The Bum's Aug. MLB Best Bets + Pod's !

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, August 18

Hot pitchers
-- Bumgarner is 4-2, 2.00 in his last eight starts. GGonzalez has a 1.64 RA in his last couple starts.
-- Hamels is 1-1, 1.45 in his last four starts. Dodgers won last five Nolasco starts (3-0, 3.95).
-- Morton is 1-0, 2.77 in his last couple starts.
-- Teheran is 2-1, 2.10 in his last five starts.
-- Bailey is 2-1, 3.95 in his last four starts. Peralta is 1-1, 1.88 in his last two.
-- Harvey is 2-2, 2.02 in his last five starts.

-- Chacin is 8-3, 2.12 in his last twelve starts.

-- Scherzer is 4-0, 1.82 in his last five starts. Chen is 2-0, 0.93 in six starts this season.
-- Redmond is 0-0, 2.40 in his last three starts.
-- Darvish is 3-0, 1.64 in his last three starts. Seattle won last four Ramirez (4-0, 6.04) starts, scoring 23 runs.
-- Oberholtzer is 2-1, 0.87 in three starts this season.
-- Red Sox won last six Dempster starts (1-0, 7.36), scoring 42 runs.

Cold pitchers
-- Koehler is 1-3, 5.01 in his last four starts.
-- Miley is 0-2, 3.33 in his last four starts.
-- Wainwright is 0-2, 4.50 in his last four starts. Jackson is 1-2, 5.12 in his last five.
-- Stults is 0-3, 6.75 in his last five starts.

-- Feldman is 0-2, 6.60 in his last three starts.

-- Archer is 0-2, 6.59 in his last three starts.
-- Santiago is 0-2, 4.97 in his last four starts. Deduno is 0-2, 5.60 in last three.
-- Kazmir is 1-1, 5.79 in his last three starts. Milone is 1-2, 6.05 in last four.
-- Vargas is 1-2, 5.48 in his last four starts.
-- Sabathia is 1-2, 7.76 in his last five starts.

Starting Pitchers/First Inning
You can wager on whether teams will score in the first inning. Below is how often a starting pitcher has allowed 1+ runs in first inning in one of his starts........
-- Bumgarner 3-24; Koehler 5-15 (1 of last 6)
-- Nolasco 7-24; Hamels 4-25 (1 of last 15)
-- Miley 7-24 (3 of last 6); Morton 2-11
-- Gonzalez 6-24 (0 of last 6); Teheran 7-23 (0 of last 9)
-- Bailey 3-24 (0 of last 6); Peralta 4-25 (0 of last 12)
-- Wainwright 7-25 (3 of last 5); Jackson 9-24 (3 of last 5)
-- Harvey 4-24 (1 of last 12); Stults 8-25 (4 of last 8)

-- Chacin 2-23 (0 of last 18); Feldman 5-22 (0 of last 6)

-- Chen 1-6; Scherzer 4-24 (0 of last 9)
-- Redmond 0-6; Archer 4-14
-- Santiago 4-16; Deduno 4-15 (0 of last 4)
-- Ramirez 3-5; Darvish 7-22
-- Oberholtzer 1-3; Vargas 1-15
-- Kazmir 6-21; Milone 6-22 (0 of last 5)
-- Sabathia 7-25; Dempster 8-23

Totals
-- Four of last five Cub games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last nine Arizona games went over total.
-- Five of last six Philly games stayed under total.
-- Three of last four San Francisco games went over.
-- Eight of last twelve Atlanta games stayed under total.
-- Ten of last twelve Cincinnati road games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 11-5-2 in last eighteen Met games.

-- Under is 5-1-2 in Colorado's last eight road games.

-- Under is 6-1-2 in last nine Kansas City games.
-- Six of last seven Boston games stayed under the total; six of Dempster's last seven starts went over.
-- Over is 6-2-1 in last nine Tampa Bay games.
-- Seven of last ten Seattle games went over the total.
-- Under is 8-3-1 in last twelve Minnesota games.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Oakland games.
-- 13 of last 16 Angel games went over the total.

Hot teams
-- Arizona won seven of its last ten games.
-- Dodgers are 42-8 in their last 50 games.
-- Giants won their last three games, scoring 24 runs.
-- Atlanta won 18 of its last 21 games. Washington won six of its last eight.
-- Cincinnati won eight of its last eleven games. Brewers won three of their last four games at Miller Park.

-- Rockies won six of their last eight games.

-- Royals won 10 of their last 13 road games.
-- Bronx Bombers won six of their last nine games.
-- White Sox are 5-3 in their last eight games.
-- Rangers won 15 of their last 18 games. Seattle is 5-3 in last eight on road.
-- Astros won three of their last five games.

