Sunday's Trends and Indexes - 5/4 (MLB, NBA, NHL, Misc.)

[Udog]

MLB
Short Sheet

Sunday, May 4

Washington at Philadelphia, 3:05 ET
Gonzalez: 10-1 TSR as a road favorite
Hamels: 0-6 TSR in May game

LA Dodgers at Miami, 1:10 ET
Fife: LA DODGERS 11-2 UNDER in road games after a game where their bullpen blew a save
Fernandez: MIAMI 27-11 UNDER after 5 or more consecutive home games

San Francisco at Atlanta, 1:35 ET
Bumgarner: 5-13 TSR after 2 or more consecutive wins
Wood: ATLANTA 40-15 in home games after scoring 2 runs or less

Arizona at San Diego, 4:10 ET
Miley: ARIZONA 16-28 after having won 3 of their last 4 games
Ross: SAN DIEGO 11-4 revenging 2 straight home losses vs opponent

Milwaukee at Cincinnati, 4:10 ET
Lohse: 46-28 UNDER in all games
Simon: 18-7 UNDER after 3 straight games where the bullpen gave up no runs

NY Mets at Colorado, 4:10 ET
Gee: 16-10 TSR as a road underdog of +125 to +175
Chacin: COLORADO 14-4 OVER after a win

St Louis at Chicago, 8:05 ET
Lynn: ST LOUIS 60-28 after a loss
Hammel: CHICAGO CUBS 15-45 after allowing 2 runs or less

Tampa Bay at NY Yankees, 1:05 ET
Bedard: TAMPA BAY 6-19 after a loss by 6 runs or more
Sabathia: 158-57 TSR as a favorite of -150 or more

Chicago White Sox at Cleveland, 1:05 ET
Rienzo: CHI WHITE SOX 7-29 after scoring 1 run or less
Kluber: CLEVELAND 29-9 as a home favorite of -125 to -175

Oakland at Boston, 1:35 ET
Gray: OAKLAND 11-1 on the road when the total is 7 to 8.5
Lackey: BOSTON 4-11 after having won 2 of their last 3 games

Seattle at Houston, 2:10 ET
Maurer: SEATTLE 27-15 OVER after a win by 2 runs or less
Mchugh: HOUSTON 13-41 in day games

Detroit at Kansas City, 2:10 ET
Verlander: 18-22 TSR as a favorite of -110 or higher
Vargas: 19-8 TSR in May games

Baltimore at Minnesota, 2:10 ET
Gonzalez: BALTIMORE 35-23 OVER as a road underdog of +100 to +150
Hughes: MINNESOTA 9-2 OVER after a win

Texas at LA Angels, 3:35 ET
Darvish: TEXAS 63-31 against division opponents
Skaggs: LA ANGELS 17-25 after having won 3 of their last 4 games

Toronto at Pittsburgh, 1:35 ET
Mcgowan: TORONTO 42-65 when the money line is +125 to -125
Volquez: PITTSBURGH 17-7 in an inter-league game

[Udog]

NBA

Sunday, May 4

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Nets at Raptors: What bettors need to know
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Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors (-3, 188.5)

The Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors meet Sunday in Toronto in Game 7 of their first-round series, with the winner advancing to face defending NBA champion Miami. The Nets stayed alive with a 97-83 win at home on Friday, building a 26-point lead and hanging on in their most complete effort of the series. Brooklyn did it with the players on whom the franchise is leaning, as Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett combined for 65 points on 50 percent shooting.

The Raptors earned the right to decide this on their home floor but will have some pressure to make it hold up and bring the franchise its first playoff series win in 13 years, especially with the experienced Nets now oozing with confidence. Pierce said he loved his team's chances and reserve center Andray Blatche already guaranteed that Brooklyn will be moving on to face Miami, but Toronto's players were not backing down. "For us to have any doubt in our minds right now is not acceptable," Raptors forward Patrick Patterson told reporters following Game 6.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, ABC

ABOUT THE NETS: Some of the Game 6 performance can be credited to coach Jason Kidd's personnel shifts, which saw him replace Shaun Livingston with Alan Anderson - who had nine points and a team-high nine rebounds - in the starting lineup and stick with more experience off the bench. Kidd also relied on Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in the fourth quarter after sitting them in the final period in Game 5, and Garnett had a pair of big hoops to help fight off another fourth-quarter rally for Toronto. "(Kidd) wanted to mix it up a little bit, and it was a good call," said Garnett, who tied a series high with 13 points while playing 27 minutes, his highest total since Jan. 10.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS: DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry have carried Toronto much of the season and are averaging a combined 44.8 points in the series, but they could use a little help in Game 7. No other Raptor scored in double figures and the team as a whole shot 38.5 percent in the 83-point showing Friday night. Forward Amir Johnson has proven to be the most important complementary piece, averaging 14.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in Toronto's three wins, compared to 4.3 points and four boards in its losses.

TRENDS:

* Underdog is 4-1-1 ATS in the last six meetings.
* Nets are 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings in Toronto.
* Nets are 6-2 ATS in their last eight Sunday games.
* Raptors are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six games following a ATS loss.

BUZZER BEATERS:

1. Anderson is averaging 11 points in the last two games after totaling 13 on 5-of-15 shooting in the first four.

2. DeRozan and Lowry have combined to shoot 39.5 percent from the floor.

3. Raptors C Jonas Valanciunas is shooting 68.2 percent from the field and 61.2 percent from the line in the series.


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[Udog]

MLB

Sunday, May 4


Gibbons: Blue Jays 'shell-shocked'

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons admitted that his team was "a little shell-shocked" following another late-inning collapse in Saturday's 8-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Aaron Loup gave up three runs in the seventh inning and Todd Redmond served up the game-winning hit in the eighth Saturday, one day after Toronto squandered a two-run ninth inning lead in a 6-5 loss.

The Blue Jays led 5-0 in the fourth inning Saturday and 6-2 in the seventh.

Blue Jays relievers entered play Sunday with a combined 5.35 ERA -- the second-worst in the majors -- and five blown saves in 17 opportunities this season.


Cubs’ closer situation unsettled despite Hector Rondon’s success

Before the Cubs’ 3-0 victory Saturday over the Cardinals, manager Rick Renteria described his closer situation as fluid.

But then Renteria called on right-hander Hector Rondon to close for the second consecutive day. That seems more consistent than fluid.

Rondon finished the Cubs’ 6-5 victory Friday with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. On Saturday, he allowed hits to the first two batters before getting Jon Jay to ground into a double play. Rondon struck out Mark Ellis to earn his third save.