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**StarDust Bum** · 08-03-2011, 11:31 PM

Speedy San Diego Padres Host LA Dodgers

California rivals conclude their series on Wednesday when the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the San Diego Padres. The ballgame is slated to begin at 7:05 p.m. (PT) at PETCO Park.

These are the bottom two teams in the National League West standings and each club is trailing the division-leading San Francisco Giants by double digits. While the teams themselves may not have much to gain with a win, the betting world does.

A common theme between the two teams is poor offense. In fact, in the last 31 meetings between these teams the ‘under’ is 24-7. The Dodgers and Padres stand right next to each other in terms of runs scored and that is in the bottom five in all of baseball.

Los Angeles might be below average with their sticks, but San Diego is flat-out awful. The Padres are third from the floor or worse in about every important offensive statistic there is. On top of that, they recently traded their leading home run hitter Ryan Ludwick to Pittsburgh.

About the only thing they can do is steal bases. San Diego is first in the majors at swiping bags with 120, 14 more than their nearest challengers.

Ted Lilly (7-10, 5.02 ERA) has gotten knocked around a bit this season, especially since late June. The left-hander has surrendered six runs three times in his last seven outings and has reached six innings just twice in that stretch.

Lilly has a poor record away from Dodger Stadium (2-4, team 4-6) even though his ERA lowers a bit to 4.82.

The Padres will be going with Tim Stauffer (6-8, 3.10 ERA) on the mound and he has been pitching great in his last 10, minus one start at Philly. Other than that outing, Stauffer has pitched six innings or more in that stretch and gave up three runs just once. He surrendered zero runs three times in his last 10, with two games resulting in shutouts.

Stauffer owns a 2.88 ERA in 11 home outings with a WHIP of 1.19.

Each pitcher has had success against the opposition. Lilly is 4-1 in his last five against the Padres while Stauffer is 5-1 in his last six versus the Dodgers.

Home plate duties for the contest fall to Chris Conroy who has a 10-1 'over' mark in his last 11 plate assignments.

It should be a cool 70 degrees with low winds when play begins on Wednesday night. Both clubs take Thursday off before opening road series on Friday. The Dodgers will be in Phoenix to meet the Diamondbacks while the Padres travel across the Lower 48 to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-03-2011, 11:34 PM

Cubs, Pirates Close MLB Odds Set In Pittsburgh

The Chicago Cubs may be out of the playoff race, but they are relishing the role of spoilers heading into the finale of a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday. The Cubs won the first two games by a combined score of 16-9 and hope to continue to push the Pirates further behind in their hunt for the National League Central title.

First pitch from Pittsburgh's PNC Park is 4:05 p.m. (PT).

Pittsburgh had won six of the first nine meetings this season before losing Monday’s series opener, 5-3. The ‘over’ had cashed in the previous five meetings going into Wednesday.

Thursday could see another high-scoring game if there is a repeat of what happened the last time these starting pitchers squared off on the mound. Chicago’s Rodrigo Lopez (2-3, 4.40 ERA) has seen the ‘over’ go 3-1 in his last three starts, including a 7-4 road loss to the Pirates on July 8. Pittsburgh’s Jason McDonald (7-5, 4.17) was also the opposing pitcher that day.

Lopez is coming off a rough outing at St. Louis on Saturday, surrendering six runs and eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of work. He walked three, struck out two and served up a solo home run to Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols in the bottom of the first inning.

Surprisingly, Lopez is 1-0 in two career starts vs. Pittsburgh with a 3.00 ERA. He walked away with a no-decision in the last meeting after giving up three runs in six innings but is 0-2 on the road this year with a 5.51 ERA.

McDonald also did not pitch well in his last outing, giving up five runs and 10 hits to the Philadelphia Phillies in five innings of a 7-4 loss. He allowed two homers, walked two and struck out five.

Ironically, McDonald’s only two losses since May 13 have both come against the Phillies. The Pirates had won each of his previous four starts before his latest setback, three of which came as an underdog.

He is 0-1 in two career starts against the Cubs, as he also had a no-decision in the last meeting. McDonald is 3-1 at PNC Park this season with a sparkling 2.83 ERA in 10 starts.

