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**StarDust Bum** · 08-19-2011, 05:51 PM

Atlanta Braves Host Arizona In Key NL Series

Both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves will be in action on Thursday night, a day before they begin a three-game series in Turner Field. Arizona will be traveling from Philadelphia to Atlanta after their game with the Phillies, while the Braves will be waiting for them as they finish a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants.

Friday's game between the Braves and Diamondbacks is scheduled to start at 4:35 p.m. (PT).

Arizona is scheduled to send right-handed starter Daniel Hudson (12-8, 3.76) to the mound when they travel to Atlanta to face veteran 38-year-old starter Derek Lowe (7-11, 4.89).

Lowe has only pitched at home three times since the middle of June and he'll be looking for just his third victory at Turner Field with the Braves 6-4 in the previous 10. His ERA has ballooned thanks to a 6.30 mark the last 12 outings, and this start at home could be just the thing Lowe needs to bounce back.

He is 1-4 in his last five starts overall and really needs this home start to get back in a pitching groove before the crucial stretch run in September. Facing the hot Diamondbacks will be a great test for Lowe, who allowed eight hits and seven earned runs in his last start versus the Diamondbacks in 2010.

The issue with Hudson so far this year has been simply staying consistent from start to start. Hudson has made a habit of following really solid starts with very shaky outings, and if the Diamondbacks are going to hold on in the National League West against the San Francisco Giants, they are going to need Hudson to string together a few quality starts down the stretch.

Hudson has been a very good starter for the Diamondbacks when it comes to these road spots against a talented hitting team like the Braves. Hudson is 6-2 in his last eight starts versus a team with a winning record and I think that statistic shows exactly what Arizona would be looking for in Game 1 of this series.

Both the Braves (9-6) and Diamondbacks (10-5) have been on a tear since the month of August began and go into this extremely pivotal series fighting for playoff spots. The Diamondbacks go into this three-game series with Atlanta 2.5-games ahead of the Giants for first place in the division.

The Braves, on the other hand, are 8.5 games behind the Phillies for first place in the National League East. Atlanta currently leads the National League Wild Card race by five games over the Giants and six games over the St. Louis Cardinals.

The scheduled forecast for this game at Turner Field on Friday night is 93 degrees and partly cloudy and should be a great night for August baseball.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-19-2011, 05:53 PM

BC Lions Visit Edmonton For CFL Betting Battle

The British Columbia Lions will be looking to snap a three-game series losing streak and win for just the second time this season when they visit the Edmonton Eskimos on Friday. The Lions (1-6) have struggled defensively for most of the year and will be facing an Edmonton team that returns home after dropping two straight on the road by a combined 35 points.

Kick off from Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton is 6:00 p.m. (PT). The Don Best odds screen is listing the Eskimos as a 6-point home favorites with Saturday's total 50½.

The Eskimos (5-2) sputtered offensively in losing their last two at Montreal and Winnipeg, averaging just 10 points after scoring 24 or more in each of their first five games at home. The ‘under’ is 4-1 in their past five overall following a 27-4 loss to the Alouettes last Thursday, as kicker Damon Duval accounted for all of the team’s scoring with a field goal and single.

Edmonton has not only won three in a row against British Columbia straight up but also covered the CFL spread in each victory. The Eskimos had no problems scoring in those games, averaging nearly 31 points with the total going ‘over’ twice.

However, Edmonton has been bitten by the injury bug recently, losing slotback Jason Barnes to fractured ribs and receiver Marcus Henry to a concussion in the latest loss. The Eskimos are already without star slotback Fred Stamps due to an abdominal injury that is expected to keep him out another 3-5 weeks.

The Lions hope to take advantage of that situation and have seen the ‘under’ cash in their last three games along with four of five, including a 30-17 home loss to the Bluebombers on Saturday. They failed to cover as 1 ½-point favorites and were outscored in the second and third quarters, 27-3.

