The Bum's Major League Baseball Best Bets-News,Trends For July !

[StarDust Bum]

Rated Plays As Of 07/07

*****.......................... 9 - 9 ...........................-0.96

DOUBLE PLAY...................6 - 10 ...........................- 5.12

TRIPLE PLAY....................9 - 13 ...........................-10.49


Tuesday, July 8

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Baltimore - 7:05 PM ET Washington -143 500
Washington - Over 8 500

NY Yankees - 7:05 PM ET Cleveland +143 500
Cleveland - Under 7.5 500

LA Dodgers - 7:08 PM ET Detroit -110 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Detroit - Over 8.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Chi. White Sox - 7:10 PM ET Chi. White Sox +146 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Boston - Under 9.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Atlanta - 7:10 PM ET Atlanta -149 500
NY Mets - Under 7 500

Chi. Cubs - 7:10 PM ET Cincinnati -108 500 *****
Cincinnati - Under 8 500

Kansas City - 7:10 PM ET Tampa Bay +103 500
Tampa Bay - Over 7 500

Houston - 8:05 PM ET Houston +130 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Texas - Over 10 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Philadelphia - 8:10 PM ET Philadelphia +156 500 *****
Milwaukee - Under 8.5 500

Pittsburgh - 8:15 PM ET Pittsburgh +107 500 *****
St. Louis - Under 7.5 500

San Diego - 8:40 PM ET San Diego -113 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Colorado - Under 10.5 500

Miami - 9:40 PM ET Miami +112 500
Arizona - Under 9 500

Toronto - 10:05 PM ET LA Angels -155 500 *****
LA Angels - Over 8.5 500

San Francisco - 10:05 PM ET San Francisco +132 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Oakland - Under 7 500

Minnesota - 10:10 PM ET Seattle -114 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Seattle - Under 7 500

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday's Tip Sheet

July 9, 2014

Yankees at Indians – 7:05 PM EST

Probable Pitchers:
NYY: McCarthy (3-10, 5.01 ERA w/ARZ)
CLE: Tomlin (5-6, 4.11 ERA)

Series recap: These two teams have split the first two games as the Indians knocked off the Yankees as +135 home underdogs on Tuesday, 5-3. New York won by that exact score on Monday as a ‘dog, as the Yankees are 8-2 in the last 10 meetings with Cleveland since 2012.

What to watch for: McCarthy makes his Yankees’ debut after getting traded from the Diamondbacks, as the righty is coming off consecutive road victories at Pittsburgh and San Diego. In spite of last night’s loss, the Yankees are 5-2 in their last seven road contests, while posting the ‘over’ in seven of the past 10 away games. The Indians own a 5-1 record in their last six Game 3’s of a home series, while winning five of their past six home contests against AL East opponents.

Nationals at Orioles – 7:05 PM EST

Probable Pitchers:
WSH: Fister (7-2, 2.93 ERA)
BAL: Norris (7-5, 3.62 ERA)

Series recap: Following Monday’s 8-2 victory in extra-innings by the Orioles at Nationals Park, bad weather postponed Tuesday’s contest until August. The Orioles have won six of the last seven meetings with their Beltway rival, as Baltimore cashed tickets of +175 with six runs in the 11th inning on Monday.

What to watch for: Norris makes his first start since June 21, as Baltimore has won each of the last four starts made by the righty prior to a stint on the disabled list. The Nationals have stumbled to a 4-7 record the last 11 road games since winning three straight at San Francisco in early June. Washington has compiled an 8-2 record in Fister’s past 10 starts, but both defeats came on the highway.

Royals at Rays – 7:10 PM EST

Probable Pitchers:
KC: Ventura (6-7, 3.07 ERA)
TB: Cobb (4-6, 4.28 ERA)

Series recap: Kansas City cruised past Tampa Bay on Monday, 6-0, but the Rays rebounded with a 4-3 home triumph on Tuesday. Tampa Bay is riding an 11-3 stretch the past 14 games, as the Rays look to improve on a 3-8 record in the last 11 matchups with the Royals.

What to watch for: The Royals have won three of Ventura’s four starts as an underdog this season, but the lone defeat came at home to Tampa Bay back in April in a 1-0 setback. Cobb has struggled at Tropicana Field, as the Rays have posted a 1-5 record in his six home starts, while the righty is facing the Royals for the first time since suffering a head injury on a line-drive last June that sidelined him for two months.

Pirates at Cardinals – 8:15 PM EST

Probable Pitchers:
PIT: Cumpton (3-2, 4.61 ERA)
STL: Lynn (9-6, 3.17 ERA)

Series recap: The Cardinals finished off a pair of victories over their division rivals with walk-off homers on consecutive nights. St. Louis topped Pittsburgh on Monday, 2-0 with a two-run homer, while receiving a solo shot from Kolten Wong in last night’s 5-4 triumph as -110 favorites. Pittsburgh suffered back-to-back road losses for the first time since late May against the Mets, while falling to 12-5 in the last 17 games overall.

What to watch for: St. Louis has cashed the ‘under’ in seven of Lynn’s previous nine starts, including five of the last six outings at Busch Stadium. The Pirates have dropped four of five visits to St. Louis this season, but Pittsburgh owns a 4-1 record in Cumpton’s five starts since the beginning of June.

Athletics at Giants – 10:10 PM EST

Probable Pitchers:
OAK: Hammel (8-5, 2.98 ERA w/CHC)
SF: Cain (1-7, 4.27 ERA)

Series recap: The A’s have cruised past the Giants in each of the first two contests of this four-game set. Oakland limited San Francisco to just one run in the two victories, while winning last night, 5-1 as -155 home favorites. The Bay Bridge Series has been owned by the A’s of late, as Oakland is 6-1 in the last seven meetings with San Francisco.

