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[StarDust Bum]

Sinking Pirates Close Series With Cardinals

Paul Simon's Slip Slidin' Away might be a good choice for background music in the upcoming video documenting the Pittsburgh Pirates' 2012 season.

Pittsburgh will look to stop a recent slide in the National League standings Wednesday night with the conclusion of an important series against the St. Louis Cardinals. ESPN will broadcast the contest starting at 7:00 p.m. (ET) as the Bucs send Wandy Rodriguez to the mound against Cardinals rookie Joe Kelly.

Opening MLB odds for the game listed Pittsburgh a slight -110 favorite with an 8½-run total that leaned 'over.'

Just as the lyrics of Simon's hit song go, the Pirates are getting closer to a playoff destination only to see those chances slowly disappearing. They came out of the all-star break in good form, made a few acquisitions near the trade deadline and stood a season-high 16 games over .500 (63-47) following a 7-6 home win against the Diamondbacks on Aug. 8.

Monday's 4-3 setback in the opener of this series left Pittsburgh 5-13 since that point with Tuesday's second game still pending. St. Louis was a slight favorite (-115) in Game 2 which also carried an 8-run total.

Rodriguez was one of the players the Pirates traded for in late-July, picking the seasoned southpaw up from the Houston Astros. He has pitched to a 4.86 ERA in five starts and a relief outing since the swap, with Pittsburgh 1-4 in the starting assignments and Rodriguez's only dubya coming when he was summoned from the 'pen.

That winning relief appearance did come against St. Louis with Wandy tossing two scoreless frames at the end of a 19-inning marathon. It is the only time Rodriguez has faced the Cards this season, though he has plenty of experience against them over the years while pitching in the NL Central (7-11 lifetime record, 3.73 ERA).

When Pittsburgh sat 63-47, St. Louis was 60-51 and trailed the Pirates by 3.5-games for second place in the division. The Cardinals have gone 11-6 since then and were a season-high 14 games above .500 entering Tuesday's game. They had just about turned the tables on the Bucs who were three behind the Redbirds who are now second in NL Central and NL wild card race.

Offense is definitely the name of the game for St. Louis who has not missed slugger Albert Pujols one little bit. The Cards lead the Senior Circuit in scoring (4.94 rpg), and they routinely sport a lineup that includes 5-6 hitters batting in the upper-.290s or better who are capable of beating you with the long ball or their legs.

Kelly has been working in relief the last couple of weeks, including a long stint in that 19-inning match that Rodriguez won. The young right-hander was called up in June to take the place of the injured Jaime Garcia, and will now move back into the rotation in place of Lance Lynn who shifts to the bullpen following a stretch of rough starts. Kelly's relief outing on Aug. 19 is his only experience vs. the Pirates who are 49-45 against righties.

This game will be the final regular season contest between the Cards and Pirates. The victory on Monday was the seventh for St. Louis in 13 meetings, and gave the Redbirds a 62-35 mark at PNC Park. All four games played in Pittsburgh entering Tuesday's tilt failed to reach the total. Game 1 snapped a 4-game 'over' run for the Cards while four of the Pirates' previous five games have gone 'under.'

[StarDust Bum]

Diamond Trends - Wednesday

August 29, 2012

SU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Mariners are 0-12 since July 08, 2011 on the road when they won the last time they faced this starting pitcher at least 10 days ago for a net profit of $975 when playing against.

OU TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Rockies are 14-0 OU since May 12, 2011 when playing a day game when they blew a lead in their starter’s last start and lost, if they are facing a pitcher with an ERA under 5.75 for a net profit of $1400 when playing the over.

STARTER TREND OF THE DAY:

-- The Yankees are 15-0 since August 18, 2009 when CC Sabathia starts with a total over 7 after more strike outs than hits allowed on the road for a net profit of $1505.

TODAY’S TRENDS:

-- The Rangers are 9-0 since August 2011 at home when their starter went at least eight innings in his last start.

-- The Rangers are 8-0 since April 09, 2011 when Matt Harrison starts after more strike outs than hits allowed and they won in his previous start for a net profit of $825.