That was BC’s second loss to Winnipeg in three games with a 24-11 win over Saskatchewan sandwiched in between. The Lions got off to a much better start against the Roughriders, building a 20-10 halftime lead and then holding a 4-1 advantage in the final two quarters.

British Columbia was able to put the clamps on Edmonton in its last win in the series last July 4, pulling off a 25-10 upset on the road as a 4-point underdog. That game is one of only three meetings in the past 12 to go ‘under’ the total.

The Eskimos are just 10-26-1 ATS in their last 37 games against teams with a losing record and have been outscored by an average of more than 11 points in failing to cover their past three.

There is a 30 percent chance of showers in Edmonton on Friday with a projected high temperature of 68 degrees cooling down to 53 at night.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-19-2011, 06:11 PM

Diamond Trends - Friday

August 19, 2011

SU TREND OF THE DAY:

The Athletics are 14-0 since June 26, 2004 when Rich Harden starts as a favorite vs a team that has won at least their last two games for a net profit of $1400.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

The Marlins are 0-14-1 OU since May 22, 2010 after a loss in which their opponent left fewer than 10 men on base and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $1400 when playing the under.

STARTER TREND OF THE DAY:

The Nationals are 0-10 since July 28, 2010 when Livan Hernandez starts after a quality start on the road for a net profit of $1125 when playing against.

MLB BIBLE TREND OF THE DAY:

The Tigers are 13-1 OU since May 2009 as a home 125+ favorite when they won by one run in their starter’s last start.

TODAY’S TRENDS:

The Cardinals are 0-6 since April 11, 2010 as a road 140+ favorite vs a team that has lost at least their last two games for a net profit of $860 when playing against.

The Athletics are 9-0-2 OU since April 25, 2010 as a home favorite after a loss in which they were shut out in the last 6 innings for a net profit of $900 when playing the over.

The Reds are 9-0 since May 18, 2010 when Homer Bailey starts after more strike outs than hits allowed for a net profit of $925.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-19-2011, 06:16 PM

MLB Series Outlook: Texas at Chicago White Sox

TEXAS RANGERS (72-53, +4.5 Units)

at CHICAGO WHITE SOX (61-62, -5.9 Units)

Sportsbook.com Series Line: Texas -140, Chicago +110

Despite losing in dramatic fashion (walk-off HR) to the second-place Angels Thursday night, the Rangers still hold a comfortable six-game lead in the AL West. The White Sox, on the other hand, sit one game below .500, but only four back of the Tigers who lead the AL Central. Chicago needs to start putting the pedal to the metal now though, entering this series on a two-game losing streak. And, despite their loss Thursday night, the Rangers have won nine of their past 11 games as they hit the home stretch.

Play on favored TEXAS to win as the hot team coming into this series, facing an opponent who has struggled at home this year with a 27-35 record there. With even pitching matchups throughout the series, the Rangers get the edge with their bats, which have hit .295 with 5.9 runs per game this month.

The FoxSheets show another reason to side with the Rangers.

TEXAS is 22-6 (78.6%, +12.8 Units) against the money line vs. AL teams scoring 4.2 or less runs/game in the second half of the season this season. The average score was TEXAS 6.5, OPPONENT 3.2 - (Rating = 2*).

Pitching Probables for Friday, August 19 - 8:10 EDT
Friday Line: Texas -120, Chicago +110, Total: 8.5
TEX: 14-9 (+4.25 Units) when Matt Harrison starts
CHW: 8-6 (+1.50 Units) when Jake Peavy starts
Harrison (10-8, 3.19 ERA) is in the midst of a very strong season, with his ERA dipping down to 2.94 at the end of July. He has a 4.91 ERA over his past three starts, allowing three walks in two of those outings. His expert control is crucial to his success because he isn’t a big strikeout guy at only 5.95 per 9 innings. But, to make up for that, he walks fewer than three per nine innings.
The elite talent Peavy (5-5, 4.69 ERA) has had his ups and downs this year, but is currently in the middle of one of those upswings. Over his past three outings he has a 2.91 ERA over 21.2 innings with 16 strikeouts and just two walks in that span. He hasn’t allowed a home run in seven consecutive starts (44 innings), and if he can keep the ball in play against the slugging Rangers, he should be in good shape.