What to watch for: Hammel makes his Oakland debut after getting acquired from the Cubs this past weekend, as the righty was 5-5 in 10 away starts with Chicago. It’s been a tough season for Cain, as San Francisco is 0-5 in his past five outings in spite of allowing just two earned runs in his last two trips to the mound. The home-cooking has dried up for the Giants, who have put together a dreadful 3-14 record in the past 17 games at AT&T Park, while scoring two runs or less in seven of the last 10 home contests.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

-- Umpire Angel Hernandez always has someone mad at him; this time it wasn't the A's but the Giants. Seems like someone is always barking at him.

-- Cardinals got a walk-off homer vs Pittsburgh for the second night in row, with Kolten Wong homering in the 9th- Monday it was Matt Adams.

-- Yasiel Puig signed up for Home Run Derby; that should be interesting.

-- Todd Frazier will also be there; does that make him the first player to be in both the Little League World Series and Home Run Derby?

-- Orioles-Nationals were rained out, won't make it up until August 4th- teams are playing today/tomorrow at Camden Yards.

-- Bud Norris came off the DL, will start today for first place Baltimore.

**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Random mid-week thoughts........

13) Interesting college basketball articles on CBSSports.com this week, as summer recruiting starts; Gary Parrish wrote an article saying how five of the top 10 rated seniors in last year’s high school class are already in the NBA, eight of ten from two years ago. The cream of the crop doesn’t stay in college long at all; I still think college ball would be better off if kids could go straight from high school to the NBA and remove the farce of the top players pretending to be college students while they wait to be eligible for the NBA Draft.

12) Lipton Iced Tea has come up with a combo iced tea/lemonade to rival Arnold Palmer Iced Tea (made by Arizona Iced Tea); I’m here to tell you they’ve fallen short. Arnold Palmer is tremendous, and it is inexpensive ($1 for a 33-ounce can). Lipton’s version is little tangier. No contest, as far as I’m concerned.

11) 20 years ago, the CFL had a team in Baltimore, the Stallions; they played for two years and won the 1995 Grey Cup. CFL tried to expand into this country, which turned out to be an ill-fated idea; once the Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens, the CFL moved back north of the border, where it is a terrificly unique sport.

10) If you like to read into a team's body language, the Toronto Blue Jays are in deep trouble; they look like a beaten team, a team having no fun, even though they are a contender. It’s a long season, which is part of why Joe Maddon does so well managing the Rays—he is expert at lightening the mood when it needs to be.

9) Odd fact: Washington Nationals lost their last nine extra inning games that were at home, the longest such streak since the 1990 Braves.

8) You look at the three veterans who signed with teams after June 1: Stephen Drew, Kendrys Morales and Carlos Pena, they’re all struggling badly. Hard to get up to speed from a standing start against guys who have been into the season for two months, after a five week spring training- their agents did them wrong by holding out so long, except for Pena, who just wasn’t wanted by anyone until Texas got really desperate for a 1B.

7) Damn, the Florida Gators were 4-8 in football last year, are just 30-21 the last four years. Good thing their coach doesn’t get paid millions of dol--- oh wait, forget I said anything. Heads could roll in the Gators aren’t chomping more this fall.

6) In case you care about such things, Daisuke Matsuzaka has made eight starts for the Mets this year; the home team won all eight games.

5) Delonte West hasn’t played in the NBA the last two years, after scoring 11.5 or more ppg in three of four seasons from 2006-09; now he’s trying to make a comeback and will be on the Clippers’ summer league team in Las Vegas.

4) Adam Dunn hit his 435th home run Monday, a long bomb over the bullpen at Fenway; ironic that it put him past Red Sox icon Carl Yastrzemski on the all-time home run list, especially since it was his first-ever homer in Boston.

3) Cardinals won four of Adam Wainwright’s last five starts; a total of 11 runs were scored by both teams in the five games.

2) Last year I played fantasy football for the first time in over 20 years and, um, it didn’t go well. I used eight different QBs due to injury, and even lost the day Nick Foles threw seven TD passes for me in Oakland. Oy.

If we ever meet, never mention Matt Schaub to me…….lol I’m out for redemption this year, so we’ll keep you up-to-date how that goes.

1) Only 25 days until the NFL Hall of Fame game, Giants-Bills, which kicks off the NFL’s preseason. Summer goes by pretty fast, doesn't it?

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Houston at Texas
The Astros look to follow up last night's 8-3 in over the Rangers as they face a Texas team that is 2-12 in its last 14 games after allowing 5 runs or more in the previous game. Houston is the pick (+170) according to Dunkel, which has the Astros favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Houston (+170). Here are all of today's MLB picks.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9

Game 901-902: San Diego at Colorado (3:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Stults) 12.138; Colorado (Jurrjens) 14.589
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 2 1/2; 12
Vegas Line: Colorado (-110); 11 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-110); Over

Game 903-904: Miami at Arizona (3:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Miami (Eovaldi) 14.677; Arizona (Collmenter) 13.182
Dunkel Line: Miami by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Arizona (-130); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Miami (+110); Under

Game 905-906: Atlanta at NY Mets (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Santana) 14.715; NY Mets (Gee) 15.882
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1; 6
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-130); 7
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+110); Under

Game 907-908: Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Beeler) 15.527; Cincinnati (Simon) 17.190
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-180); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-180); Over

Game 909-910: Philadelphia at Milwaukee (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Hernandez) 15.167; Milwaukee (Lohse) 14.077
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-200); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+170); Under

Game 911-912: Pittsburgh at St. Louis (8:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Cumpton) 13.677; St. Louis (Lynn) 16.140
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 2 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-140); 8
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-140); Over

