Announcement

**StarDust Bum** · 08-22-2012, 12:17 PM

Hunter & O's Close Series With Holland, Rangers

Tommy Hunter enjoyed a lot of success at Rangers Ballpark early in his career. A 1st-round pick out of Alabama by Texas in 2007, he climbed through the minors quickly and posted a 14-4 record with a 3.57 ERA off this mound working primarily as a starting pitcher from 2008-11.

One thing Hunter never did in this stadium, however, was pitch the bottom of the first inning. That's something he will experience for the first time Wednesday night when he gets the call for the Baltimore Orioles in their series finale against the Rangers.

Derek Holland, a former minor and major league teammate of Hunter's, will oppose him in the 8:05 p.m. (ET) start. Early bird odds made the Rangers $1.90 favorites with a 10½-run total priced to the 'under.'

Wednesday's duel is a rematch from the second game of a doubleheader played in Baltimore earlier this season, a 7-3 decision in Holland's favor with Texas priced at -170 for that clash. Holland allowed three unearned runs in his six innings of work while Hunter was touched for four runs in six frames to suffer the defeat.

Holland has yet to decision this month with Texas 2-1 in his three assignments. It has been a trying season overall for the southpaw who has endured four outings since the all-star break in which he allowed at least five runs. He cruised through five scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium about a week ago before getting chased in the sixth when New York tallied five before he could finish the frame. Texas' offense bailed him out with six late runs in a 10-6 triumph.

Home has not be so sweet for Holland who owns a bloated 5.60 ERA at Rangers Ballpark with Texas 4-6 in his 10 assignments. He did have a nice showing in the Lone Star State his last time on this mound, working into the eighth against a strong Tigers lineup and allowing just a run while striking out nine.

Hunter hasn't won a game since his first start of the second half, and the O's have dropped four of his last five assignments. We noted when he was about to take on Justin Verlander and Detroit last week that the long ball has long been Hunter's downfall, and he surrendered two more clouts to the Tigers in their 5-3 win to bring his total to 29 HR in less than 120 innings this year. Hunter didn't figure into the decision after allowing three runs in his six innings.

Neither club is reporting any new injuries in the past week or so. Baltimore expects to get 3B Wilson Betemit (wrist) back from the disabled list in about a week, but he could be relegated more to a DH role when he does return with rookie Manny Machado having taken over the hot corner with some encouraging results.

Texas has gone nearly two weeks without the services of C-DH Mike Napoli (quad). He's eligible to come off the DL this weekend, but will likely remain out until next week at the earliest.

This series opened Monday when Texas scored a 5-1 victory as a $1.70 favorite. Tuesday's middle game of the set was still in progress and featured a mound duel between Baltimore's Chris Tillman and Scott Feldman of the Rangers who were even heavier chalk at -180.

Monday's victory was the fourth straight at home in the series for Texas and gave the Rangers four wins in the first five contests between the club this season. Dating back to April 2011, Texas had won nine of 10 from the O's.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-22-2012, 12:20 PM

Wednesday Matinee Tips

August 21, 2012

Even though the NFL regular season is on the horizon, there is still six weeks remaining before the MLB postseason. The Wednesday baseball card is loaded with action during the day though the late-night, but we'll focus on the five matinee affairs. The day begins in St. Petersburg as the Rays look to stay red-hot against Kansas City.

Royals at Rays - 1:05 PM EST

Tampa Bay has stormed back into the Wild Card race with wins in nine of the last 12 games, including a victory in Monday's opener against Kansas City. The Rays are receiving tremendous pitching at the right time, allowing three runs or less in 19 of the previous 23 games (17-6), but dropped a 1-0 extra-innings decision to the Royals on Tuesday. James Shields (11-7, 4.03 ERA) is unbeaten in his last four trips to the mound, as the Rays own a solid 8-3 record during his 11 day starts. Shields dominated the Angels in his last outing as a $1.40 road underdog, 12-3, while winning his seventh outing in 10 road decisions.

The Royals counter with Luis Mendoza (7-8, 4.26 ERA), who has won three of his previous four starts, all in the 'dog role. Since re-entering the rotation in early June, Mendoza has hit the 'under' in nine of 12 trips to the mound, including five of six road starts. Kansas City is winless in each of its last seven matinee away contests, while halting a six-game skid at Tropicana Field in Tuesday's victory.