Umpire Lance Barrett will be behind the plate for the eighth time this season, and the home team is 5-2 in his previous seven appearances. There has been an average of 9.14 total runs scored in those games.

Thunderstorms on Wednesday are expected to give way to partly cloudy skies in Pittsburgh on Thursday with a projected high temperature of 85 degrees and a low of 70.

The Cubs will head home to the friendly confines following this game and begin a weekend set with the Reds on Friday. The Bucs remain at PNC Park to host the Padres.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-03-2011, 11:36 PM

Bedard Leads Red Sox Against Cleveland Indians

Boston hopes its most recent acquisition from the Pacific Northwest will pay instant dividends before a much-anticipated series against New York this weekend. The Red Sox close out a four-game set versus the Cleveland Indians Thursday night with the first pitch scheduled for 4:10 (PT) at Fenway Park.

Erik Bedard (4-7, 3.45) comes over from Seattle and is set to make his first start in a Red Sox uniform. Boston general manager Theo Epstein made the move due to a patchwork starting rotation that includes 45-year-old Tim Wakefield and the potential loss of Clay Buchholz (back) for the rest of the year.

The left-hander certainly wasn’t targeted based on his most recent performance, retiring just four hitters in a 8-0 home loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. He was incredibly wild in issuing four free passes while giving up five runs in that contest, a game that closed as a pick on the MLB betting lines.

Bedard will be making his 11th career start versus the Indians, bringing in an even 2-2 mark and 4.44 ERA, including a 6-4 home defeat in his second start of the season. He will need to tread carefully in pitching to Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who is 3-for-6 with a home run and two RBIs against him.

Home plate umpire Angel Hernandez will also serve as a major advantage for the Canadian hurler in his new surroundings. Bedard pitched seven shutout innings in a 3-1 home win over the Los Angeles Angels with Hernandez behind the plate four starts back.

Cleveland has certainly been going down a slippery slope in posting a 24-38 record and losing 10 games in the American League Central standings since May 24. The Indians have posted two consecutive losing months starting in June and there may be no end in sight.

Management still hasn’t lost its focus on trying to make the playoffs, trading for Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez over the weekend. He will report to the club Wednesday and is slated to make his debut versus the Rangers on August 5.

Justin Masterson (8-7, 2.56 ERA) will not be losing his spot in the rotation and has compiled a 1.76 ERA since June 8, which is the fourth-best mark in the AL over that span. The right-hander comes in with an even 4-4 mark and 2.42 ERA in 10 road starts, surrendering just two home runs in 67 frames.

He is certainly familiar with tonight's surroundings due to spending his first two years in Boston, bringing in a 9-2 record and 4.50 ERA in 37 career appearances at Fenway Park. Motivation has not been an issue in facing his old team, coming in with a perfect 2-0 mark and 1.25 ERA in three starts. He came away with a no-decision in his latest effort against them on May 23, tossing 7 2/3 innings and allowing just two runs in a 3-2 win.

Total players will find that the ‘under’ is 8-2 in Masterson’s last 10 efforts.

Weather forecasts suggest partly cloudy skies and game-time temperatures in the low-70s. A northeasterly breeze of 5-10 mph will be present throughout (in from center), which has caused three of five games to fall below the number at Fenway Park in those conditions.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-03-2011, 11:39 PM

Minnesota Lynx Host San Antonio Silver Stars

The WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx shoot for their eighth straight victory when they host the San Antonio Silver Stars on Thursday night.

The Don Best odds screen will release odds shortly. NBA-TV will have the 5:00 p.m. (PT) broadcast from the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Minnesota is 14-4 straight up and 12-6 against the spread. It has the best record in the league and a 3-game lead over San Antonio for tops in the Western Conference. That’s impressive for a franchise that hasn’t finished above .500 or made the playoffs since 2004.

The Lynx last played Tuesday, a 90-73 win over Phoenix as 6 ½-point home favorites. A 14-2 run in the fourth quarter broke open the game. Rookie Maya Moore led with 22 points and she’s brought her winning ways from UConn while averaging 13.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

Minnesota is 4-0 ATS in its last four home games and 6-1 ATS during this winning streak.