[StarDust Bum]

Cardinals-Pirates wrap up series Wednesday

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (71-58)

at PITSBURGH PIRATES (69-60)


First pitch: Wednesday, 7:05 p.m. EDT
Line: St. Louis -120, Pittsburgh +110, Total: 8½

In the NL Central’s dogfight for second place and standings in the NL Wild Card, the Pirates will host the Cardinals for the rubber game of a three-game set Wednesday night.

Lefty Wandy Rodriguez takes the hill for the Pirates in this one as the loser of three straight games, a span in which he has a 5.89 ERA with a 1.64 WHIP. Although he has a 4.06 ERA as a starter this season, with a 7-13 record, that ERA balloons to 4.86 in his six games (five starts, one relief outing) since being traded from the Astros to the Pirates. On Wednesday, he faces Joe Kelly, who has also struggled lately with a 4.76 ERA and 1.77 WHIP in his past three outings, despite earning a 2-1 record in this span. Overall, he is in the middle of a solid season though with a 3.41 ERA and 3-5 record in 12 starts. He will ride a hot Cardinals squad that has won six of its past eight games. In the same span, the Pirates have lost six of eight. And the Cardinals should remain hot facing a southpaw, against whom they are 27-12 (.692) this season. As only slight favorites, take ST. LOUIS in this one.

This rare five-star FoxSheets trend also favors the UNDER:

ST. LOUIS is 20-3 UNDER (87.0%, +14.5 Units) in road games vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .250 or worse this season. The average score was ST LOUIS 3.9, OPPONENT 3.2 - (Rating = 5*).

The Cardinals average a whopping 6.1 runs per game against left-handed starters, hitting an incredible .297 with a .362 OBP. Overall, they average 4.9 runs per game, which leads the National League. Kelly, who has never started against Pittsburgh, averages just 5.7 innings per start so he and the subpar Cards bullpen certainly needs that offensive firepower. The St. Louis relievers have a 3.99 ERA on the season and have already blown 16 saves. On the road, this ERA is even worse at 4.61. But given the offensive support they should get here, take the Redbirds.

This will be an important rubber match for the Pirates, who have protected their home field all season with a 39-26 (.600) record there. They have also done well by regularly beating NL Central opponents, against whom they are 32-23 (.582). Rodriguez has yet to face the Cardinals this season, but has won two consecutive decisions against them, carrying a stellar 1.33 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in this three-start span. Overall though, Rodriguez is 6-11 (team 8-12) with a 3.72 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 20 career starts versus St. Louis. Fortunately for him, he is supported by one of baseball’s best bullpens that carry a 2.96 ERA and 42 saves in 51 chances (82.4%) in 2012. Pirates relievers are even better at home with a 2.75 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, August 29

Hot pitchers
-- Corbin is 3-1, 3.60 in his last five starts.
-- Stults is 3-0, 2.08 in his last four starts.
-- Hamels is 3-0, 1.71 in his last four starts. Harvey is 1-1, 1.83 in his last three starts.
-- Samardzija has a 3.12 RA in his last four starts.

-- Happ is 2-0, 2.84 in his last three starts. Sabathia is 4-0, 3.86 in his last six outings.
-- Cobb is 4-0, 3.03 in his last five starts. Harrison is 2-1, 1.19 in his last three outings.
-- Vargas is 6-1, 2.86 in his last nine starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Blanton is 0-3, 10.05 in his last three starts. Pomeranz is 0-4, 6.82 in his last eight starts.
-- Latos is 0-1, 7.62 in his last couple starts.
-- Hanson is 0-1, 6.55 in two starts since coming off the DL.
-- Kelly is 2-4, 5.35 in his last six starts, but pitched well in long relief since. WRodriguez is 0-4, 5.33 in his last four starts.
-- Detwiler is 1-2, 5.63 in his last three starts. Turner has a 6.87 RA in his four starts this season.
-- Fiers is 1-2, 9.88 in his last three starts.
-- Zito is 2-2, 6.15 in his last six starts. Keuchel is 0-6, 8.42 in his last eight.