Game 913-914: Toronto at LA Angels (3:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Stroman) 16.303; LA Angels (Wilson) 15.484
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1; 7
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-160); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+140); Under

Game 915-916: NY Yankees at Cleveland (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (McCarthy) 15.855; Cleveland (Tomlin) 17.485
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (-115); Over

Game 917-918: Chicago White Sox at Boston (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Sale) 16.942; Boston (De La Rosa) 15.473
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-135); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-135); Over

Game 919-920: Kansas City at Tampa Bay (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Ventura) 14.855; Tampa Bay (Cobb) 13.885
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 6
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-140); 7
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+120); Under

Game 921-922: Houston at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Keuchel) 16.388; Texas (Darvish) 15.366
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Texas (-200); 8
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+170); Under

Game 923-924: Minnesota at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Gibson) 15.778; Seattle (Elias) 17.178
Dunkel Line: Seattle by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Seattle (-150); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Seattle (-150); Over

Game 925-926: LA Dodgers at Detroit (1:08 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Greinke) 15.549; Detroit (Scherzer) 14.448
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1; 6
Vegas Line: Detroit (-135); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (+115); Under

Game 927-928: Washington at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Roark) 13.286; Baltimore (Chen) 14.650
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-115); Over

Game 929-930: Oakland at San Francisco (10:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Hammel) 15.138; San Francisco (Cain) 13.772
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Oakland (-120); 7
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-120); Over

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, July 9

Padres-Rockies
Stults is 1-1, 2.19 in his last two starts.
Jurrjens gave up eight runs in 4.2 IP in his first '14 start.

Padres won six of their last nine games.
Colorado lost 18 of its last 22 games.

Nine of last ten Stults starts stayed under the total.

Marlins-Diamondbacks
Eovaldi is 1-3, 5.70 in his last five starts.
Collmenter is 3-1, 2.73 in his last four home starts.

Miami is 13-8 in its last twenty-one road games.
Diamondbacks lost six of their last nine games.

Nine of last twelve Arizona games stayed under total.

Braves-Mets
Santana is 2-0, 2.57 in his last couple starts.
Gee was 2-0, 1.35 in his last three starts before going on DL.

Braves lost last three games, after winning nine in row.
Mets won four of their last five games.

Three of last four Santana starts stayed under.

Phillies-Brewers
Hernandez is 0-3, 5.50 in his last three starts.
Lohse is 2-1, 3.77 in his last five starts.

Philly lost ten of its last fourteen games, but won last two.
Milwaukee lost seven of its last eight games.
Six of last eight Hernandez starts went over total.

Pirates-Cardinals
Cumpton is 3-0, 3.09 in his last five starts.
Lynn is 2-1, 0.87 in his last three home starts.

Pirates lost their last three road games, last two on walkoffs.
St Louis won five of its last seven home games.
Under is 8-2-1 in Cardinals' last eleven home games.

Cubs-Reds
Beeler allowed one run in six IP in his first MLB start.
Cincinnati won last seven Simon starts (3-0, 2.00 last five).

Cubs are 0-5 since Samardzija trade, scoring eleven runs.
Cincinnati won seven of its last eight home games.
Seven of last ten Cincinnati games stayed under total.

Blue Jays-Angels
Stroman is 1-0, 1.25 in his last three starts.
Wilson is 1-1, 7.27 in his last five starts.

Blue Jays lost ten of their last twelve road games.
Angels won 13 of their last 17 games; they're 11-1 in last 12 at home.

Twelve of last thirteen Toronto games stayed under.

Bronx-Indians
McCarthy was 2-0, 2.13 in his last couple starts for Arizona.
Tomlin is 0-3, 11.40 in his last three home starts.

Bronx Bombers won five of their last seven road games.
Indians won five of their last seven games.
Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Cleveland home games.

Royals-Rays
Ventura is 4-2, 2.52 in his last six starts.
Cobb is 2-2, 5.73 in his last four starts.

Royals lost three of their last four games.
Tampa Bay won 11 of its last 14 games.
Under is 4-1-1 in last six Stroman starts.

White Sox--Red Sox
Sale is 3-0, 2.89 in his last four starts.
de la Rosa is 1-0, 0.64 in his last two starts.

White Sox won five of their last six games.
Red Sox lost 13 of their last 18 games.

15 of last 20 games at Fenway Park stayed under.

Astros-Rangers
Keuchel is 0-2, 7.00 in his last three starts.
Darvish is 1-0, 2.77 in his last two starts.

Houston lost 15 of its last 21 games, but won last two.
Rangers lost nine of their last ten games.
Last five Texas games went over the total.

Twins-Mariners
Gibson is 1-2, 11.25 in his last three starts.
Elias is 0-2, 8.18 in his last couple starts.

Minnesota lost six of its last eight games.
Mariners won eight of their last eleven games.

Five of last seven Gibson starts stayed under.

Orioles-Nationals
Norris is 4-0, 2.55 in his last four starts.
Fister is 7-2, 2.88 in his last ten starts.

Orioles won seven of their last eight games.
Washington won seven of its last nine games.

Nine of last twelve Washington games went over.

Dodgers-Tigers
Greinke is 3-1, 3.04 in his last four starts.
Scherzer is 2-0, 1.71 in his last three starts.

Dodgers won seven of their last ten road games.
Tigers lost three of their last four games.

Six of last nine Scherzer starts went over total.

Giants-A's
Hammel was 2-1, 2.79 in his last three starts for the Cubs.
Cain is 0-4, 5.87 in his last five starts, 0-1, 1.35 in his last two.

Oakland won its last six games, allowing five runs.
Giants lost nine of their last twelve games.

Last six Oakland games stayed under the total.

