soon as I get what's available posted. I'm dying to hear what the guys think about it all.

[Udog]

WNBA
Dunkel


Connecticut at Washington
The Sun look to build on their 6-1-1 ATS record in the last 8 meetings between the two teams. Connecticut is the pick (+3) according to Dunkel, which has the Sun favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Connecticut (+3). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, JUNE 16

Game 651-652: Connecticut at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Connecticut 114.059; Washington 113.185
Dunkel Line & Total: Connecticut by 1; 150
Vegas Line & Total: Washington by 3; 154
Dunkel Pick: Connecticut (+3); Under




WNBA


Thursday, June 16

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Trend Report
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7:00 PM
CONNECTICUT vs. WASHINGTON
Connecticut is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
Connecticut is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games at home
Washington is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Connecticut


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WNBA


Thursday, June 16

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Lady luck: Thursday's best WNBA bets
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Connecticut Sun at Washington Mystics (-3, 153.5)

These teams kicked off the WNBA schedule against each other on June 4, with Connecticut taking an 89-73 victory over Washington at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Less than two weeks later, the Sun and Mystics mix it up again in the lone game on Thursday’s WNBA slate.

The teams topped the 147.5-point total in the season opener, posting 14.5 points more than the oddsmakers’ number. Since then, both Connecticut and Washington have played over in their two games heading into Thursday’s rematch.

The Sun have topped the total with their scoring, averaging almost 85 points per game. The Mystics, on the other hand, have watched scores climb due to their poor efforts on the defensive end. They’re giving up nearly 88 points per game and allowing opponents to shoot 52.4 percent from the floor.

“It speaks to our lack of defensive focus,” Washington head coach Trudi Lacey told The Washington Times after Saturday’s home loss to the Chicago Sky. “We have to execute our defensive schemes, understand personnel, who the 3-point shooters are, and who likes to penetrate.”

Part of the Mystics’ problem on defense is a lack of experienced bodies. Washington has been bitten by the injury bug early into the season and is without Alana Beard, Monique Currie, and Ta’Shia Phillips. Beard and Phillips are game-time decisions for Thursday’s action.

The Mystics are 8-2 over/under in their last 10 contests, dating back to last season. The Sun are 6-4 over/under in their last 10 outings. The teams have gone over the number in three of their last four head-to-head games.

Pick: Over


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[Udog]

MLB
Dunkel


Cleveland at Detroit
The Tigers look to build on their 10-1 record in Max Scherzer's last 11 starts during Game 3 of a series. Detroit is the pick (-160) according to Dunkel, which has the Tigers favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-160). Here are all of today's picks.

THURSDAY, JUNE 16

Game 951-952: Florida at Philadelphia (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Vazquez) 14.300; Philadelphia (Lee) 16.147
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-235); 8
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-235); Under

Game 953-954: Pittsburgh at Houston (2:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (McDonald) 15.481; Houston (Lyles) 13.633
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Houston (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (-105); Over

Game 955-956: Milwaukee at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Greinke) 15.479; Cubs (Garza) 13.934
Dunkel Line: Milwaukee by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-130); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: Milwaukee (-130); N/A

Game 957-958: St. Louis at Washington (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Lohse) 14.093; Washington (Lannan) 15.837
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+100); Under

Game 959-960: NY Mets at Atlanta (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Dickey) 15.308; Atlanta (Minor) 15.547
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-125); 8
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-125); Under

Game 961-962: San Francisco at Arizona (9:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Volgelsong) 15.534; Arizona (Kennedy) 14.886
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Arizona (-140); 8
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+140); Over

Game 963-964: Baltimore at Toronto (12:37 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Guthrie) 15.171; Toronto (Stewart) 13.868
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Toronto (-120); 9
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (+100); Under

Game 965-966: Cleveland at Detroit (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Talbot) 15.079; Detroit (Scherzer) 15.911
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Detroit (-160); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-160); Over

Game 967-968: Texas at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Wilson) 14.877; NY Yankees (Gordon) 16.691
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 2; 9
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-145); 8
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-145); Over

Game 969-970: Chicago White Sox at Minnesota (1:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Buehrle) 15.300; Minnesota (Blackburn) 17.078
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-120); 8
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+100); Under

Game 971-972: Kansas City at Oakland (3:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Francis) 14.755; Oakland (Gonzalez) 14.354
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-150); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+130); Over

Game 973-974: Boston at Tampa Bay (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Buchholz) 16.516; Tampa Bay (Price) 17.002
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-115); 8
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-115); Under

[Udog]

MLB
Write-Up


Thursday, June 16

Hot pitchers
-- Lannan is 2-0, 1.03 in his last four starts. Lohse is 3-1, 3.31 in his last five starts.
-- Lee is 2-0, 0.60 in his last couple starts.
-- McDonald is 2-1, 2.83 in his last five starts.
-- Milwaukee won last seven Greinke starts (6-0, 4.30), scoring 45 runs.
-- Dickey has a 2.23 RA in his last five starts. Minor has a 3.06 RA in his last three starts.
-- Vogelsong is 3-1, 1.19 in his last seven starts. Kennedy is 4-1, 2.72 in his last seven starts.