Pitching Probables for Saturday, August 20 - 7:10 EDT
Saturday line: TBD
TEX: 15-8 (+4.60 Units) when Alexi Ogando starts
CHW: 8-12 (-5.90 Units) when John Danks starts
Ogando (12-5, 3.33 ERA) has been more than reliable for the Rangers this year, anchoring their staff for most of the season. The 27-year-old righty has been crushed in his past two outings however, surrendering 10 runs and 16 hits in nine innings with only two strikeouts. Still, he is the play here after the way he dominated the White Sox earlier in the season, tossing a five-hit shutout with six strikeouts.
Coming off a strong six-inning, two-run performance against the Royals, Danks (5-9, 3.95 ERA) is in the midst of another decent season. He’s winless in his past five starts against Texas (3.98 ERA, 1.42 WHIP), but he is an acceptable play here because of his strong home splits. While he’s 1-6 with a 4.95 ERA on the road, he is 4-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 11 starts as U.S. Cellular Field.

Pitching Probables for Sunday, August 21 - 2:10 EDT
Sunday line: TBD
TEX: 14-11 (+0.05 Units) when Derek Holland starts
CHW: 11-12 (-2.90 Units) when Gavin Floyd starts
Holland tossed a gem his last time out, almost going the distance, lasting 8.2 innings and allowing three runs. That’s good news because he had given up nine runs (6 ER) over 7.2 innings in his previous two starts, so it’s good to see he’s back on track. The White Sox scored four runs in four innings off him earlier in the season in May, but he’s still the play here with his 6-2 record and 3.39 road ERA.
Floyd (10-10, 4.66 ERA) is struggling right now, allowing 18 earned runs in 14.2 innings over his past three starts. Although he did have a strong outing against the Rangers earlier in the season (7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER), that’s far from the norm. In four other lifetime starts against Texas, he had a 7.85 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, 12 walks and 12 strikeouts. Play against.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-19-2011, 06:17 PM

MLB Series Outlook: St. Louis at Chicago Cubs

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (66-58, -3.7 Units)

at CHICAGO CUBS (54-70, -13.2 Units)

Sportsbook.com Series Line: St. Louis -115, Chicago -115

The Cards are trying to claw their way back into the postseason picture, while the Cubs look to keep a nice August going when the rivals meet for a three-game set at Wrigley Field starting Friday afternoon.

The Cards have lost two of their past three series and have fallen 6½ games back of the Brewers in the NL Central and the Braves in the Wild Card race. Meanwhile, the Cubs are 11-5 in August, even after dropping two straight to the lowly Astros. St. Louis has won seven of nine against the Cubs this season, but the pitching matchups are even enough, given Chicago’s home-field advantage, to give the Cubs the edge here. The FoxSheets provide another trend siding with CHICAGO to win the series.

ST. LOUIS is 11-19 (36.7%, -18.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a bad team (Win Pct. 38% to 46%) in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. The average score was ST. LOUIS 4.4, OPPONENT 5.4 - (Rating = 2*).