Pitchers allowing runs in first inning:
-- Beeler 0-1; Simon 5-17 (1 of last 8)
-- Stults 6-18; Jurrjens 1-1
-- Eovaldi 7-18; Collmenter 8-15 (4 of last 5)
-- Santana 6-16 (3 of last 4); Gee 2-8
-- Hernandez 8-16; Lohse 7-17
-- Cumpton 2-9; Lynn 5-18

-- Stroman 2-7; Wilson 4-18 (1 of last 8)
-- McCarthy 4-18; Tomlin 3-11
-- Sale 1-13; de la Rosa 1-5
-- Ventura 4-16 (0 of last 6); Cobb 3-12
-- Keuchel 4-16; Darvish 3-16
-- Gibson 6-17 (3 of last 3); Elias 6-18

-- Fister 3-11; Norris 4-14
-- Greinke 3-18; Scherzer 6-18
-- Hammel 4-17 (3 of last 5); Cain 5-14 (1 of last 6)

Teams' record when this starting pitcher starts:
-- Beeler 0-1; Simon 14-3
-- Stults 7-11 (2-8 last 10); Jurrjens 0-1
-- Eovaldi 7-11 (1-6 last 7); Collmenter 9-6
-- Santana 8-8; Gee 4-4
-- Hernandez 6-10 (4 of last 6); Lohse 13-5
-- Cumpton 5-4 (4-1 last 5); Lynn 11-7

-- Stroman 3-4; Wilson 9-9
-- McCarthy (Az 4-14); Tomlin 5-6 (1-4 last 5)
-- Sale 9-4; de la Rosa 2-3
-- Ventura 7-9; Cobb 5-7
-- Keuchel 9-7; Darvish 11-5
-- Gibson 8-9 (1-3 last 4); Elias 9-9

-- Fister 3-11; Norris 4-14
-- Greinke 11-7; Scherzer 13-5 (5-1 last 6)
-- Hammel (Chi 10-7); Cain 4-10 (0-5 last 5)

Umpires
-- Chi-Cin-- Underdogs won 12 of last 15 Wegner games; over is 7-4 in his last eleven games.
-- Atl-NY-- Over is 10-3-1 in last fourteen Barber games.
-- Phil-Mil-- Favorites won eight of last nine Kellogg games.
-- Pitt-StL-- Underdogs won nine of last 13 Foster games.
-- SD-Col-- 11 of last 15 Fagan games stayed under total.
-- Mia-Az-- Over is 6-3-1 in last ten Tumpane games.

-- NY-Clev-- Over is 6-2-1 in Woodring games this season.
-- Chi-Bos-- Under is 12-4-1 in Eddings games this season.
-- KC-TB-- Eight of last eleven Diaz games went over total.
-- Hst-Tex-- Underdogs won eight of last ten Miller games.
-- Tor-LA-- Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Wolf games.
-- Min-Sea-- Four of last five Morales games went over.

-- LA-Det-- Over is 10-5 in last 15 TBarrett games; visitor won last six.
-- Wsh-Blt-- Eight of last eleven Iassogna games stayed under.
-- SF-A's-- Four of last five Ripperger games went over; dogs won last four.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Wednesday, July 9

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Trend Report
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1:08 PM
LA DODGERS vs. DETROIT
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 7 games when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of LA Dodgers's last 21 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 7 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games

3:10 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. COLORADO
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of San Diego's last 12 games
San Diego is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Colorado is 4-18 SU in its last 22 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games

3:35 PM
TORONTO vs. LA ANGELS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games on the road
Toronto is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Angels's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Angels's last 6 games at home

3:40 PM
MIAMI vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Miami's last 6 games on the road
Miami is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Arizona's last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Arizona's last 7 games when playing Miami

7:05 PM
NY YANKEES vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of NY Yankees's last 10 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
NY Yankees are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 2-5 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Cleveland's last 10 games when playing at home against NY Yankees

7:05 PM
WASHINGTON vs. BALTIMORE
Washington7-2-1 SU in its last 10 games
Washington is 1-5-1 SU in its last 7 games ,when playing Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Baltimore's last 18 games at home

7:10 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. TAMPA BAY
Kansas City is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Kansas City is 8-16 SU in its last 24 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Kansas City

7:10 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. BOSTON
Chi White Sox are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games when playing Boston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Boston's last 20 games at home

7:10 PM
CHI CUBS vs. CINCINNATI
Chi Cubs are 0-5 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games
Cincinnati is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games

7:10 PM
ATLANTA vs. NY METS
Atlanta is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Atlanta's last 11 games on the road
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Mets's last 5 games

8:05 PM
HOUSTON vs. TEXAS
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Texas
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games
Texas is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against Houston
Texas is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games when playing Houston

8:10 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. MILWAUKEE
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games on the road
Philadelphia is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Milwaukee's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 6 games when playing Philadelphia

8:15 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of St. Louis's last 25 games

10:10 PM
MINNESOTA vs. SEATTLE
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 5 games on the road
Minnesota is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games
Seattle is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota

10:15 PM
OAKLAND vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Oakland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing San Francisco
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oakland's last 6 games
San Francisco is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games at home
San Francisco is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Tuesday, July 8

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Three streaking MLB bets to watch before the All-Star Break
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The baseball season doesn’t offer players many breathers during the 162-game gauntlet from April to October. That’s why the MLB All-Star Break is always a big deal – even if guys aren’t featured in the annual showcase of baseball’s top talents.

Some teams are closing in on their division leaders and look at the final stretch before the break as a perfect time to put their heads down and go all out before some time off. Others clubs, the ones sliding back in the standings, are counting the days until time away from the diamond, clubhouse and probing media and may not be 100 percent focused on the schedule ahead.

Here are three teams to watch in the final week of MLB betting action before the All-Star Break.