-- Talbot has a 2.45 RA in his last three starts.
-- Wilson is 3-0, 2.31 in his last four starts.
-- Buehrle is 5-1, 3.00 in his last seven starts.
-- Buchholz is 4-0, 2.84 in his last eight starts. Price is 2-1, 2.57 in his last four starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Vazquez is 0-2, 11.19 in his last three starts.
-- Lyles is 0-1, 4.15 in three starts this season.
-- Garza is 1-3, 5.33 in his last five starts.

-- Guthrie is 0-2, 5.88 in his last four starts. Prospect Stewart was 4-3, 4.39 in 12 AA starts in the Eastern League.
-- Scherzer has a 7.86 RA in his last five starts.
-- 32-year old rookie Gordon was an OF until 2008; he is 18-12, 3.35 in 122 minor league games (22 starts), 5-0, 1.14 in nine starts this year.
-- Blackburn has a 5.40 RA in his last three starts.
-- GGonzalez is 0-3, 5.30 in his last three starts. Francis is 1-3, 7.24 in his last five road starts.

Totals
-- Four of last five Lohse starts stayed under the total.
-- Over is 7-1-1 in last nine Vazquez starts.
-- Under is 8-2-2 in Atlanta's last twelve home games.
-- Five of last seven Houston home games went over the total.
-- Over is 7-0-1 in Greinke starts.
-- Under is 8-3 in Kennedy's last eleven starts.

-- Over is 11-2-1 in last fourteen games in the Bronx.
-- Under is 4-2-1 in Cleveland's last seven games.
-- Eight of last ten Toronto home games went over the total.
-- Over is 11-3 in Boston's last fourteen games.
-- Five of White Sox' last six road games went over the total.
-- Over is 8-2-1 in Kansas City's last eleven road games.

Hot Teams
-- Washington won its last five games, allowing eight runs.
-- Phillies won seven of their last eight games.
-- Atlanta won six of its last nine games. Mets won nine of their last thirteen games.
-- Milwaukee is 9-4 in its last thirteen games.
-- Pirates won eight of their last eleven road games.
-- Giants are 10-4 in their last fourteen games.

-- Bronx is 11-5 in its last sixteen games.
-- Detroit won 12 of its last 17 games.
-- Red Sox won 10 of their last 11 games. Tampa Bay won six of its last nine games.
-- Minnesota won ten of its last twelve games.

Cold Teams
-- Cardinals lost six of their last seven games.
-- Marlins lost 15 of their last 17 games.
-- Cubs lost 14 of their last 18 games.
-- Astros lost ten of their last thirteen home games.

-- Indians lost ten of their last thirteen games.
-- Rangers lost seven of their last nine games.
-- Toronto lost five of its last seven home games, allowing 59 runs. Orioles lost eight of their last nine road games.
-- Oakland lost 13 of its last 15 games. Royals are 4-9 in their last 13 road games.

Umpires
-- Fla-Phil-- Home side won five of last six Muchlinski games.
-- StL-Wsh-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Bucknor games.
-- NY-Atl-- 10 of 12 Hoye games stayed under the total.
-- Pitt-Hst-- Home side won seven of last eight Johnson games; favorite won his last seven, with five of last six going over.
-- Mil-Chi-- Three of last four Rapuano games went over the total.
-- SF-Az-- Four of last five Danley games went over the total.

-- Tex-NY-- Underdogs won six of last eight Everitt games.
-- Clev-Det-- Five of last six Reyburn games stayed under total.
-- Balt-Tor-- Underdogs won nine of last thirteen Davidson games.
-- Bos-TB-- Eight of last ten Darling games stayed under total.
-- Chi-Minn-- Four of last five Diaz games stayed under total.
-- KC-A's-- Underdogs won six of last eight Nelson games.