Cold teams
-- Cubs lost five of last six games. St Louis is 8-15 in last 23, 4-2 in last six.
-- Pirates lost six of their last eight games.
-- Phillies lost seven of their last eight games, and didn't score in last two.
-- Miami lost ten of its last thirteen games.
-- Padres lost nine of their last thirteen games; Mets lost four of last six.

-- Orioles lost five of their last seven games.

-- Detroit lost six of its last ten games.
-- Red Sox lost six of their last nine games.
-- Tampa Bay seven of its last ten games; Toronto lost six of last ten.
-- Minnesota lost four of its last five games.
-- Indians lost eight of last twelve games. Oakland is 5-7 in its last twelve.
-- Angels lost 15 of their last 22 games.

Umpires
-- StL-Chi-- Under is 8-1-1 in last ten Cuzzi games.
-- SF-Mia-- Underdogs won 10 of last 18 Vanover games (last three over).
-- Az-Pitt-- Eight of last nine Estabrook games stayed under.
-- LA-Phil-- Five of last seven Hamari games stayed under total.
-- Cin-Mil-- Visiting team won 10 of last 13 Timmons games.
-- Wsh-Atl-- Over is 8-4-1 in last thirteen Bell games.
-- NY-SD-- Five of last six Davis games stayed under the total.

-- Col-Balt-- Favorites are 7-2, over 6-3 in Little games.

-- NY-Bos-- Six of last eight O'Nora games went over the total.
-- KC-Det-- Four of last five Davidson games went over the total.
-- Tor-TB-- Underdogs are 6-5 in last 11 Wendelstedt games, with four of last five going over the total.
-- Chi-Min-- Under is 3-0-1 in last four Bucknor games.
-- Sea-Tex-- 12 of last 15 Hernandez games went over the total.
-- Hst-LA-- Over is 7-1-1 in last nine Kellogg games.
-- Cle-A's-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Dimuro games.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Sunday, August 18

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Trend Report
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1:08 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. DETROIT
Kansas City is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 6 games

1:10 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. MIAMI
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games
San Francisco is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games when playing at home against San Francisco

1:35 PM
ARIZONA vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Arizona's last 9 games on the road
Arizona is 7-17 SU in its last 24 games on the road
Pittsburgh is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Arizona
Pittsburgh is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games

1:35 PM
COLORADO vs. BALTIMORE
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games on the road
Colorado is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Baltimore's last 6 games
Baltimore is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

1:35 PM
WASHINGTON vs. ATLANTA
Washington is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Washington's last 14 games on the road
Atlanta is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Atlanta's last 10 games when playing Washington

1:35 PM
LA DODGERS vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of LA Dodgers's last 21 games
LA Dodgers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games

1:40 PM
TORONTO vs. TAMPA BAY
Toronto is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Toronto's last 10 games when playing Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
Tampa Bay is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games when playing at home against Toronto

2:10 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. MINNESOTA
Chi White Sox are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Chi White Sox are 8-15 SU in their last 23 games
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox
Minnesota is 8-17 SU in their last 25 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox

2:10 PM
CINCINNATI vs. MILWAUKEE
Cincinnati is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Cincinnati is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Milwaukee's last 8 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
Milwaukee is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Cincinnati

2:20 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. CHI CUBS
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
St. Louis is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games on the road
Chi Cubs are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Chi Cubs's last 19 games when playing at home against St. Louis

3:05 PM
SEATTLE vs. TEXAS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing on the road against Texas
Seattle is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Texas
Texas is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas's last 6 games

3:35 PM
HOUSTON vs. LA ANGELS
Houston is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games
Houston is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
LA Angels are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games
LA Angels are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing Houston

4:05 PM
CLEVELAND vs. OAKLAND
Cleveland is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Cleveland is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Oakland
Oakland is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games at home
Oakland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland

4:10 PM
NY METS vs. SAN DIEGO
NY Mets are 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
NY Mets are 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Diego
San Diego is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against NY Mets
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Diego's last 9 games when playing at home against NY Mets

8:05 PM
NY YANKEES vs. BOSTON
NY Yankees are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 6 games when playing Boston
Boston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 8 games when playing at home against NY Yankees

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Sunday, August 18

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Sunday's MLB betting notes and tips
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NATIONAL

San Francisco Giants at Miami Marlins (+150, 7)

Hot pitching stat: Giants right-hander Madison Bumgarner reeled off 10 consecutive quality starts before lasting just four innings in his previous rain-delayed outing, lowering his ERA nearly a full point over that stretch.