The 163 combined points scored last game went way ‘under’ the big 188-point total. Phoenix leads the league in points scored (90.6 PPG), but shot just 39.7 percent and was held to its lowest output since the season opener.

The Lynx’ defense also had something to do with Phoenix’s troubles. They’re third in the WNBA in scoring defense (74.6 PPG). The ‘under’ is 5-2 in their last seven games.

Moore was one of four team All-Stars along with guard Seimone Augustus (16.6 PPG), forward Rebekkah Brunson (11.8 PPG, 9.9 RPG) and point guard Lindsay Whalen (14.1 PPG, 5.8 APG). These players have complimentary skill sets and it’s showing on the court.

Minnesota’s current winning streak includes a 70-69 win at San Antonio last Sunday, the only meeting between the teams this year. Whalen had a season-high 23 points and also hit the game-winner with 1.5 seconds left.

The Lynx did fail to ‘cover’ at San Antonio as 3-point favorites. That’s the only ATS failure in the last seven and second in 10 games.

San Antonio (11-7 SU and ATS) started out the season really strong (7-1 SU and ATS), but is just 4-6 SU and ATS in its last 10. The Minnesota loss at home was followed by a 78-64 Tuesday defeat at Seattle as five-point ‘dogs.

Rookie Danielle Adams (14.3 PPG) has missed the last three games with a foot injury and isn’t expected back until early September. She also seemed to be hitting the rookie wall before getting hurt.

Guard Becky Hammon leads the team in scoring (16.8 PPG) at age 34. However, she’s streaky and just as likely to be in single digits as put up 20-plus. Hammon is forced to carry more of the scoring burden with Adams out, the same for forward Sophia Young (13.9 PPG) and guard Jia Perkins (13.1 PPG).

Young is averaging just 9.7 PPG since Adams went out and shooting a paltry 28.2 percent (11-of-39) from the field. Adams is also the second-leading rebounder (4.6 per game) behind Young (6.3) and the team has been outrebounded 116-78 the last three games.

The rebounding margin in the Minnesota game was 43-28 and that must be shrunk on Thursday.

San Antonio’s offense was struggling even before Adams got hurt, averaging 74.3 PPG in its last 11 games overall, with the ‘under’ 9-1-1. That’s a far cry from the first seven games at 93.3 PPG (the ‘over’ 5-2).

The Silver Stars are 6-3 SU and ATS on the road this year. They 3-2 SU and ATS in their last five visits to Minnesota, but just 4-11 ATS in the last 15 trips there overall.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-03-2011, 11:40 PM

Tiger Woods Makes Return To PGA Betting Field

Tiger Woods makes his return to the golf course this week when the PGA Tour heads to Akron, Ohio for the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. The event gets underway Thursday morning (5:40 a.m. PT) on the South Course at Firestone Country Club.

In case you're thinking Woods is simply warming up for next week's PGA Championship in Atlanta, keep in mind he's won this tournament on this course seven times, the first in 1999 and most recently in 2009.

Woods' addition completes a star-studded field that includes the winners of this year's three majors – Charl Schwartzel along with Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke.

US Open champ McIlroy opened as the 12/1 favorite at Firestone followed by a quartet of golfers at 16/1, Woods and fellow American Steve Stricker along with England's duo of Luke Donald and Lee Westwood who are 1-2 respectively in the World Golf Rankings.

The last time we saw Woods he was withdrawing during the first round of The Players Championship in mid-May. His limp from knee and Achilles injuries is reportedly gone after a quick practice session Tuesday morning. Also missing is caddie Steve Williams whose place is being temporarily taken by Byron Bell, Woods' longtime friend.

Woods will be paired in the first two rounds with Clarke, the British Open champion and the winner of this tournament in 2003. Clarke is seen as a long shot this weekend at 80/1.

Defending champion Hunter Mahan (30/1) will play Thursday and Friday with McIlroy. Westwood is paired with McIlroy's Irish compatriot Graeme McDowell (50/1) and Donald will play the first two rounds alongside Masters winner Schwartzel (30/1).