Seattle Mariners (49-40, +956 units)

The Mariners are playing great ball with seven wins in their last 10 outings, heading into Tuesday’s home game against Minnesota. The pitching has been superb with Seattle giving up two or fewer runs in six of its last eight games, including two shutouts. The bullpen is the best in the majors - 2.45 ERA - with 28 saves and nine blown saves.

The M’s are third in the American League West – 7.5 games behind Oakland – and have a great opportunity to close that gap during an upcoming three-game showdown with the A’s at Safeco Field before the break.

Washington Nationals (48-40, -80 units)

The Nationals were a little slow going in the spring, especially in May, but have been picking up steam in the National League East. Washington is just half a game behind Atlanta heading into Tuesday’s interleague contest with Baltimore, having won seven of their previous 10 games.

The Nats stumbled Monday, giving up eight runs to the Orioles, but have been very stingy with the runs in recent outings. Before that loss, Washington allowed more than three runs just once in the eight games previous. The Nationals can push themselves ahead of the Braves during a road set in Philadelphia before the break – already winning four of six games versus the Phillies this season.

San Diego Padres (40-49, -1062 units)

Could one of the worst bets in baseball suddenly be on the rise? The Padres have been plagued by poor hitting all season – ranked 30th in the bigs – but their bats have come to life in recent outings. San Diego scored eight runs on July 1 and put six on the board in Colorado Monday, giving backers their sixth win in the past 10 games – a haul of +348 units.

Of course, Coors Field could have something to do with that Monday result. But so could getting out of power-sucking Petco Park, which is among the most pitcher-friendly parks in America. The Padres could enjoy life on the road before the break. They head into the All-Star hiatus off a four-game road series against the Dodgers, who have four players looking past San Diego and to the ASG in Minnesota.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Wednesday, July 9


What trend was hot on the diamond Tuesday night?

It was another good night to be backing underdogs against the runline in Major League Baseball action Tuesday night.

Underdogs put up an impressive 12-3 mark against the runline, good for a success rate of 80 percent. Dogs against the runline have been one of baseball's best bets, still hitting over 60 percent of the time for the season.


Yankees' Carlos Beltran, questionable Wednesday

Beltran is dealing with swelling in his right knee which caused him to miss the last two games. He is questionable to return on Wednesday against the Indians.


Rainout means Nationals will skip Roark's turn

The first player to pop into the office of Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams after Tuesday's game was rained out was Doug Fister, the scheduled pitcher for that night's game against the Baltimore Orioles.

"What is the plan?" said Fister, according to Williams.

The plan is for Fister to start Wednesday against the Orioles when the series moves to Baltimore.

Fellow right-hander Bud Norris, who was set to start for the Orioles at Nationals Park on Tuesday, will make the start Wednesday at Camden Yards. Baltimore lefty Wei-Yin Chen was originally slated to start Wednesday.

Tuesday's game was called after a delay of more than 2 1/2 hours. It will be made up at Nationals Park on Aug. 4, a mutual off day for both teams. The game time was not set.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Wednesday, July 9

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MLB betting cheat sheet
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Tanaka Tumbles to Earth

New York Yankees hurler Masahiro Tanaka suffered his third loss in the past four games Tuesday, allowing five runs over 6 2/3 frames in a 5-3 defeat in Cleveland (+143, 7.5 O). Tanaka's value has taken a hit as a result; he was once ranked in the top-10 but now finds himself 27th ($465).

Great Scott

Lefty Scott Kazmir takes the hill Thursday as the Oakland Athletics wrap up a four-game interleague series in San Francisco. Kazmir has been lights-out at home (6-1, 1.57 ERA, 1-7 O/U) but less so away from Oakland, going 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA and a 6-3 O/U mark in nine road starts.

Pitching Notes

* Washington starter Tanner Roark would like to reverse his ugly road trend Wednesday as he leads the Nationals (+108, 9) into Baltimore. Roark is 3-2 with a 4.44 ERA and a 6-1-1 O/U record away from Nationals Park, compared to a 4-4 record, a 2.02 ERA and a 2-6-1 record at home.

* Boston Red Sox lefty Jon Lester has caught fire of late, surrendering just five earned runs over his last five starts - a span of 37 2/3 innings. Lester and the Red Sox, who are 5-0 SU and 1-4 O/U in those outings, take on the visiting Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon.

Hitting Notes

* Miami Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna continued his surprising season Tuesday, belting his 15th home run in the ninth inning of a 2-1 win over Arizona. Miami improved to 8-7 SU and 9-4-2 O/U when Ozuna goes deep entering Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks (-125, 8.5).

* Lester may be streaking, but he'll need to be wary of veteran Paul Konerko on Thursday afternoon. The White Sox DH/first baseman is 10-for-28 lifetime versus the Red Sox ace, with three home runs and seven RBIs.

Totals Streak

Oakland Athletics (7-2-1 O/U): The only thing keeping this from being an 8-1-1 stretch for the best team in baseball is a pair of eighth-inning runs scored in Tuesday's 6-1 triumph that nudged the total just past 6.5. The Athletics are 43-43-4 O/U on the season.

Injury Notes

* Atlanta hopes to have injured catcher Evan Gattis (back) participating in bullpen sessions over the weekend. The Braves are 8-3 S/U, 5-6 O/U and a surprising +368 units in 11 games since Gattis went down with the injury.

Weather Watch

* Wind will be blowing out to left field at 9 mph Wednesday evening at Fenway Park, where the Red Sox host the White Sox. Teams combined to hit just seven home runs in six games under similar wind conditions in 2013.