Cold batting stat: Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton is hitting just .209 with three home runs and eight RBIs in 91 at-bats since the All-Star break.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-80s with a 20 percent chance of rain or thunderstorms. Wind will blow from right to left field at 14 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 11-2 in the Marlins' last 13 games against a team with a losing record.

Arizona Diamondbacks at Pittsburgh Pirates (-125, 7.5)

Hot pitching stat: Arizona right-hander Wade Miley has won five of his last six decisions and has allowed more than three runs in a game just once since the beginning of June.

Hot batting stat: Diamondbacks 1B Paul Goldschmidt is hitting .298 with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs in 58 road games so far in 2013.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow in from right-center field at 6 mph.

Key betting note: Pittsburgh is 9-25 in starter Charlie Morton's last 34 starts on four days' rest.

Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies (-107, 8)

Hot pitching stat: Dodgers right-hander Ricky Nolasco is 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA in five starts since joining Los Angeles in a July trade with the Miami Marlins.

Cold batting stat: Phillies 3B Michael Young is batting a paltry .196 with zero home runs and two RBIs in August.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with a 35 percent chance of rain. Wind will blow in from right-center field at 6 mph.

Key betting note: The Dodgers are 23-3 in their last 26 road games.

Washington Nationals at Atlanta Braves (-140, 7.5)

Cold pitching stat: Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez has had trouble with Atlanta in his career, going 2-5 with a 5.24 ERA in eight starts.

Cold batting stat: After belting nine home runs in April, Washington OF Bryce Harper has gone deep just eight times since.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s with a 70 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Wind will blow from right to left field at 6 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 6-0 in Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran's six starts on five days' rest.

Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers (+128, 8.5)

Hot pitching stat: Brewers RH Wily Peralta had his best start of the season in his last outing against the Reds, going the distance on a three-hit shutout back on July 9.

Hot batting stat: Milwaukee SS Jean Segura is a .322 career hitter in 59 at-bats against the Reds.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s with sunny skies. Wind will blow in from right-center field at 6 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 9-2 in Milwaukee's last 11 games against a division foe.

St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs (+154, OFF)

Cold pitching stat: Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright is 6-6 with a 4.57 ERA in 29 career appearances versus the Cubs.

Cold batting stat: None of Chicago's qualified hitters has a batting average above .250; Starlin Castro is the highest at .244.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s with sunny skies. Wind will blow from right to left field at 4 mph.

Key betting note: The over is 8-2 in Wainwright's last 10 road starts.

New York Mets at San Diego Padres (+120, 6)

Hot pitching stat: Mets right-hander Matt Harvey has allowed one or fewer earned runs in five of his last nine starts.

Hot batting stat: Padres 1B Yonder Alonso is .317 hitter in the familiar confines of Petco Park this season. Four of his six homers have also come at home.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to right field at 6 mph.

Key betting note: San Diego is 1-10 in its last 11 games against a National League East team.


AMERICAN

Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers (-177, 7.5)

Hot pitching stat: Tigers right-hander Max Scherzer tossed seven innings of two-run ball in his last encounter with Kansas City back on June 11, and has beaten the Royals twice in two meetings this season.

Hot batting stat: Royals 1B Eric Hosmer has 46 multi-hit games in 2013, second in the American League to Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (47).

Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow in from center field at 4 mph.

Key betting note: The Tigers are 22-4 in 26 Scherzer outings following a quality start in his previous game.

Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays (-156, 8)

Cold pitching stat: Rays right-hander Chris Archer is winless in his last three appearances, surrendering 10 earned runs over 13 2/3 innings in that span.

Hot batting stat: Blue Jays OF Jose Bautista is hitting .336 with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs in 30 games played indoors this season.

Weather: Dome.

Key betting note: The Blue Jays are 2-8 in their last 10 outings in the third game of a series.

Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins (-128, 8)

Cold pitching stat: White Sox lefty Hector Santiago is winless in nine appearances since June 21, despite recording four quality starts over that stretch.

Hot batting stat: Chicago 1B/DH Adam Dunn is hitting .313 in 96 at-bats since the All-Star break, 100 points higher than his first-half average.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-80s with sunny skies. Wind will blow from right to left field at 13 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 9-1-1 in Chicago's last 11 games against a team with a losing record.

Seattle Mariners at Texas Rangers (-280, 8.5)

Hot pitching stat: Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish has surrendered just five earned runs over his last five starts, going 4-1 with 50 strikeouts over that span.

Cold batting stat: Texas 2B Ian Kinsler is hitting .226 with one home run in 106 at-bats since the break. Kinsler batted .281 with nine homers in the first half.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-80s with sunny skies. Wind will blow in fro left field at 6 mph.