Pitching Probables for Friday, August 19 - 2:20 ET
Friday line: St. Louis -150, Chicago +140, Total: 9
STL: 15-10 (+1.9 Units) when Jaime Garcia starts
CHC: 6-9 (-1.7 Units) when Randy Wells starts
Garcia (10-6, 3.42 ERA) is coming off a surprisingly poor outing at home (five innings, five runs, six hits and four walks against Colorado last Saturday) and has pitched worse on the road all year: 2.06 ERA in St. Louis, 4.71 ERA on the road. He’s had his way with the Cubs though. In three career starts against Chicago, he’s 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA. Both those wins came this year, when he allowed just two runs over 15 innings against the Cubs, including seven innings of one-run ball at Wrigley in May.
Injuries have all but ruined his 2011, but Wells (4-4, 5.90 ERA) has pitched relatively well over the past month. In his past five starts, he’s allowed two runs or fewer three times while posting a 4.50 ERA. On Saturday, he held Atlanta to two runs over five innings in a victory, though he also allowed eight hits in that start. The Cards knocked him around for four runs in 5.2 innings when Wells faced them in June in St. Louis. In five career starts versus the Cardinals, Wells is 2-2 with a 4.56 ERA, but quality 1.19 WHIP.

Pitching Probables for Saturday, August 20 - 4:10 ET
Saturday line: TBD
STL/CHW: 10-13 (-4.2 Units) when Edwin Jackson starts
CHC: 9-14 (-6.2 Units) when Matt Garza starts
His numbers are skewed by one disastrous start in Milwaukee, but Jackson (9-8, 4.04 ERA) has been solid since joining the Cardinals at the trade deadline. Excluding a start against the Brewers in which he allowed 10 runs over seven innings, Jackson is 2-0 with a 2.46 ERA in his three other starts with St. Louis. All of them were at home. That included seven innings of one-run ball in a win over the Cubs on July 29. Though for his career, Jackson has a 6.21 ERA and .297 opponents’ BA in five starts against Chicago.
Garza (5-9, 3.80 ERA) has been up and down all year, and he’s gotten little offensive or defensive support along the way. His August is off to a good start—he has a 2.50 ERA over three starts, and has struck out 21 and walked five over 18 innings during those outings. He’s also been excellent at home all season (2.84 ERA, 87 K in 79.1 IP). The Cards did knock him around three weeks ago, as Garza allowed six runs and 10 base runners over 5.2 innings in St. Louis. He held the Cards to one run over five innings, striking out seven, in his only Wrigley start against them, back in May.

Pitching Probables for Sunday, August 21 - 8:05 ET
Sunday line: TBD
STL: 13-12 (+0.9 Units) when Jake Westbrook starts
CHC: 5-4 (+2.0 Units) when Rodrigo Lopez starts
Westbrook (9-7, 4.81 ERA) is coming off a very shaky start in Pittsburgh, allowing five runs (four earned) and nine hits (2 HR) in 5.2 innings. St. Louis has now dropped three of his past four starts. Westbrook has been better on the road (3.75 ERA) than at home (5.96), but Chicago has knocked him around twice this year, scoring nine runs in 8.1 innings off Westbrook.
After a surprisingly effective run in June and July, Lopez (4-3, 4.66 ERA) has come back down to earth. He’s posted a 6.98 ERA and 1.66 WHIP over his past four starts, but the Cubs somehow won three of those outings. The one loss was in St. Louis on July 30, when Lopez allowed six runs (all earned) and 11 base runners in 4.1 innings. Lopez has a career 6.44 ERA against the Cardinals and has lost his past three starts against them.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-19-2011, 06:18 PM

MLB Series Outlook: Cleveland at Detroit

CLEVELAND INDIANS (62-58, +10.6 Units)

at DETROIT TIGERS (65-58, -0.3 Units)

Sportsbook.com Series Line: Detroit -160, Cleveland +130

Control of the AL Central hangs in the balance when Cleveland visits Detroit for a three-game set starting Friday night. Detroit enters the weekend with a 1½-game lead over the Tribe, but the teams are tied in the loss column.

The Indians have won three series in a row, and are 6-3 against Detroit on the year. And with Justin Verlander not taking the mound during this set, the Indians can match up with Detroit’s arms (especially on Saturday and Sunday) making their potential +130 payout look very good. The FoxSheets provide a three-star trend siding with CLEVELAND to win the series.