Martin Kaymer, third in the latest rankings, is listed at 25/1 as he attempts to become the first German to win the tourney. He'll be paired with American Bubba Watson (40/1) who is ranked 14th.

Another interesting pairing of golf betting favorites is Phil Mickelson (20/1) and Jason Day (35/1). Mickelson won here in 1996 when the event was known as the NEC World Series of Golf. 'Lefty' will be looking for his second tour win this season after taking April's Shell Houston Open by three strokes.

Day is hoping to become the third Australian to win the tournament, with two-time champion Greg Norman (1995, 1997) and Craig Parry (2002) the others. He slumped to a 30th-place finish at Royal St. George's a few weeks back after second-place finishes at the Masters and US Open.

Dustin Johnson, who tied Mickelson for second in the British Open, deserves consideration at 20/1 as does Rickie Fowler (28/1) who tied for fifth at Royal St. George's.

Thomas Bjorn (150/1), who held the first-round lead at the British Open before finishing fourth, is a long shot as is Scott Stallings (175/1) who won The Greenbrier Classic last week.

The South Course at Firestone plays 7,400-yards long with its signature hole the 667-yard, par-5 16th. This weekend's purse is $8.5 million and has 550 FedEx Cup points to spread around.

Weather shouldn't be an issue the first two rounds with high temps in the mid-80s and little wind, but rain chances increase late Friday afternoon and showers are expected that evening.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-03-2011, 11:42 PM

2011 Las Vegas Hilton SuperContest

First place in the 2010 Las Vegas Hilton SuperContest was worth $207,000.
Las Vegas’ most illustrious football contest returns for another great season. The Las Vegas Hilton SuperContest offers a competition like no other in the world of sports betting and entries are already being accepted.

Unlike most sports book challenges that have a smaller entry fee with the objective of picking the most games correctly straight up, the Hilton lets players choose their own games against the NFL betting spread with an entry fee of $1,500 for serious players.

Each week, contestants select five games and must have the picks in by every Saturday at 11 a.m. (PT).

The top-20 handicappers at the end of the contest win prize money. In 2010, first place received $207,000, second place received $82,000, third and fourth place received $33,637, and the lowest payout at the bottom of the top-20 was $5,175.

Prize money changes according to the number of entrants.

Last year’s winner, Richard Stand, had a record of 54-28-3 for a total of 55.5 points. That was enough to beat out second place by just a half-point which goes to show that every single pick matters.

Each season there are about 300 to above 400 entrants. Last year there were 345 participants, and 2011 entries could surpass 400.

To enter this competition, contestants must sign up in person at the Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook but after that a proxy can be named to enter selections for each contestant.

Once you're entered, be sure to check out the Don Best odds screen during the season for up to the second line changes.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-03-2011, 11:47 PM

Around the Horn - Thursday

August 3, 2011

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Chicago at Pittsburgh - 7:05 PM EST (Game 4/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Lopez (2-3, 4.40 ERA) 4-0 L4 6-2 L8 on Thursdays
McDonald (7-5, 4.17 ERA) 1-8 L9 0-4 home on Thursdays

Cubs beat Pirates, 5-3 on Monday
Cubs beat Pirates, 11-6 on Tuesday
Cubs beat Pirates, 1-0 on Wednesday

St. Louis at Florida - 7:10 PM EST (Game 1/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Lohse (9-7, 3.33 ERA) 8-3 L11 3-5 L8 away Game 1's
Hensley (1-3, 3.09 ERA) 5-3 L8 3-10 L13 home Game 1's

Cardinals lost to Brewers, 10-5 on Wednesday
Marlins beat Mets, 4-3 on Tuesday

Washington at Colorado - 8:40 PM EST (Game 1/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Detwiler (1-0, 2.35 ERA) 4-2 L6 2-5 away on Thursdays
Rogers (4-1, 7.31 ERA) 0-4 L4 5-3 L8 home Game 1's

Nationals lost to Braves, 6-4 on Wednesday
Rockies lost to Phillies, 8-6 on Wednesday