Key betting note: The over is 8-2-2 in the Mariners' last 12 games against a right-handed starter.

Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels (-170, 8)

Cold pitching stat: Angels right-hander Jason Vargas is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in 10 2/3 career innings against the Astros.

Cold batting stat: Houston is hitting .236 as a team, good for second-last in the majors.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out toward center field at 5 mph.

Key betting note: The Angels have won just three of their last 17 games against divisional opponents.

Cleveland Indians at Oakland Athletics (OFF, OFF)

Cold pitching stat: Athletics left-hander Tommy Milone struggled his last time out, surrendering six runs over just 3 2/3 innings in a loss to the Texas Rangers on August 2.

Hot batting stat: Oakland OF Yoenis Cespedes has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, with three home runs and six RBIs over that stretch.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with sunny skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 5 mph.

Key betting note: The under is 8-1 in the Indians' last nine road games against a team with a winning record.

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox (-133, 9.5)

Cold pitching stat: Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia was tagged for seven runs on nine hits over five grueling innings in his last encounter with the Red Sox back on July 21.

Hot batting stat: New York OF Alfonso Soriano tied a major-league record this week by racking up 18 RBIs in a four-game span.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow out to center field at 6 mph.

Key betting note: The over is 6-0 in Sabathia's last six starts.


INTERLEAGUE

Colorado Rockies at Baltimore Orioles (-145, 8.5)

Hot pitching stat: Rockies right-hander Jhoulys Chacin has allowed three runs or fewer in seven straight starts, surrendering just two home runs in that span.

Cold batting stat: Colorado SS Troy Tulowitzki is hitting .214 with one home run and six RBIs in August.

Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s with a 60 percent chance of rain. Wind will blow in from right-center field at 7 mph.

Key betting note: Colorado is 6-21 in its last 27 interleague games against a right-handed starter.


* Stats prior to Saturday's action.

** Odds, probable starters and weather forecast as of 7:50 p.m. ET Saturday.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Sunday, August 18

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Sunday Night Baseball: Yankees at Red Sox
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It’s an AL East rivalry as the Red Sox host the Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball.

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox (-133, 9.5)

C.C. SEE YA LOW ERA

CC Sabathia is 10-10 with a 4.66 ERA and 1.33 WHIP for the Yankees. The lefty has allowed 3 runs or more in seven straight games, including contests against light-hitting San Diego, Chicago, and Minnesota. He is coming off a victory against the Angels where he walked six batters which equaled the total he put up in his previous three starts. Sabathia was rocked in his last outing in Fenway back on July 21st giving up 7 runs and nine hits in five innings in an 8-7 Boston win. He did mix in a solid outing against the Red Sox back on May 31st where he struck out 10 in 7 1/3 innings of work.

RYAN LOOKING FOR RE-DEMP-TION

Ryan Dempster is 6-8 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.45 WHIP for the Red Sox. He has picked up no-decisions in seven of his last eight starts, including one against the Yankees at home on July 21st. He has struggled to get past the seventh inning; the righty has not done so in ten straight starts which puts pressure on the Boston bullpen. Dempster put forth a good effort in Toronto his last time out after allowing 12 runs and 16 hits against the Astros and Mariners in his previous two starts. Dempster’s only other start this season against New York came back on April 4th when he allowed 3 runs and five hits in five innings of work.

INJURY REPORT

The names on these injury reports would cripple a lot of teams. New York is still without Derek Jeter who is dealing with a calf injury. The shortstop is eligible to return on Sunday, but he will not play. New York is also without Travis Hafner, Francisco Cervelli, Kevin Youkilis, and Mark Teixeira. Youkilis hopes to return from his back injury before the season ends.

Boston has their injuries on the pitching staff. Clay Buchholz is on a rehab assignment and he could return in September. Matt Thornton, Andrew Bailey, Andrew Miller, and Joel Hanrahan are all out from the bullpen. Only Thornton is expected back from that group this season.

TRENDS

Yankees are 11-5 in Sabathia’s last 16 Sunday starts
Yankees are 22-6-1 Over in Sabathia’s last 29 Sunday starts

Red Sox are 6-0 in Dempster’s last 6 starts
Red Sox are 5-2 Over in Dempster’s last 7 home starts

HITTERS TO WATCH

Robinson Cano 2-for-8 vs. Dempster
Ichiro 2-for-9 vs. Dempster

Jonny Gomes 7-for-32 vs. Sabathia
David Ortiz 12-for-55 vs. Sabathia

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Sunday's six-pack

-- Josh Hamilton (5 years, $125M) hit a walkoff homer as the Angels beat Houston (total payroll $26,105,100) 6-5 in ten innings.