[Udog]

MLB


Thursday, June 16

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Trend Report
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12:37 PM
BALTIMORE vs. TORONTO
Baltimore is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Baltimore is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games on the road
Toronto is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Toronto's last 10 games at home

1:05 PM
FLORIDA vs. PHILADELPHIA
Florida is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida's last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games at home

1:05 PM
CLEVELAND vs. DETROIT
Cleveland is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Cleveland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Detroit's last 13 games when playing at home against Cleveland
Detroit is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games when playing at home against Cleveland

1:05 PM
TEXAS vs. NY YANKEES
Texas is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Texas's last 6 games on the road
NY Yankees are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Texas
NY Yankees are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games at home

1:10 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. MINNESOTA
Chi White Sox are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Chi White Sox are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi White Sox
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

2:05 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. HOUSTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing on the road against Houston
Pittsburgh is 2-9 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Houston
Houston is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Houston is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home

2:20 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. CHI CUBS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games on the road
Milwaukee is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Chi Cubs's last 12 games when playing at home against Milwaukee
Chi Cubs are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games at home

3:35 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. OAKLAND
Kansas City is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Oakland is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oakland's last 5 games when playing at home against Kansas City

7:05 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis's last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 6 games at home

7:10 PM
BOSTON vs. TAMPA BAY
Boston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Boston is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Tampa Bay's last 16 games at home

7:10 PM
NY METS vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Mets's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of NY Mets's last 25 games when playing Atlanta
Atlanta is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against NY Mets

9:40 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. ARIZONA
San Francisco is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Francisco's last 12 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Arizona's last 12 games when playing San Francisco


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[Udog]

MLB


Thursday, June 16

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Thursday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
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Streaking

C.J. Wilson, Texas Rangers (7-3, 3.09 ERA)

Wilson is 3-0 in his last four starts with a 2.27 ERA and hasn’t allowed more than three runs in his last six trips to the hill.

He can’t be dogged for neglecting his homework. Wilson has been a big supporter of watching game film and is now using an iPad app from the Bloomberg Sports system to gain the upper hand against hitters.

"Three hours, 10 hours, it depends," Wilson told reporters of his **** video preparation. "I've always spent a lot of time on the video systems at the stadium. If you can get one extra out a game, it's worth it."

Zack Greinke, Milwaukee Brewers (6-1, 4.69 ERA)

Greinke’s been a cash cow lately with Milwaukee winning seven of his last eight starts, but he’s still giving up his fair share of hits.

He has allowed 20 hits over the last three starts though his strikeout numbers are making up for a lot of those knocks. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has 60 punch-outs to go along with only seven walks so far this season and is coming off a 5-3 win over St. Louis in which he struck out nine Cardinals.

Slumping

Jeremy Guthrie, Baltimore Orioles (2-8, 3.77 ERA)

Guthrie opened the season with a 4-1 win over Tampa Bay, going eight shutout innings while striking out six and allowing just three hits. Since then, he has won just one of 12 starts, though he can’t shoulder all of the blame - Baltimore is averaging just 3. 2 runs of support in his starts this season.

The Orioles are hoping a new pitching coach can help the staff out after Mark Connor resigned on Tuesday. Bullpen coach Rick Adair takes over.

“For me, some guys you work well with, other guys you don’t work as well with. That’s the most important thing,” Guthrie told reporters. “The transition itself isn’t too difficult. It’s, ‘How does the working relationship go?’ And that’s something we’ll go through now with Rick as the pitching coach.”

Javier Vazquez, Florida Marlins (3-6, 7.09 ERA)

If you’re looking to Vazquez to explain his terrible season after signing a $7 million contract with the Fish in the offseason, don’t bother.

“Nothing’s going right,” Vazquez said. “I wish I could explain it. It’s just frustrating. It’s not fun. I’m feeling much better. My velocity is there. I feel like I’m aggressive. But things are not working.”

No kidding. He has a 11.20 ERA in his last three starts and gave up seven runs over 3 2/3 innings in his latest loss to Arizona.


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[Udog]

MLB


Thursday, June 16

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MLB interleague betting: Best in-state baseball rivalries
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Lincecum is 5-0 with a 1.17 ERA versus Oakland for his career.

Interleague play will pick back up again this weekend with a handful of in-state rivalry series on the slate.

While it’s difficult and often times misleading to handicap baseball games based on past results, some of these matchups have a tendency to trend one way or another.

Here is a look at five in-state rivalries and a forecast of which team has the upper hand:

Kansas City Royals at St. Louis Cardinals, June 17-19

These two teams haven’t played a meaningful game in the last 26 years, ever since the Royals defeated the Cardinals in the 1985 World Series.

But believe it or not, the Royals have held their own in this series, especially as underdogs, which you can expect them to be in all three games at Busch Stadium. The Royals are 7-7 as underdogs since 2007 and are 13-14 overall for a profit of 1.20 units against the Cards.