Cubs at Brewers - 2:10 PM EST

Both these rivals are out of playoff contention, as they wrap up their three-game set at Miller Park. Milwaukee grabbed Monday's opener with an eight-run fifth inning to top Chicago, 9-5 as $1.50 home favorites for its ninth home victory to 11 tries. The Brewers send out ace Yovani Gallardo (12-8, 3.67 ERA), who seeks his fifth consecutive win, while allowing six earned runs in his last four victories. Gallardo has split a pair of starts against the Cubs this season, including a 10-0 defeat at Miller Park in early June as $1.50 favorite.

The Cubs have struggled all season, but not as much as Travis Wood (4-9, 4.83 ERA), who is winless in his previous seven trips to the mound. The last time the southpaw picked up a victory came before the All-Star break in an 8-7 triumph over the Mets as a $1.60 road underdog, the final win of a personal four-game winning streak. Wood tries to get on track even though the Cubs are 2-13 the last 15 day games away from Wrigley Field, while Chicago is 0-2 in Wood's two matinee starts on the highway.

Twins at Athletics - 3:35 PM EST

Minnesota snapped a five-game skid by blowing out Oakland on Monday night, 7-2, while cashing as healthy $1.60 underdogs. The Twins also avenged a sweep at the hands of the A's at Target Field immediately after the All-Star break, which provided Oakland with plenty of momentum for a playoff run. The A's begin Wednesday's action just a ½ game behind the Orioles for the second Wild Card spot in the American League, as Oakland sends out Tom Milone (9-9, 4.03 ERA) for the series finale.

Milone has failed to notch a victory in his last four starts, even though Oakland rallied past Cleveland in his previous outing, 6-4 as $1.25 home 'chalk.' The southpaw allowed a grand slam, but the A's managed to tally six unanswered runs in the first win as part of a three-game sweep of the Tribe. Milone has struggled during the daytime, winning just one of five starts under the sun, but the 'over' is riding a four-game streak in his last four outings. The Twins send out Liam Hendriks (0-5, 7.04 ERA), who searches for his first career win in 13 starts. Hendriks was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to replace Nick Blackburn, who allowed five earned runs in Friday's 5-3 loss at Seattle.

Indians at Mariners - 3:40 PM EST

Two teams going in opposite directions finish up a three-game set at Safeco Field as the Mariners try to stay hot before hitting the road for seven games. Since trading Ichiro Suzuki on July 23, Seattle owns a strong 18-9 record, including a 15-3 mark at home. The Indians have limped to a 10-28 record since the All-Star break, while Manny Acta's club is just 1-17 the previous 18 games away from Progressive Field following Tuesday's 5-1 defeat.

Seattle is building a solid rotation past Felix Hernandez and Jason Vargas, as righty Hisashi Iwakuma (4-3, 4.79 ERA) goes for his third consecutive win. Iwakuma has turned in quality starts in four of his last six starts, including a pair of home victories over the Twins and Blue Jays. Seattle is riding a consistent 'under' stretch at Safeco Field during the day, going 8-1-1 to the 'under' the last 10 home matinee contests. Zach McAllister (5-4, 3.64 ERA) has won only one of his six previous starts for the Tribe, while Cleveland is 4-1 in his next outing after he lost in his last trip to the mound.

Marlins at Diamondbacks - 3:40 PM EST (G1/DH)

For some reason, when Ozzie Guillen's club heads to the West Coast, they fare very well. Miami swept San Francisco and San Diego back in May, while grabbing the first two contests of this four-game series at Arizona, including rallying from a 5-0 deficit in last night's 6-5 triumph. Arizona can't afford to lose ground in the tightly contested NL Wild Card race, as the D-Backs enter the day five games back of Atlanta. A pair of young hurlers take the mound in the first game of this day-night doubleheader in Phoenix.

Jacob Turner makes his Miami debut after being acquired from Detroit in the trade for Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante. Turner went 1-1 in three starts with the Tigers, while allowing 11 earned runs in 12.1 innings of work. He'll be opposed by heralded rookie Tyler Skaggs, who put together a 4-2 record with a 2.91 ERA at Triple-A Reno. The Marlins have fared well against left-handed starters on the road, compiling a 10-5 mark the last 15 games in this situation.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-22-2012, 12:22 PM

Diamond Trends - Wednesday

August 22, 2012

SU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Angels are 0-15 since May 28, 2011 when playing a night game on the road vs a team that has lost at least their last two games and it is not the first game of a series for a net profit of $1797 when playing against.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Braves are 10-0 OU since April 26, 2011 as a road favorite of more than -110 after a loss in which they drew 1 or fewer walks for a net profit of $1000 when playing the over.