Philadelphia at San Francisco - 10:15 PM EST (Game 1/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Lee (10-7, 3.14 ERA) 7-3 L10 2-6 L8 away vs LHP
Bumgarner (6-10, 3.80 ERA) 1-5 L6 11-3 home vs LHP

Phillies beat Rockies, 8-6 on Wednesday
Giants beat Diamondbacks, 8-1 on Wednesday

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Toronto at Tampa Bay - 12:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Cecil (4-4, 4.34 ERA) 6-2 L8 UNDER 5-1 L6 away during day
Davis (8-7, 4.62 ERA) 4-6 L10 3-6 L9 home during day

Blue Jays beat Rays, 3-1 on Tuesday
Rays beat Blue Jays, 9-1 on Wednesday

Texas at Detroit - 1:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Ogando (10-5, 2.88 ERA) 3-6 L9 UNDER 9-3 L12 away during day
Penny (7-8, 4.89 ERA) 5-5 L10 10-3 home Game 3's

Tigers beat Rangers, 6-5 on Tuesday
Tigers beat Rangers, 5-4 on Wednesday

Cleveland at Boston - 7:10 PM EST (Game 4/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Masterson (8-7, 2.56 ERA) 3-8 L11 2-4 L6 on Thursdays
Bedard (4-7, 3.45 ERA) 8-4 L12 5-2 home Game 4's

Indians beat Red Sox, 9-6 on Monday
Red Sox beat Indians, 3-2 on Tuesday

N.Y. Yankees at Chicago - 8:10 PM EST (Game 4/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Nova (9-4, 4.01 ERA) 7-2 L9 3-5 L8 on Thursdays
Humber (8-7, 3.44 ERA) 5-3 L8 2-7 L9 home vs RHP

Yankees beat White Sox, 3-2 on Monday
Yankees beat White Sox, 6-0 on Tuesday

Baltimore at Kansas City - 8:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Britton (6-8, 4.56 ERA) 3-7 L10 4-10 away vs LHP
Francis (4-11, 4.38 ERA) 6-4 L10 UNDER 6-1 L7 home vs LHP

Orioles beat Royals, 8-2 on Tuesday
Royals beat Orioles, 6-2 on Wednesday

Minnesota at Los Angeles - 10:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Liriano (7-8, 4.67 ERA) 3-6 L9 4-9 away Game 3's
Chatwood (6-7, 3.93 ERA) 6-3 L9 6-0 L6 home vs LHP

Angels beat Twins, 5-1 on Tuesday

**StarDust Bum** · 08-03-2011, 11:49 PM

Philadelphia Phillies At SF Giants MLB Betting Preview

Last season, it was the San Francisco Giants who kept the Philadelphia Phillies from winning their third straight National League pennant. Now, these two potential postseason combatants square off once again at AT&T Park on Thursday night for the first game of a crucial 4-game weekend series.

The first pitch from AT&T Park in San Francisco is set for 7:15 (PT), and there will be live television coverage on Comcast Sports Network.

The Phillies are on a clip to win 104 games this season, and the threat is there for them to be one of the best teams in MLB history. They're clearly sailing through the rest of the regular season, as they have an 8-game lead that will almost certainly prove to be insurmountable in the NL East.

They haven't been beaten in a game since Hunter Pence came aboard from the Houston Astros. Pence is batting .294 with his new club, and he has hit safely in all four games. The offense has averaged 5.50 runs per game since his arrival.

We know if the Phils put up five or more runs on Thursday night, they're probably in safe hands with Cliff Lee on the mound. Lee hasn't lost a game in which he has gotten five runs of help all season long.

There is definitely some cause for concern right now for the southpaw though, as his 10-7 record and 3.14 ERA aren't anything to really write home about. Sure, Lee will end up with over 200 strikeouts this season, but he already has 32 walks in his 22 starts, almost double the total number of walks that he had in 2010.