Umpire Note of the Day

The home team is 10-1 in umpire Andy Fletcher's last 11 games involving Cincinnati. Fletcher will call the balls and strikes Wednesday when the Reds (-176, 7.5) host the Chicago Cubs.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Wednesday, July 9

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SAN DIEGO (40 - 50) at COLORADO (38 - 53) - 3:10 PM
ERIC STULTS (L) vs. JAIR JURRJENS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN DIEGO is 40-50 (-11.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN DIEGO is 40-50 (-11.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN DIEGO is 30-42 (-14.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN DIEGO is 13-22 (-11.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
COLORADO is 38-53 (-14.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
COLORADO is 196-261 (-72.1 Units) against the money line in July games since 1997.
COLORADO is 38-53 (-14.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
COLORADO is 46-83 (-32.8 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 45-65 (-23.0 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 46-60 (-24.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
COLORADO is 5-4 (+0.9 Units) against SAN DIEGO this season
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.6 Units)

ERIC STULTS vs. COLORADO since 1997
STULTS is 3-1 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 3.95 and a WHIP of 1.528.
His team's record is 8-1 (+7.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-3. (+1.7 units)

JAIR JURRJENS vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
JURRJENS is 4-1 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 3.23 and a WHIP of 1.359.
His team's record is 4-2 (+0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-3. (+0.0 units)

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MIAMI (44 - 46) at ARIZONA (38 - 54) - 3:40 PM
NATHAN EOVALDI (R) vs. JOSH COLLMENTER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 33-58 (-23.9 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 3 seasons.
MIAMI is 115-173 (-43.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 38-54 (-15.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ARIZONA is 14-24 (-11.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
ARIZONA is 4-10 (-9.6 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -125 to -150 this season.
ARIZONA is 16-29 (-17.0 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
ARIZONA is 11-19 (-9.6 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
ARIZONA is 38-54 (-15.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ARIZONA is 14-22 (-11.8 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters this season.
ARIZONA is 48-55 (-22.2 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss over the last 3 seasons.
ARIZONA is 29-32 (-15.2 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 1-1 (+0.1 Units) against ARIZONA this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.1 Units, Under=-0.2 Units)

NATHAN EOVALDI vs. ARIZONA since 1997
EOVALDI is 2-0 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 2.65 and a WHIP of 1.059.
His team's record is 2-1 (+2.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-3. (-3.4 units)

JOSH COLLMENTER vs. MIAMI since 1997
No recent starts.

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ATLANTA (49 - 41) at NY METS (41 - 49) - 7:10 PM
ERVIN SANTANA (R) vs. DILLON GEE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SANTANA is 16-24 (-14.7 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday since 1997. (Team's Record)
SANTANA is 16-25 (-14.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GEE is 10-2 (+11.2 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday since 1997. (Team's Record)
ATLANTA is 39-23 (+15.6 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 72-37 (+33.8 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
NY METS are 41-60 (-20.3 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 17-33 (-13.8 Units) against the money line as a home underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 54-70 (-20.3 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 289-307 (-89.7 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents since 1997.
NY METS are 54-70 (-20.3 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 49-72 (-29.4 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 3 seasons.
NY METS are 18-34 (-19.6 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 27-59 (-22.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY METS is 5-6 (-0.3 Units) against ATLANTA this season
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-1.1 Units)

ERVIN SANTANA vs. NY METS since 1997
SANTANA is 3-0 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 0.86 and a WHIP of 0.905.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-0. (+2.1 units)

DILLON GEE vs. ATLANTA since 1997
GEE is 4-4 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 2.95 and a WHIP of 1.118.
His team's record is 6-6 (+2.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-10. (-9.4 units)

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CHICAGO CUBS (38 - 51) at CINCINNATI (48 - 42) - 7:10 PM
DALLAS BEELER (R) vs. ALFREDO SIMON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 165-249 (-48.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 40-79 (-26.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 165-249 (-48.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 74-118 (-33.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 49-42 (+6.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CINCINNATI is 27-12 (+13.3 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 26-15 (+9.8 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
CINCINNATI is 49-42 (+6.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SIMON is 15-3 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
SIMON is 8-0 (+8.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season. (Team's Record)
SIMON is 15-3 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
SIMON is 10-1 (+10.0 Units) against the money line after a win this season. (Team's Record)
SIMON is 10-0 (+11.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season. (Team's Record)
CHICAGO CUBS are 32-28 (+14.5 Units) against the money line in July games over the last 3 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 345-370 (-94.0 Units) against the money line in home games after a win since 1997.
CINCINNATI is 13-21 (-15.4 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
CINCINNATI is 353-316 (-75.4 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
CINCINNATI is 8-3 (+3.7 Units) against CHICAGO CUBS this season
6 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.1 Units)

DALLAS BEELER vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
No recent starts.

ALFREDO SIMON vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
SIMON is 2-0 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 1.42 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-3. (-3.2 units)

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PHILADELPHIA (39 - 51) at MILWAUKEE (52 - 39) - 8:10 PM
ROBERTO HERNANDEZ (R) vs. KYLE LOHSE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 112-140 (-29.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 11-28 (-19.5 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 112-138 (-27.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 81-108 (-29.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
HERNANDEZ is 15-25 (-11.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HERNANDEZ is 6-18 (-13.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MILWAUKEE is 52-39 (+9.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MILWAUKEE is 52-37 (+11.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
MILWAUKEE is 88-77 (+16.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 94-90 (+8.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
LOHSE is 53-34 (+18.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
LOHSE is 53-34 (+18.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
LOHSE is 23-12 (+12.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
PHILADELPHIA is 12-8 (+9.4 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 376-351 (+41.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
MILWAUKEE is 3-2 (+0.0 Units) against PHILADELPHIA this season
4 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.1 Units)

ROBERTO HERNANDEZ vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
HERNANDEZ is 0-0 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 5.40 and a WHIP of 1.600.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.4 units)

KYLE LOHSE vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
LOHSE is 5-5 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 3.42 and a WHIP of 1.229.
His team's record is 6-9 (-2.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 7-8. (-2.2 units)