CLEVELAND is 20-10 (66.7%, +17.2 Units) against the money line vs. terrible speed teams - averaging 0.35 or less SB's/game over the last 2 seasons. The average score was CLEVELAND 4.7, OPPONENT 3.4 - (Rating = 3*).

Pitching Probables for Friday, August 19 - 7:05 ET
Friday line: Detroit -140, Cleveland +130, Total: 8.5
CLE: 14-10 (+4.7 Units) when Josh Tomlin starts
DET: 16-9 (+5.3 Units) when Max Scherzer starts
After a shaky start in Boston to start his August, Tomlin (12-5, 3.97 ERA) has been solid in back-to-back outings. He held the Rangers to two runs over seven innings in Texas, then pitched 6.1 innings of one-run ball in a victory over the Twins on Saturday. He’s been much shakier on the road all year though (4.88 ERA), where the Indians are 5-7 in Tomlin’s starts.
After getting into a groove in July, Scherzer (12-7, 4.37 ERA) is coming off back-to-back disappointing outings, allowing four runs each in Kansas City and Baltimore (he did strike out 10 over seven innings in a victory over the Orioles). He has been very good in Detroit this year, posting a 3.63 ERA while the Tigers have won nine of his 13 starts at Comerica Park. Those numbers would look even better if not for a disastrous outing against the Giants on July 2 (nine runs in two innings). Scherzer has won both of his career starts again Cleveland, holding them to four runs (three earned) over 12.2 innings.

Pitching Probables for Saturday, August 20 - 7:05 ET
Saturday line: TBD
CLE: 1-2 (-0.7 Units) when David Huff starts
DET/SEA: 6-18 (-11.4 Units) when Doug Fister starts
While he was middling in Triple-A, Huff (1-1, 0.51 ERA) has been outstanding with the big league club this year. He’s allowed just one earned run over 17.2 innings, posting a 15-to-4 K-to-BB ratio. He’s also allowed two unearned runs, contributing to two tough-luck losses for Cleveland. Detroit knocked Huff around twice last year, scoring nine runs (six earned) in nine innings in two games against Huff, both Tigers wins.
Fister (4-13, 3.59 ERA overall) has been middling in his three starts for Detroit (1-1, 6.14 ERA). He held Texas to two runs over seven innings in his Tigers debut on August 3, had his start in Cleveland cut short by rain on August 9, then got knocked around in Baltimore on Sunday (5.2 innings, 8 runs, 6 earned, 13 base runners allowed). He’s a control artist who’s susceptible to being hit hard, but he’s had success against the Indians. In four career starts against Cleveland (excluding the rain-shortened one two weeks ago), Fister has held the Tribe to two runs or less three times.

Pitching Probables for Sunday, August 21 - 1:05 ET
Sunday line: TBD
CLE/COL: 9-15 (-11.9 Units) when Ubaldo Jimenez starts
DET: 14-9 (+4.1 Units) when Rick Porcello starts
His disappointing season has carried over to the Indians, as Jimenez (7-9, 4.48 ERA overall) has allowed three or more runs in each of his starts with the Indians (1-0, 4.58 ERA). The White Sox chased him in the fifth inning on Tuesday, as Jimenez allowed five runs (four earned) in 4.2 innings. He did pitch well against Detroit on August 10 though, holding the Tigers to three runs (none earned) over eight innings, striking out six in a victory.
Porcello (11-8, 4.98 ERA) has been pounded in August, posting an 8.44 ERA while allowing 27 hits in 16 innings (a .375 opponents’ batting average). That included a disastrous outing in Cleveland on August 10, when Porcello allowed eight runs (all earned) and 11 hits in 3.2 innings. He has a 5.61 ERA at home this year, but he’s 2-0 with a 3.63 ERA at Comerica Park in three career starts against the Indians, all Tigers wins.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-19-2011, 06:20 PM

Edmonton tries to snap 2-game skid

BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS (1-6)

at EDMONTON ESKIMOS (5-2)

Kickoff: Friday, 9:00 p.m. EDT
Line: Edmonton -5.5, Total: 50.5

After a 5-0 start, the Edmonton Eskimos have lost two in a row but look to regain their composure Friday night against the British Columbia Lions. The Lions are a dreadful 1-6 overall and winless (0-3) on the road.