-- Blackley is 1-1, 5.64 in his last four starts. Indians are 0-5 in Kluber's starts (0-2, 7.61) this season.
-- Saunders is making his Oriole debut; he was 1-4, 6.90 in his last five starts for Arizona. Axelrod is 0-1, 5.91 in six starts, last of which was July 16.
-- ASanchez is 1-2, 8.40 in his last three starts. BChen is 2-2, 4.96 in his last six outings.
-- Deduno is 1-2, 6.55 in his last four starts.
-- Wilson is 0-3, 9.18 in his last six starts. Stewart allowed six runs in 5.2 IP in losing his only '12 start, on June 18 when he pitched for the White Sox.

Hot Teams
-- Phillies won four of their last five games.
-- Cardinals won seven of their last ten games.
-- Brewers won nine of their last twelve games.
-- Colorado won 12 of its last 16 games.
-- Giants won eight of their last eleven games.
-- Cincinnati won 13 of its last 19 games.
-- San Diego won eight of its last nine games, allowing 18 runs.

-- Oakland won ten of its last twelve games.
-- White Sox won six of their last eight games. Orioles won 12 of their last 15 home games.
-- Detroit won five of its last seven games.
-- Rangers won nine of their last eleven games.
-- Mariners won ten of their last thirteen games.

Cold Teams
-- Mets lost six of their last nine games.
-- Pirates lost 13 of their last 19 games.
-- Marlins lost four of their last six games. Washington lost its last five games scoring six runs.
-- Cubs lost nine of their last twelve games.
-- Astros lost ten of their last eleven games.
-- Dodgers lost eight of their last twelve games.
-- Arizona lost ten of its last thirteen home games.
-- Braves lost seven of their last eleven games.

-- Indians lost 12 of their last 13 games.
-- Toronto lost 11 of its last 13 games. Bronx Bombers are 4-6 in their last ten games.
-- Royals lost four of their last six games.
-- Tampa Bay lost its last four games, outscored 16-11.
-- Twins lost 15 of their last 18 games.
-- Boston lost five of its last seven road games. Angels lost four of their last five home games.

Totals
-- Under is 4-1-1 in Philly's last six games.
-- Four of last six Pittsburgh games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 7-3-1 in last eleven Miami games.
-- Eight of last eleven Milwaukee games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last six Houston games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Colorado games.
-- Ten of last fourteen Cincinnati games went over the total.
-- 13 of last 17 Atlanta games stayed under the total.

-- Last seven Cleveland games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six White Sox games.
-- Seven of last ten Bronx games stayed under the total.
-- Ten of last fifteen Kansas City games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Texas games went over the total.
-- Under is 11-3-1 in last fifteen Seattle games.
-- Under is 8-4 in Boston's last twelve road games.

Umpires
-- NY-Phil-- Road team won five of last six Layne games.
-- StL-Pitt-- Seven of last eight Cederstrom games stayed under.
-- Wsh-Mia-- Home team won Miller's last six games behind dish.
-- Mil-Chi-- Four of last five Reyburn games went over total.
-- LA-Col-- Five of last seven LBarrett games went over total; five of his last six games were won by the underdog.
-- Cin-Az-- Last eight Kulpa games stayed under the total.
-- Atl-SD-- Underdogs are 12-9 in Cooper's last 21 games behind plate.
-- SF-Hst-- Favorites won Schrieber's last seven games behind plate.

-- A's-Cle-- Five of last six Darling games stayed under total.
-- Chi-Blt-- Six of last eight Hudson games stayed under total.
-- Tor-NY-- Over is 10-4-1 in last fifteen Conroy games.
-- TB-Tex-- Under is 8-0-1 in last nine Winters games.
-- Det-KC-- Underdogs won six of last ten TBarrett games.
-- Sea-Min--Five of last seven Eddings games stayed under.
-- Bos-LA-- Four of last five Drake games stayed under total.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Short Sheet

Wednesday, August 29

National League

LA Dodgers at Colorado, 3:10 ET
Blanton: LA Dodgers 38-29 SU in road games
Pomeranz: Colorado 13-29 SU in day games