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PITTSBURGH (47 - 43) at ST LOUIS (49 - 42) - 8:15 PM
BRANDON CUMPTON (R) vs. LANCE LYNN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 103-231 (-68.1 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.
ST LOUIS is 25-6 (+15.9 Units) against the money line in home games in July games over the last 3 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 121-75 (+25.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 401-276 (+56.1 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
ST LOUIS is 22-9 (+11.6 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 144-114 (+24.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 142-113 (+23.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 97-64 (+27.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 120-95 (+23.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 65-48 (+17.1 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 22-26 (-9.6 Units) against the money line after a win this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 6-5 (+0.1 Units) against PITTSBURGH this season
6 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.5 Units)

BRANDON CUMPTON vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
CUMPTON is 1-0 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.571.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

LANCE LYNN vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
LYNN is 4-4 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 5.64 and a WHIP of 1.484.
His team's record is 6-5 (-0.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-8. (-6.1 units)

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TORONTO (48 - 44) at LA ANGELS (52 - 37) - 3:35 PM
MARCUS STROMAN (R) vs. C.J. WILSON (L)
Top Trends for this game.
LA ANGELS are 31-11 (+17.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
LA ANGELS are 22-6 (+14.4 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
LA ANGELS are 430-357 (+53.3 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997.
LA ANGELS are 26-11 (+14.2 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
LA ANGELS are 146-129 (-61.8 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -150 to -175 since 1997.
LA ANGELS are 122-119 (-19.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 52-72 (-22.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 4-2 (+1.5 Units) against TORONTO this season
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.9 Units)

MARCUS STROMAN vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
No recent starts.

C.J. WILSON vs. TORONTO since 1997
WILSON is 2-3 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 4.32 and a WHIP of 1.340.
His team's record is 3-5 (-2.9 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-6. (-4.7 units)

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NY YANKEES (45 - 44) at CLEVELAND (44 - 45) - 7:05 PM
BRANDON MCCARTHY (R) vs. JOSH TOMLIN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY YANKEES are 23-29 (-11.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
MCCARTHY is 4-14 (-11.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
MCCARTHY is 2-12 (-12.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MCCARTHY is 4-14 (-11.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
MCCARTHY is 11-21 (-11.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CLEVELAND is 136-116 (+20.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 77-48 (+21.4 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 130-110 (+18.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 52-26 (+20.1 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CLEVELAND is 1-1 (+0.0 Units) against NY YANKEES this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.1 Units)

BRANDON MCCARTHY vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
MCCARTHY is 5-3 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 3.23 and a WHIP of 1.283.
His team's record is 5-4 (+2.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-6. (-3.2 units)

JOSH TOMLIN vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
TOMLIN is 2-2 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 6.14 and a WHIP of 1.273.
His team's record is 2-2 (+1.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-2. (-2.3 units)

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CHI WHITE SOX (44 - 47) at BOSTON (39 - 51) - 7:10 PM
CHRIS SALE (L) vs. RUBBY DE LA ROSA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHI WHITE SOX are 102-140 (-24.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
CHI WHITE SOX are 43-60 (-18.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
CHI WHITE SOX are 44-47 (+8.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
CHI WHITE SOX are 31-28 (+12.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
CHI WHITE SOX are 512-534 (+40.9 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters since 1997.
CHI WHITE SOX are 358-352 (+38.5 Units) against the money line in road games after a win since 1997.
CHI WHITE SOX are 106-85 (+31.4 Units) against the money line in road games after 3 or more consecutive wins since 1997.
BOSTON is 39-52 (-24.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
BOSTON is 21-27 (-16.5 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
BOSTON is 1-6 (-9.3 Units) against the money line in July games this season.
BOSTON is 37-48 (-22.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
BOSTON is 29-36 (-14.7 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
BOSTON is 22-27 (-11.5 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
BOSTON is 12-23 (-18.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHI WHITE SOX is 3-2 (+2.8 Units) against BOSTON this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.8 Units)

CHRIS SALE vs. BOSTON since 1997
SALE is 0-0 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 1.29 and a WHIP of 0.571.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

RUBBY DE LA ROSA vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
No recent starts.

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KANSAS CITY (46 - 43) at TAMPA BAY (42 - 51) - 7:10 PM
YORDANO VENTURA (R) vs. ALEX COBB (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 27-7 (+16.1 Units) against the money line in July games over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 67-60 (+11.4 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 36-24 (+16.6 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 42-51 (-22.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 9-14 (-11.3 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less this season.
TAMPA BAY is 20-26 (-17.2 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 7-12 (-10.9 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 7 or less this season.
TAMPA BAY is 20-26 (-17.2 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome this season.
TAMPA BAY is 25-34 (-17.9 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 20-29 (-20.3 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf this season.
TAMPA BAY is 31-35 (-13.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
TAMPA BAY is 10-16 (-12.5 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 3-2 (+1.1 Units) against TAMPA BAY this season
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.0 Units)

YORDANO VENTURA vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
VENTURA is 0-0 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.333.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.1 units)

ALEX COBB vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
COBB is 1-2 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 5.04 and a WHIP of 1.440.
His team's record is 2-2 (-0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-2. (+0.0 units)

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HOUSTON (38 - 54) at TEXAS (38 - 52) - 8:05 PM
DALLAS KEUCHEL (L) vs. YU DARVISH (R)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 38-92 (-39.2 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 11-47 (-27.9 Units) against the money line in July games over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 38-52 (-15.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
TEXAS is 18-25 (-11.7 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
TEXAS is 12-22 (-16.6 Units) against the money line in July games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 37-50 (-14.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
TEXAS is 24-40 (-18.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
TEXAS is 10-16 (-8.9 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss this season.
TEXAS is 12-19 (-9.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
HOUSTON is 5-3 (+3.4 Units) against TEXAS this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.7 Units)