-- Arizona led the Cowboys 9-0 at halftime of a 12-7 win; Dallas turned the ball over five times, just in the first half.

-- Denver got crushed 40-10 at Seattle, which had a 107-year kick return and a 106-yard fumble return. Don't see that every day.

-- Mark Sanchez was 13-23 for 169 yards as the Jets beat Jacksonville in Swamp Stadium, 37-13. Jags have funky helmets; black in front and gold in the back. Their team still appears to be terrible.

-- Miguel Cabrera hit a walkoff tater as Detroit beat the Royals 6-5.

-- Phillies are 0-2 since firing Charlie Manuel, getting shut out both games. Maybe Charlie wasn't the problem.


*****

Armadillo: Sunday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday.........

13) Orioles' pitching coach Rick Adair has taken an indefinite leave of absence from his job, as Baltimore tries to stay in contention for a playoff spot; he will be temporarily replaced by bullpen coach Bill Castro, who is the Orioles' 10th pitching coaching in the last sixteen years.

12) Bad news for Butler's basketball team; Roosevelt Jones hurt his wrist on their Australia trip and will miss the entire season, the Bulldogs' first in the Big East. He is expected to return for the 2014-15 season. Jones is a glue guy who does a lot of (not so) little things that help a team win.

11) Arizona Rattlers won Arena Bowl 26, beating Philadelphia 48-39; it was great when there was an AFL team here in Albany, but the guy that was commissioner then wanted all the teams in NFL cities, because he hoped the NFL would buy the league, so the Firebirds moved to Indianaopolis, but it was an ill-conceived plan and the Firebirds folded a few years later.

Fact is, Arenaball does better in smaller places that are glad to have a minor league team in their city. Its a great night out-- Firebirds used to have a guy named Eddie Brown-- his son plays for the Steelers now. What a receiver this guy was-- he scored nine TDs in one game.

10) Best players to play against the Firebirds in those days? Iowa had a pretty good QB named Kurt Warner (he beat the Firebirds 77-76 one night) and Art Schlichter was really, really good in that league.

9) Raiders' kicker Sebastian Janikowski has tried 17 FGs of 57+ yards in his great career; no one else in NFL history has tried more than five.

8) Rays had less than 16,000 fans for a Friday night game during a pennant race; they had 11,792 fans for the Norfolk-Columbus minor league game Saturday night. Why doesn't the Bay Area support the Rays better?

7) Saints' backup QB Mike Griffin is a rare pro football player who is playing his NFL home games on the same field as his home college games, having played for Tulane, which shares the Superdome with the Saints.

If you like pro football and numbers, buy Pro Football Outsiders' book, which is full of great information. Here are a couple nuggets......
6) Last year, the Arizona Cardinals threw 26 passes to Larry Fitzgerald that went 20+ yards in the air; they completed two of them for 61 yards.

In 2009, Kurt Warner's last season, Arizona was 18-26 for 685 yards and six TD on passes that went 20+ yards in the air to Fitzgerald.

5) Houston Texans ran 74 plays last season inside their opponents' 10-yard line- they ran ball 50 times, threw it 24, which is why you see QB Matt Schaub downgraded in a lot of fantasy football ratings.

4) You know how baseball fans put up a "K" every time a home team pitcher strikes out a hitter? There are fans at Petco Park in San Diego who put up a "Q" every time a San Diego pitcher gets a hitter out in less than four pitches- they say thats more valuable than a strikeout. Interesting theory.

3) Greedy bastard update: Its not the oil companies today, who have gas holding steady at $3.89 a gallon at the station closest to my house, its the NFL, which charges $14.95 to watch exhibition games on your phone or IPad. Do these creeps have to make money on EVERYTHING?

2) Wild baseball game in Atlanta last night, took 5:29 to play; Nationals won 8-7, but not before both teams had another starting pitcher in at the end, four hours after Stephen Strasburg got tossed for throwing two balls behind an Atlanta hitter. In the second inning.

My fantasy league's playoffs started this week; imaging waiting all week for Strasburg to help your team, and he gets thrown out in the 2nd inning?

1) Difference in customer service: Last year I went into a Verizon store and asked if I could buy one of those little rags to clean my cellphone screen with; the guy went in the back, came out, handed me one and didn't charge me for it. Good guy, good employee.

Yesterday, having stupidly lost the little rag, I went into an AT&T store to buy another one; the woman there never looked up, just said, "No, I think Best Buy sells a kit."

When my cellphone contract is up in January, wonder which store I'll go to.