Lee has allowed nine runs in 11 2/3-innings over his last two starts combined. A whopping 21 men have reached base in those two starts, which is an alarming number considering the fact that last season, he only allowed an average of 7.61 hits and walks allowed per game. It's not like these were offensive juggernauts he was facing either; they were only the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

The G-Men on the other hand, are going the wrong direction. They're coming off of a disastrous series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and they now know that they are almost certainly going to be in a dogfight with their top NL West competitors for the rest of the season.

San Fran added Carlos Beltran just before the trade deadline, and he hasn't lent nearly the same helping hand that Pence has for the Phillies. Beltran is hitting just .200 with his new team, and the club hasn't won a game since July 28. The Giants are averaging just 1.60 runs per game on this losing streak, dropping the team's average offensive marks to 3.50 runs per game, No. 28 in baseball.

Madison Bumgarner has only gotten 3.0 runs of support per outing this year, which is why he has a 6-10 record. The southpaw hasn't pitched poorly though, as he has a solid 3.80 ERA, but that lack of run support has been killing him.

Bumgarner was rocked in his last start against the Cincinnati Reds, allowing seven runs, five of which were earned, in just four frames. It stopped a string of six straight victories for the Giants on the MLB betting lines in games that he started.

Dating back to the end of the regular season last year, the Giants have won seven of the last 10 meetings of these two NL behemoths, including taking two out of three in the city of Brotherly Love just a week and a half ago.

Temperatures should be cool and breezy at AT&T Park on Thursday night. Low temperatures are expected in the low-50s with westerly winds around 15 mph.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-04-2011, 12:01 AM

Thursday, August 4

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Toronto - 12:10 PM ET Toronto +114 500
Tampa Bay - Under 8.5 500

Texas - 1:05 PM ET Texas -126 500
Detroit - Over 9 500

==============================================

12:00 PM ETChicago at New York

Teams ROT Record Consensus Odds

CHI 651 9-11 (2-7 V) - 151.5 UNDER

NY 652 11-8 (6-4 H) - -6.5 NEW YORK

Stats: Matchup | Preview | Trends | Line Moves My Scores
Opinion: Consensus | Team Experts

8:00 PM ETSan Antonio at Minnesota

Teams ROT Record Consensus Odds

SA 653 11-7 (6-3 V) - 157.5 UNDER

MIN 654 14-4 (8-2 H) - -9 MINNY

Stats: Matchup | Preview | Trends | Line Moves My Scores
Opinion: Consensus | Team Experts

=============================================

Thursday, August 04, 2011

7:30 PM ETMontreal at Toronto

Teams ROT Record Consensus Odds

MONT 491 3-2 (1-1 V) 61% 52.5 OVER

TOR 492 1-4 (0-1 H) 39% - 4 MONT

Stats: Matchup | Trends | Line Moves My Scores
Opinion: Consensus | Team Experts

Evening MLB Games posted later.....check back .

**StarDust Bum** · 08-04-2011, 05:44 PM

Cards try to get back on track in Miami

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (58-53, -5.0 Units)

at FLORIDA MARLINS (55-55, -0.7 Units)

First pitch: Thursday, 7:10 p.m. EDT
Line: Florida -115, St. Louis +105, Total: 8.5

The skidding Cardinals need to get back on track or they might dig themselves too big of a hole to get out of. Less than a month ago, St. Louis was in first place, but has dropped five of eight, including two of three to the division-leading Brewers, who now own a 3½-game lead on the Cards. On Thursday, they begin a four-game series in Florida against a Marlins team playing great baseball. They are 8-2 in their past 10 games to get back to .500 for the first time since June 12.

Although St. Louis has lost seven of the past nine games started by Kyle Lohse, the Cards are an impressive 17-8 all-time when Lohse opens a series for them. Florida is a lackluster 23-30 at home and only 3-7 when tabbed as a -100 to -125 favorite. The Marlins are 3-13 in their past 16 home games against teams with a winning record. Expect ST. LOUIS to take the series opener as a slight underdog.

Here are two more FoxSheets trends backing the Cardinals:

ST. LOUIS is 22-9 (71.0%, +13.6 Units) against the money line vs. a starting pitcher whose gives up 5.5 or less hits/start this season. The average score was ST. LOUIS 5.1, OPPONENT 3.6 - (Rating = 2*).