Cincinnati at Arizona, 3:40 ET
Latos: Cincinnati 58-31 SU as a favorite of -110 or higher
Corbin: Arizona 9-19 SU at home after having lost 4 or 5 of 6

Atlanta at San Diego, 6:35 ET
Hanson: 17-7 TSR in all games
Stults: San Diego 21-43 SU after 2 or more unders

NY Mets at Philadelphia, 7:05 ET
Harvey: NY Mets 17-8 SU after 2 games where the bullpen gave up no runs
Hamels: Philadelphia 8-15 SU after having won 3 of their last 4

St. Louis at Pittsburgh, 7:05 ET ESPN
Kelly: ST Louis 3-11 SU after having won 6 or 7 of their last 8
Rodriguez: Pittsburgh 12-3 SU at home after scoring 8 runs or more

Washington at Miami, 7:10 ET
Detwiler: Washington 17-5 SU when the total is 8.5 to 10
Turner: Miami 9-22 SU in home games in August

Milwaukee at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 ET
Fiers: Milwaukee 77-37 SU as a favorite of -125 to -175
Samardzija: Chicago Cubs 6-20 SU in August

San Francisco at Houston, 8:05 ET
Zito: San Francisco 11-3 SU in road games in August
Keuchel: Houston 8-42 SU in the second half of the season


American League

Toronto at NY Yankees, 1:05 ET
Happ: Toronto 1-11 SU after 7 or more consecutive road games
Sabathia: 71-21 TSR as a favorite of -175 to -250

Oakland at Cleveland, 7:05 ET
Blackley: Oakland 21-7 SU after having won 4 of their last 5
Kluber: Cleveland 2-12 SU after 4 or more consecutive unders

Chicago White Sox at Baltimore, 7:05 ET
Axelrod: CHI White Sox 2-6 SU after a loss by 6 runs or more
Gonzalez: Baltimore 5-1 SU after shutting out their opponent

(TC) Tampa Bay at Texas, 7:05 ET
Cobb: Tampa Bay 11-2 SU as a road underdog of +125 to +150
Harrison: Texas 15-25 SU after allowing 2 runs or less

Detroit at Kansas City, 8:10 ET
Sanchez: Detroit 6-13 SU as a road favorite of -125 to -150
Chen: 12-5 TSR in August games

Seattle at Minnesota, 8:10 ET
Vargas: Seattle 24-15 SU against AL Central opponents
Deduno: Minnesota 9-21 SU at home when the total is 8 to 8.5

Boston at LA Angels, 10:05 ET
Lester: Boston 7-17 SU against AL West opponents
Wilson: LA Angels 51-40 SU in night games

(TC) = Time Change

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday, August 29

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Toronto 3 Top 3 Toronto +223 500
NY Yankees 2 Over 8.5 500

LA Dodgers - 3:10 PM ET Colorado +122 500
Colorado - Over 11 500

Cincinnati - 3:40 PM ET Cincinnati -120 500
Arizona - Under 8.5 500

Atlanta - 6:35 PM ET San Diego +118 500
San Diego - Under 7 500

Chi. White Sox - 7:05 PM ET Chi. White Sox +119 500
Baltimore - Over 9 500

Tampa Bay - 7:05 PM ET Tampa Bay +144 500
Texas - Over 9 500

NY Mets - 7:05 PM ET Philadelphia -163 500
Philadelphia - Under 7.5 500

Oakland - 7:05 PM ET Oakland -132 500
Cleveland - Over 8.5 500

St. Louis - 7:05 PM ET Pittsburgh +111 500
Pittsburgh - Under 8.5 500

Washington - 7:10 PM ET Miami +122 500
Miami - Over 8.5 500

Milwaukee - 8:05 PM ET Chi. Cubs +113 500
Chi. Cubs - Over 7.5 500

San Francisco - 8:05 PM ET San Francisco -155 500
Houston - Under 9 500

Detroit - 8:10 PM ET Kansas City +125 500
Kansas City - Over 9 500

Seattle - 8:10 PM ET Seattle +101 500
Minnesota - Over 8.5 500

Boston - 10:05 PM ET Boston +155 500
LA Angels - Under 9 500