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday, August 18

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Kansas City - 1:08 PM ET Detroit -180 500
Detroit - Under 7 500

San Francisco - 1:10 PM ET San Francisco -170 500
Miami - Over 7 500

Colorado - 1:35 PM ET Colorado +141 500 POD # 1
Baltimore - Over 8 500

Arizona - 1:35 PM ET Pittsburgh -129 500
Pittsburgh - Over 7.5 500

Washington - 1:35 PM ET Atlanta -132 500
Atlanta - Under 7 500

LA Dodgers - 1:35 PM ET LA Dodgers -108 500
Philadelphia - Over 7.5 500

Toronto - 1:40 PM ET Tampa Bay -155 500
Tampa Bay - Under 8.5 500

Chi. White Sox - 2:10 PM ET Chi. White Sox +115 500 POD # 7
Minnesota - Over 8 500

Cincinnati - 2:10 PM ET Milwaukee +138 500 POD # 2
Milwaukee - Under 8 500

St. Louis - 2:20 PM ET Chi. Cubs +156 500 POD # 5
Chi. Cubs - Over 7 500

Seattle - 3:05 PM ET Seattle +241 500 POD # 4
Texas - Over 8 500

Houston - 3:35 PM ET Houston +165 500 POD # 3
LA Angels - Under 8.5 500

NY Mets - 4:10 PM ET NY Mets -133 500
San Diego - Over 6 500

NY Yankees - 8:05 PM ET NY Yankees +111 500 POD # 6
Boston - Over 9 500

[WThotrod]

Let's shake off what happened last night with some wins! I am on everything for $300 a piece. BOL, Stardust!

[WThotrod]

4-3 and I ended up winning $1,500. Nice comeback, Stardust! Underdog baseball!

[WThotrod]

Meant to say I won 1,000, not 1,500.

[StarDust Bum]

Congrats Rod......I really thought The Rockies could knock off the O's.......

[Udog]

4-3 and I ended up winning $1,500. Nice comeback, Stardust! Underdog baseball!

Congrats, WThotrod! Bum's fun to play with, isn't he? Try his CFL!

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mets (56-66) at Twins (54-68)
Game: 1
Venue: Target Field
Date: August 19, 2013 2:10 PM EDT


The New York Mets are in the midst of another disappointing season, but they've experienced some success in interleague games.

While hoping to get another strong outing from Dillon Gee, the visiting Mets will try to earn another win over an AL opponent in Monday's makeup game against the Minnesota Twins.

The Mets (56-66), likely headed for a fifth straight losing season, suffered their fifth loss in seven games Sunday, 4-3 in San Diego.

Gonzalez Germen was charged his first career blown save after allowing the tying run in the eighth inning, and Pedro Feliciano gave up Will Venable's walk-off homer in the ninth.

"That's baseball. We could have gotten this one, but we lost," Feliciano told the team's official website. "We've just got to go out and be ready for tomorrow."

Gee (8-8, 3.79 ERA) will try to help his club bounce back and improve on its 9-4 record in interleague play. That mark includes two wins in Minnesota from April 12-13.

The finale that Gee was scheduled to pitch was rained out, but New York would probably rather have the right-hander face the Twins now than back in April.

Gee started this season 0-3 with an 8.36 ERA but is 1-0 with a 1.74 ERA in his first three starts this month. He gave up two runs over six innings in his latest outing Wednesday at the Los Angeles Dodgers and left with a two-run lead the bullpen couldn't hold in a 5-4 loss in 12.

"Sometimes, things happen like that," Gee said. "We're playing hard. Things just didn't turn out the way we wanted."

In his first appearance against the Twins, Gee will face a team that's lost five of six and three in a row. Minnesota (54-68) had double-digit hits for the third time in five contests Sunday but went 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position in a 5-2 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

The Twins are 15 for 71 (.211) in those situations through seven of eight straight home games.

"It's not a different mentality with that or anything," second baseman Brian Dozier said. "You just have to bear down more and hopefully pitchers make mistakes in certain situations. It's something we've definitely got to get better at."

Kyle Gibson (2-3, 6.27) will try to help his team rebound while ending a five-game winless stretch. The right-hander gave up three runs over 5 1-3 innings Wednesday and did not get a decision in a 9-8 loss to Cleveland.

Daniel Murphy went 6 for 9 with two doubles and five RBIs in the two games against Minnesota in April. He's hitting just .221 in August, however.

The Mets can reach double-digit interleague wins Monday for just the second time since 2004. They won a franchise-best 13 games against the AL in 2010.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Rays (70-52) at Orioles (67-56)
Game: 1
Venue: Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Date: August 19, 2013 7:05 PM EDT


While the second-place Tampa Bay Rays continue to chase the AL East leaders, the Baltimore Orioles aren't far behind.