St. Louis took two of three in late May, but I wouldn’t be surprised if KC returned the favor this time around. The Royals have always done well at Busch Stadium, the old one and the new one, compiling a 12-12 record in interleague. That includes a three-game sweep in 2008.

Pick: Royals

Houston Astros at Texas Rangers, June 20-22

The Astros are terrible, but their pride will be tested this weekend.

Texas has beaten Houston soundly in each of the last two seasons, posting a 10-2 record overall for a profit of 5.39 units. Oddly enough, one of the Rangers’ two losses came when they were -297 favorites.

The Astros, who have been outscored by the Rangers 71-36 the last two years, are just 12-20 on the road this season and have lost nine of their last 11.

Look for Texas to win two of three and possibly sweep.

Pick: Rangers

San Francisco Giants at Oakland Athletics, June 17-19

The Bay Bridge series has been historically close but the Giants have had the upper hand in recent meetings.

San Francisco swept the A’s the first time these two teams met in May, and the Giants have won 13 of the last 17 games since 2008 for a profit of 10.66 units.

The Giants haven’t fared well as underdogs (5-11 since 2007), but they won’t have to worry about that in this series. With Tim Lincecum and Jonathan Sanchez on the mound in the first two games, they’re likely to be favored in at least two of three.

Pick: Giants

Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox, June 20-22

This series has been close over the last five seasons, with the White Sox owning a slight 16-14 edge. The White Sox, though, have been especially good over the last 15 games against the Cubs, posting an 11-4 record for a profit of 7.95 units.

The Cubs, meanwhile, have been one of the league’s most consistent teams - consistently bad, that is. They are the only team in the league that has yet to put together a three-game win streak.

Look for the White Sox to club the Cubs and take two of three.

Pick: White Sox

Florida Marlins at Tampa Bay Rays, June 17-19

Florida has been an underdog against the Rays in 19 of the last 27 meetings. And in 14 of them, the Marlins have been dogs of +130 or more. With the way the Marlins have been playing lately, don’t expect that to change.

The Fish looked like legitimate NL East contenders just two weeks ago but have dropped 12 of their last 13 games since June 1.

One positive for the Marlins, who went 2-10 against the Rays in 2008 and 2009 before rebounding to take six of the last nine, is that they’ll likely avoid David Price in the Citrus Series.

Pick: Rays



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[Udog]

MLB


Thursday, June 16

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Hot lines: Thursday's best MLB bets
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New York Mets at Atlanta Braves (-120, 8)

Funny how Chipper Jones pipes up about Jason Heyward sitting out too long with his shoulder injury and lo and behold the 21-year-old is back in the lineup about a week later after cutting a minor league rehab stint short.

The 39-year-old vet apparently called Heyward last week to smooth everything over after the issue was headline news all over the place last week.

"[Chipper] and I have a great relationship," Heyward told reporters before suiting up for Wednesday’s game. "He wasn't saying, 'We need Jason back at 100 percent.' He was saying he doesn't need to be 100 percent healthy to be on the field and help us win."

Heyward was hitting just .214 with seven homers through 140 at bats before hitting the DL, but he can definitely make a difference to the offense once he gets back into the swing of things. Atlanta’s putting up just 3.88 runs per game so far this season.

Pick: Braves


Florida Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies (-235, 8)

Following Wednesday’s doubleheader, lefty Cliff Lee goes against Javier Vazquez in a major pitching mismatch and the Phillies’ bats are finally coming around.

Jimmy Rollins and Wilson Valdez did most of the damage in Philadelphia’s 8-1 win in the opening game of the doubleheader. Rollins hit a three-run homer and Valdez delivered a three-run triple, helping the Phillies outscore the Fish 17-2 through the first two games against the Fish.

"Everybody thinks we're supposed to be scoring 20 runs a game," Ryan Howard told reporters following the afternoon win. "Sorry to inform you, it doesn't work like that."

Well, maybe not 20, but the Phillies shouldn’t have much trouble putting a bunch of crooked numbers on the board against the struggling Javier Vazquez.

There’s no way we’d go near the Phillies at this price, but betting the runline or jumping on the over seem like solid wagers.

Pick: Over


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[Udog]

Well, guys, we're only about 30 min. from first pitch and both long and short sheets are lagging today.

Long sheet is still hung on yesterday.

The short sheet site has this posted: The MLB Trends will be updated by noon, sorry for any inconvenience. Well, it's after noon, eastern time, and there's still no change there.

The long sheet source hasn't even bothered with WNBA for the last 2 or 3 days. I don't know if they'll put anything out today or not.