STARTER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Brewers are 16-0 since June 24, 2010 when Yovani Gallardo starts as a favorite after he had a WHIP of less than one his last start for a net profit of $1600.

MLB BIBLE TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Mariners are 20-0 (3.4 rpg) since June 7th, 2009 as a 130+ home favorite when they are off a win in which they scored in at most two separate innings and were at least tied after seven innings. 3-0 this year.

TODAY’S TRENDS:

-- The Rangers are 9-0 since August 26, 2011 when Derek Holland starts as a favorite after facing 25 or fewer hitters for a net profit of $900.

-- The Angels are 0-10 OU since May 13, 2008 when Jered Weaver starts as a favorite after the team lost his last two starts for a net profit of $1000 when playing the under.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-22-2012, 12:31 PM

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, August 22

Hot pitchers
-- Gallardo is 4-0, 1.88 in his last four starts.
-- Arroyo is 5-1, 3.76 in his last six starts.
-- Medlen is 3-0, 1.05 in four starts for Atlanta. Detwiler is 3-0, 1.67 in his last four home starts.
-- Lohse is 6-1, 2.25 in his lat ten starts.
-- Miley is 4-2, 3.40 in his last seven starts.
-- Cain is 2-0, 1.76 in his last couple starts. Capuano is 1-1,2.03 in his last three outings.

-- Tampa Bay won last four Shields (3-0, 2.10) starts. Mendoza is 3-1, 3.58 in his last four starts.
-- Iwakuma is 3-1, 2.81 in his last five starts.
-- Buchholz is 3-0, 2.11 in his last six starts.
-- White Sox won 11 of last 15 Sale (2-1, 3.38 last three) starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Wood is 0-6, 8.15 in his last seven starts.
-- McDonald is 2-2, 7.78 in his last seven starts. Werner is 1-2, 5.79 this year at AAA, his second year of pro ball. No idea why he is up here.
-- Arroyo is 0-2, 7.90 in his last three starts.
-- Harvey is 1-3, 5.34 in his last five starts. Francis is 1-2, 8.59 in his last five starts.
-- Norris is 0-2, 6.45 in his last four starts.
-- Skaggs makes his MLB debut here; he was 4-2, 2.91 in nine starts at AAA Reno, which is high altitude. LeBlanc is 1-1, 3.54 in four starts. Turner was 1-1, 8.23 in three starts for Detroit this season.

-- Hendriks is 0-5, 10.46 in his last six starts. Milone is 0-3, 5.56 in his last four starts.
-- McAllister is 1-2, 8.31 in his last four starts.
-- Laffey is 1-3, 7.66 in his last four starts. ASanchez is 1-3, 8.41 im his four starts for the Tigers.
-- Weaver is 0-2, 10.80 in his last couple starts, after he won previous nine starts.
-- Hunter is 0-3, 4.96 in his last five starts. Holland is 0-1, 6.23 in his last four outings.
-- Hughes is 1-2, 8.81 in his last three starts.

Hot Teams
-- Nationals won 16 of their last 20 games.
-- Reds won nine of their last twelve games. Phillies are 10-5 in their last 15 home games.
-- Colorado won seven of its last nine games.
-- Milwaukee won nine its last eleven home games.
-- Arizona won four of its last six games; Miami won four of five.
-- Padres won their last three games, scoring 17 runs.
-- Giants won four of their last five games.

-- Tampa Bay won 17 of its last 23 games. Royals are 14-7 in their last 21 games.
-- Orioles won 12 of their last 17 games. Texas won four of six.
-- White Sox won four of their last five home games.
-- A's won five of their last six games.
-- Mariners won nine of their last ten games.

Cold Teams
-- Atlanta lost its last four games, scoring seven runs.
-- Mets lost 11 of their last 15 games.
-- Cubs lost 17 of their last 21 games.
-- St Louis is 6-7 in last 13 games. Astros lost seven of their last eight games.
-- Pirates are 5-10 in their last fifteen games.
-- Dodgers lost four of their last five home games.