The Rays try to distance themselves from the Orioles as these division rivals open a three-game set Monday night at Camden Yards.

Tampa Bay (70-52) has followed a season-worst six-game losing streak by winning four of five, including Sunday's 2-1, 10-inning victory over Toronto. Evan Longoria hit his team-leading 24th homer before Jose Lobaton came through with a game-winning shot in extras.

"Walk-off homer, run the bases like that, is unbelievable," said Lobaton, who also delivered a walk-off triple in Friday's 5-4 win. "It's something that you want to do all the time. Hopefully it's not the last one."

Sitting just behind division-leading Boston, Tampa Bay now turns its attention to the Orioles (67-56). The Rays, who have hit .307 in taking five of the last six in the season series, are 3 1/2 games ahead of Baltimore.

"This time of year, you definitely want to win as many series as you can, especially when you're at home," Orioles All-Star first baseman Chris Davis said. "Every game is important down the stretch."

Davis went 4 for 5 with his major league-leading 45th homer as Baltimore beat Colorado 7-2 on Sunday. Adam Jones, who also went deep, posted his second consecutive three-hit effort.

"When those guys get rolling, sometimes you just hope they hit it at somebody," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said of Davis and Jones. "Most middles of the order in this league are tough to handle, and that middle of the order is about as good as anybody's. When they're swinging the bat well, it's going to be tough to get through it."

The Orioles will try to stay hot against Rays starter David Price (6-5, 3.28 ERA), who is 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA since the beginning of July. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner had surrendered three earned runs during a four-start stretch spanning 32 1-3 innings before yielding four in seven innings Wednesday in a 5-4 walkoff victory over Seattle.

"I wasn't able to make pitches," he said. "That's what I've been doing, but it's what I didn't do as well tonight, especially with two outs, and that's how innings start."

Price has mostly had his way against the Orioles, going 6-2 with a 2.60 ERA over 14 career starts. Jones is 5 for his last 29 with nine strikeouts versus Price, and Nick Markakis is 5 for his last 24.

The left-hander is 3-0 with a 3.20 ERA in seven career outings in Baltimore. He was, however, hit hard during his most recent visit, yielding five runs in six innings in a 10-6 defeat April 18.

The Orioles counter with Chris Tillman (14-3, 3.70), who ranks among the major league leaders in wins. He has limited opponents to a .222 average in winning six consecutive home starts, and Baltimore has won 13 of his last 15 overall.

The right-hander allowed two runs in six innings Wednesday and was in line for a fifth straight winning decision before Jim Johnson blew the save in a 5-4, 14-inning loss at Arizona.

Two of Tillman's three losses have come against Tampa Bay, which has taken him deep five times in three starts this year. He is 2-5 with a 4.77 ERA in 10 outings in the series.

Longoria has hit Tillman hard, going 8 for his last 16 with three homers and two doubles. Ben Zobrist also has three homers against him, but he's 5 for 26.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Rockies (58-67) at Phillies (54-69)
Game: 1
Venue: Citizens Bank Park
Date: August 19, 2013 7:05 PM EDT


After failing to even score in Ryne Sandberg's first two games at the helm, the Philadelphia Phillies finally delivered their interim manager his first big league win.

They will try to make it two in a row for the first time in a month when they open a four-game set against the visiting Colorado Rockies on Monday night.

Philadelphia (54-69) was shut out by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday and Saturday before taking Sunday's finale 3-2 in walkoff fashion. After reaching on Hanley Ramirez's throwing error in the ninth inning, Casper Wells scored the winning run when Ramirez bobbled a potential double-play grounder hit by Michael Young.

"We'll take it right now and hopefully build from that," said Sandberg, who took over after Charlie Manuel was fired Friday. "Hopefully it will give us momentum for the rest of the homestand."

Carlos Ruiz collected a season-high four hits and Darin Ruf added his sixth homer in 15 games for Philadelphia, which hasn't posted back-to-back victories since a three-game winning streak around the All-Star break from July 13-19.

"It's nice to get a win, in general," said Ruf, whose team improved to just 5-21 since July 20 - the worst record in baseball over that stretch. "Hopefully we can get rolling and get (Sandberg) a few more as well."

With baseball's hottest team leaving town, the Phillies now turn their attention to the Rockies (58-67), whom they have outscored 114-60 during a 16-3 run at home, excluding playoffs.

Philadelphia has won 28 of 36 regular-season meetings between the teams despite Colorado taking two of three at home in June.

The Rockies have been outscored 80-35 in losing 11 of 13 on the road and gone 7 for 50 with runners in scoring position their last eight games there. Colorado went 1 for 9 in such situations Sunday in a 7-2 loss at Baltimore.