FLORIDA is 12-27 (30.8%, -18.3 Units) against the money line in home games vs. an NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 3.50 or better over the last 2 seasons. The average score was FLORIDA 3.4, OPPONENT 4.7 - (Rating = 2*).

Kyle Lohse (9-7, 3.33 ERA) has had a pretty good year, but he has struggled recently. He sports a 5.53 ERA in his past five starts and only lasted six innings in one of the five outings. Lohse is 2-2 with a 5.52 ERA in his career against the Marlins, and was tagged for five runs in six innings earlier this year in May. Albert Pujols (.275 BA, 25 HR, 65 RBI) has not had a good start to this month (1-for-14), but he usually stings the ball in August, hitting .342 with a whopping 1.087 OPS.

During the Marlins’ recent run of eight out of 10, they have averaged 5.1 runs with 16 homers. Florida took the first two from the Mets this week before being rained out Wednesday night. Clay Hensley (1-3, 3.09 ERA) has been very effective since getting moved from the bullpen to the rotation. He has a 2.65 ERA in his three starts, as opponents are batting a lowly .167 off him (10-for-60). Hensley is 2-0 with a 2.65 ERA versus the Cardinals for his career, but that only includes one start, in May 2006. Florida has won four of the past six meetings with St. Louis, dating back to last year.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-04-2011, 05:49 PM

Diamond Trends - Thursday

August 4, 2011

SU TREND OF THE DAY:

The Twins are 10-0 since June 30, 2010 after a 5+ run win where they weren’t 170+ dogs, and it is the last game of a series for a net profit of $1059.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

The Rays are 0-10 OU since May 02, 2010 when Wade Davis starts as a favorite after his team scored a total of seven or more runs in his last start for a net profit of $1000 when playing the under.

STARTER TREND OF THE DAY:

The Angels are 0-10-3 OU since August 15, 2010 when Dan Haren starts at home after a quality start for a net profit of $1000 when playing the under.

MLB BIBLE TREND OF THE DAY:

The Rangers are 13-1 O/U (5.3 rpg) in database history (since 2004) when they struck out zero or one times last game and had more than five hits.

TODAY’S TRENDS:

The Yankees are 0-6 OU since June 09, 2010 on the road after allowing 6+ runs win for a net profit of $615 when playing the under.

The Indians are 0-6 since April 20, 2010 when Justin Masterson starts as a 140+ dog after throwing more than 100 pitches at home for a net profit of $600 when playing against.

The Giants are 7-0 OU since June 07, 2010 as a dog vs a team that has won at least their last two games and it is the first game of a series for a net profit of $700 when playing the over.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-04-2011, 06:19 PM

Thursday, August 4

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Chi. Cubs - 7:05 PM ET Chi. Cubs +141 500
Pittsburgh - Under 8 500

Cleveland - 7:10 PM ET Boston -158 500
Boston - Over 9 500

St. Louis - 7:10 PM ET Florida -102 500
Florida - Under 8.5 500

Baltimore - 8:10 PM ET Kansas City -131 500
Kansas City - Under 9 500

NY Yankees - 8:10 PM ET NY Yankees -110 500
Chi. White Sox - Under 9 500

Washington - 8:40 PM ET Washington +125 500
Colorado - Over 10.5 500

Minnesota - 10:05 PM ET Minnesota +156 500
LA Angels - Over 7 500

Philadelphia - 10:15 PM ET San Francisco +121 500
San Francisco - Over 6 500

**Udog** · 08-04-2011, 10:37 PM

Originally posted by StarDust Bum View Post

MONT 491 3-2 (1-1 V) 61% 52.5 OVER

TOR 492 1-4 (0-1 H) 39% - 4 MONT

Great start to the week, Bum! Thanks!

**StarDust Bum** · 08-04-2011, 11:32 PM

Your welcome DOG.....also have to thank Montreal for playing that prevent defense at the end of the game to take us OVER the points........lol...............................

Announcement

The Bum's Thursday's Best Bets MLB-WNBA-CFL !

The Bum's Thursday's Best Bets MLB-WNBA-CFL !

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