-- Detroit is 5-7 in last 12 games. Blue Jays lost six of their last seven games.
-- Angels lost nine of their last 13 games. Red Sox lost five of seven.
-- Bronx lost four of its last six games.
-- Twins lost nine of their last eleven games.
-- Indians lost 17 of their last 22 games.

Totals
-- Eight of last nine Atlanta games stayed under the total.
-- Last seven Cincinnati games went over the total.
-- Nine of Mets' last fourteen games went over the total.
-- Over is 7-3-1 in last eleven Milwaukee games.
-- Under is 10-5-1 in Houston's last sixteen games.
-- Over is 6-1-1 in Arizona's last eight home games.
-- 12 of last 15 Pirate games went over the total.
-- Eight of last ten San Francisco games went over the total.

-- Five of last eight Detroit games went over the total.
-- 22 of last 30 Tampa Bay games stayed under total.
-- 14 of last 19 Angel games went over the total.
-- Under is 12-4-1 in last seventeen Baltimore road games.
-- Seven of last nine Bronx road games went over total.
-- Five of last seven Oakland home games went over the total.
-- Under is 14-6-2 in last twenty-two games at Safeco Field.

Umpires
-- Cin-Phil-- Over is 4-0-1 in last five Bucknor games.
-- Atl-Wsh-- Eight of last ten Nauert games went over.
-- Col-NY-- Six of last seven Cederstrom games stayed under.
-- Chi-Mil-- Under is 12-2-1 in last 15 Kellogg games.
-- Hst-StL-- Underdogs are 8-6 in last fourteen Davis games.
-- Mia-Az-- Four of last five Reynolds games stayed under. Over is 10-4 in Hoye's last fourteen games.
-- Pitt-SD-- Five of last six Holbrook games stayed under.
-- SF-LA-- Favorite won 13 of last 17 Guccione games.

-- KC-TB-- Favorites won seven of last eight Barry games.
-- Balt-Tex-- Underdogs are 13-9 in last 22 Tichenor games.
-- NY-Chi-- Under is 8-2-2 in last dozen Muchlinski games.
-- LA-Bos-- Six of last seven Runge games stayed under.
-- Tor-Det-- Seven of last eight Hallion games went over.
-- Min-A's-- First game behind plate this year for Ripperger; home side won six of his eight games LY.
-- Cle-Sea-- Underdogs are 7-4 in last eleven Carlson games.

**StarDust Bum** · 08-22-2012, 12:47 PM

Wednesday, August 22

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Kansas City - 1:10 PM ET Kansas City +168 500
Tampa Bay - Over 7.5 500

Chi. Cubs - 2:10 PM ET Chi. Cubs +215 500
Milwaukee - Under 8 500

Minnesota - 3:35 PM ET Oakland -160 500
Oakland - Under 8.5 500

Cleveland - 3:40 PM ET Seattle -115 500
Seattle - Over 7.5 500

Miami - 3:40 PM ET Miami +149 500
Arizona - Under 10 500

Pittsburgh - 6:35 PM ET Pittsburgh -130 500
San Diego - Over 7.5 500

Be back later with evenings action.....GOOD LUCK !

**StarDust Bum** · 08-22-2012, 07:11 PM

Wednesday, August 22

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Toronto - 7:05 PM ET Detroit -185 500
Detroit - Under 9.5 500

Atlanta - 7:05 PM ET Washington +103 500
Washington - Over 7.5 500

Cincinnati - 7:05 PM ET Philadelphia -106 500
Philadelphia - Over 8.5 500

LA Angels - 7:10 PM ET LA Angels -118 500
Boston - Under 9 500

Colorado - 7:10 PM ET Colorado +154 500
NY Mets - Over 7.5 500

Baltimore - 8:05 PM ET Baltimore +183 500
Texas - Under 10 500

NY Yankees - 8:10 PM ET NY Yankees +117 500
Chi. White Sox - Under 8.5 500

Houston - 8:15 PM ET St. Louis -260 500
St. Louis - Under 7.5 500

Miami - 9:40 PM ET Miami +178 500
Arizona - Over 9.5 500

San Francisco - 10:10 PM ET San Francisco -105 500
LA Dodgers - Over 6.5 500

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