"Yeah, pretty much what it usually comes down to when you don't score enough runs," first baseman Todd Helton said.

The Rockies now turn to Jeff Manship (0-2, 7.20), who has dropped both his starts since getting called up Aug. 8. After yielding two runs in five innings in a 2-1 road loss to the New York Mets, Manship was tagged for a career-high six runs in five innings Tuesday in a 7-5 defeat to San Diego.

"I'm telling myself out there, 'you're flying open,' but I'm just not making the adjustment. That's probably the most frustrating thing," he told MLB's official website. "Plain and simple, I wasn't executing anything. All I can take out of this outing that was positive was I was able to get to the fifth and save the bullpen."

Manship, who spent the first four years of his career with Minnesota before signing a minor league deal with Colorado this offseason, is 1-3 with a 6.08 ERA in eight starts. He has surrendered four runs in two relief appearances spanning 7 1-3 innings versus Philadelphia.

The Phillies give the ball to Ethan Martin (1-2, 6.28 ERA) for his fourth start since getting called up Aug. 2. The right-hander allowed three runs and six hits - including a two-run homer - in five innings Tuesday in a 3-1 loss at Atlanta.

"I'm just trying to leave a good impression," said the 24-year-old Martin, who is filling in for injured starter Jonathan Pettibone. "Of course I want to be here and do good. Whatever they have planned, I just want to leave a good impression with them."

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Dodgers (72-51) at Marlins (47-75)
Game: 1
Venue: Marlins Park
Date: August 19, 2013 7:10 PM EDT


The Los Angeles Dodgers couldn't extend their impressive win streak last time out.

Manager Don Mattingly's club could have a hard time bouncing back against 21-year-old phenom Jose Fernandez, who has been nearly untouchable over the last month.

In a matchup of star rookies, Hyun-Jin Ryu takes the mound opposite Fernandez as the visiting Dodgers open a four-game set against the NL-worst Miami Marlins on Monday night.

Los Angeles (72-51) had won a season-high 10 straight and an incredible 42 of 50 before suffering a 3-2 walkoff loss at Philadelphia on Sunday. Hanley Ramirez committed two costly errors in the ninth inning as the Dodgers dropped to 19-2 in their last 21 road games.

"It's tough to explain," said Ramirez, who spent six-plus seasons with the Marlins before getting traded to Los Angeles last July. "We don't think about negative stuff. We just move on. It's definitely tough, but games like this will happen."

While the Dodgers haven't lost back-to-back games since June 20 and 21, they could be in for a stiff test against Fernandez (8-5, 2.45 ERA), who ranks among the major league leaders in ERA, opponent batting average (.190) and strikeouts per nine innings (9.6). The All-Star right-hander has been especially dominant since mid-July, going 3-0 with a 1.54 ERA in his last six starts.

"He's going out there with the confidence of wanting to be the best pitcher in the league," manager Mike Redmond told MLB's official website. "You know what? He's making a case."

Fernandez threw seven innings of three-hit ball in Tuesday's 1-0, 10-inning victory at Kansas City.

"The kid's good, he's got three well-above average pitches, he commands them all, throws 'em all for strikes, knows what he's doing and has a good game plan up there," Royals' first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "He's a good pitcher, he's going to be sticking around for a long time."

Fernandez earned the win in his only matchup versus Los Angeles, yielding three runs and eight hits in six innings in a 5-4 road victory May 10.

Leading all rookies in wins, Ryu (12-3, 2.91) has also impressed in his first season in the majors. The left-hander is 6-0 in his last nine outings - all Dodgers victories.

The South Korea native surrendered one run and five hits in seven innings to win his fifth consecutive start Tuesday, outdueling New York Mets All-Star Matt Harvey in a 4-2 victory.

"Ryu is the game plan when you got a guy like Harvey out there," Mattingly said. "Hyun-Jin was obviously up to the challenge. I was looking to see how he was going to respond to this little matchup. In the games they've made a big deal of he's responded really well."

Ryu allowed one run in 6 2-3 innings to beat Miami 7-1 on May 11 in his lone matchup in the series.

The Marlins (47-75) suffered back-to-back losses to San Francisco before bouncing back Sunday with a 6-5 win. After going deep in the third inning, Jeff Mathis delivered a tiebreaking double in the eighth that deflected off Giants outfielder Andres Torres.

Los Angeles has hit .320 in taking nine of 13 from the Marlins.

Dodgers reliever Brian Wilson (Tommy John surgery) could be activated from the disabled list as soon as Monday. The three-time All-Star, who made four scoreless appearances during a minor league rehab assignment, hasn't pitched in the majors since April 2012, while with San Francisco.