Edmonton is 4-1 (SU and ATS) in the past five meetings with B.C., and 5-1 ATS in its past six games against the West division. The Lions are just 1-4 ATS against a team with a winning record and 2-5 ATS for the year. EDMONTON has outscored its opponents 29.0 PPG to 17.3 PPG at home this year and that trend should continue against the lesser Lions.

The FoxSheets show another reason to back the Eskimos.

BRITISH COLUMBIA is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) off 1 or more consecutive unders over the last 2 seasons. The average score was BRITISH COLUMBIA 25.6, OPPONENT 30.9.

The Lions are coming off a 30-17 defeat to Winnipeg in a game they turned the ball over seven times. B.C. quarterback Travis Lulay was removed in the third quarter after completing 12-of-23 pass attempts for only 103 yards. The Lions mounted only 259 yards of net offense.

Edmonton received a good old-fashioned butt kicking last week in a 27-4 loss to Montreal. The Eskimos ran for minus-1 yard for the game and could get nothing going offensively. That was the first time Edmonton was held to negative rushing yards in a game in seven seasons. QB Ricky Ray was sacked five times in the first half alone and the Eskimos totaled only 89 yards in the whole first half. Edmonton is 3-0 at home for the first time since 2008 and would love to bounce back after that dreadful loss.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-19-2011, 06:49 PM

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record
08/18/11 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail
08/13/11 2-*2-*0 50.00% -*100 Detail
08/12/11 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail
08/11/11 1-*1-*0 50.00% -*50 Detail
08/06/11 1-*1-*0 50.00% -*50 Detail
08/05/11 3-*1-*0 75.00% +*950 Detail
Totals 11-*5-*0 68.75% +2750

Friday, August 19

Game Score Status Pick Amount

BC Lions - 9:00 PM ET Edmonton -5.5 500

Edmonton - Over 50.5 500

**StarDust Bum** · 08-19-2011, 06:59 PM

Friday, August 19

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Cleveland 0 Bot 0 Detroit -138 500
Detroit 0 Over 9 500

Philadelphia 0 Bot 0 Washington +128 500
Washington 0 Over 8.5 500

Cincinnati 0 Bot 0 Pittsburgh +126 500
Pittsburgh 0 Over 8.5 500

Seattle - 7:10 PM ET Tampa Bay -104 500
Tampa Bay - Over 7.5 500

Milwaukee 0 Bot 0 Milwaukee -130 500
NY Mets 0 Under 8 500

Arizona - 7:35 PM ET Arizona +109 500
Atlanta - Under 7.5 500

San Francisco - 8:05 PM ET San Francisco -134 500
Houston - Over 7 500

Boston - 8:10 PM ET Kansas City +111 500
Kansas City - Over 9.5 500

Texas - 8:10 PM ET Texas -114 500
Chi. White Sox - Under 8.5 500

NY Yankees - 8:10 PM ET Minnesota +149 500
Minnesota - Under 9 500

LA Dodgers - 8:40 PM ET LA Dodgers +105 500
Colorado - Over 9.5 500

Baltimore - 10:05 PM ET Baltimore +215 500
LA Angels - Under 7.5 500

Toronto - 10:05 PM ET Oakland -110 500
Oakland - Over 8 500

Florida - 10:05 PM ET San Diego -124 500
San Diego - Under 7 500

**StarDust Bum** · 08-19-2011, 07:06 PM

7:30 PM ETConnecticut at Atlanta

Teams ROT Record Consensus Odds

CONN 601 16-9 (5-7 V) - 164 OVER

ATL 602 12-12 (6-6 H) - -6 ATL

Stats: Matchup | Preview | Trends | Line Moves My Scores

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