DALLAS KEUCHEL vs. TEXAS since 1997
KEUCHEL is 1-2 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.195.
His team's record is 2-4 (-0.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-3. (-1.6 units)

YU DARVISH vs. HOUSTON since 1997
DARVISH is 4-1 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 2.29 and a WHIP of 0.745.
His team's record is 6-1 (+2.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-2. (+2.9 units)

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MINNESOTA (40 - 49) at SEATTLE (49 - 41) - 10:10 PM
KYLE GIBSON (R) vs. ROENIS ELIAS (L)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 21-46 (-22.2 Units) against the money line in road games after shutting out their opponent since 1997.
SEATTLE is 49-41 (+9.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 38-36 (+16.0 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +150 over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 58-68 (-21.4 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 5-13 (-11.0 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Wednesday over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 58-68 (-21.4 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 39-51 (-22.4 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 35-46 (-17.9 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 54-64 (-21.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 322-299 (-74.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 3-2 (+1.0 Units) against SEATTLE this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

KYLE GIBSON vs. SEATTLE since 1997
GIBSON is 1-1 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 4.50 and a WHIP of 1.333.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-2. (-2.3 units)

ROENIS ELIAS vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
ELIAS is 0-1 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 5.14 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

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LA DODGERS (51 - 41) at DETROIT (49 - 37) - 1:05 PM
ZACK GREINKE (R) vs. MAX SCHERZER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
GREINKE is 56-84 (-32.0 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997. (Team's Record)
SCHERZER is 39-14 (+18.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SCHERZER is 21-3 (+14.5 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SCHERZER is 21-3 (+14.5 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LA DODGERS are 16-4 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in road games in July games over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 16-4 (+11.7 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss this season.
GREINKE is 34-15 (+15.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 34-15 (+15.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 18-3 (+14.8 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
DETROIT is 147-112 (-14.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 14-19 (-17.3 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Wednesday over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 52-46 (-17.9 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 143-109 (-15.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 12-17 (-12.5 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters this season.
DETROIT is 42-36 (-21.6 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 2-1 (+0.8 Units) against LA DODGERS this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.7 Units)

ZACK GREINKE vs. DETROIT since 1997
GREINKE is 12-6 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 2.83 and a WHIP of 1.147.
His team's record is 14-10 (+5.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 10-14. (-4.9 units)

MAX SCHERZER vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
SCHERZER is 1-3 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 4.19 and a WHIP of 1.215.
His team's record is 1-5 (-3.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-0. (+4.2 units)

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WASHINGTON (48 - 40) at BALTIMORE (49 - 40) - 7:05 PM
DOUG FISTER (R) vs. BUD NORRIS (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BALTIMORE is 1-0 (+1.8 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

DOUG FISTER vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
FISTER is 3-2 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 5.30 and a WHIP of 1.374.
His team's record is 3-3 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-0. (+4.0 units)

BUD NORRIS vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
NORRIS is 2-0 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.474.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

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OAKLAND (57 - 33) at SAN FRANCISCO (49 - 41) - 10:15 PM
JASON HAMMEL (R) vs. MATT CAIN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 106-95 (+16.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 57-33 (+15.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
OAKLAND is 72-56 (+16.7 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 40-17 (+23.0 Units) against the money line in July games over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 22-8 (+12.7 Units) against the money line in an inter-league game over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 55-29 (+17.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
OAKLAND is 36-20 (+10.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
OAKLAND is 165-114 (+46.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 37-18 (+14.0 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
OAKLAND is 73-49 (+22.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 27-14 (+14.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
HAMMEL is 8-2 (+7.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 61-68 (-20.2 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 39-46 (-21.8 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 11-22 (-16.3 Units) against the money line in July games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 72-86 (-23.2 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
CAIN is 15-29 (-21.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CAIN is 9-20 (-16.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CAIN is 8-15 (-13.3 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CAIN is 15-29 (-21.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
OAKLAND is 2-0 (+2.0 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.0 Units)

JASON HAMMEL vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
HAMMEL is 0-2 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.14 and a WHIP of 1.171.
His team's record is 3-5 (-2.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-3. (+1.8 units)

MATT CAIN vs. OAKLAND since 1997
CAIN is 3-5 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 2.11 and a WHIP of 0.922.
His team's record is 3-7 (-4.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-7. (-5.1 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Rated Plays As Of 07/08

*****.......................... 11 - 11...........................-0.97

DOUBLE PLAY...................10 - 10 ...........................+ 3.48

TRIPLE PLAY....................10 - 17 ...........................-18.92



Wednesday, July 9

Game Score Status Pick Amount

LA Dodgers - 1:08 PM ET LA Dodgers +111 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Detroit - Over 7.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY

San Diego - 3:10 PM ET Colorado -109 500

Colorado - Over 11.5 500

Toronto - 3:35 PM ET Toronto +140 500 *****

LA Angels - Over 8 500

Miami - 3:40 PM ET Miami +115 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Arizona - Under 8.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

[StarDust Bum]

Night Best Bets:


Washington - 7:05 PM ET Baltimore -114 500 *****
Baltimore - Under 8 500

NY Yankees - 7:05 PM ET Cleveland -127 500 TRIPLE PLAY
Cleveland - Over 8 500

Chi. White Sox - 7:10 PM ET Chi. White Sox -111 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Boston - Under 7.5 500

Atlanta - 7:10 PM ET Atlanta -114 500
NY Mets - Over 7 500

Chi. Cubs - 7:10 PM ET Cincinnati -151 500
Cincinnati - Over 7.5 500

Kansas City - 7:10 PM ET Kansas City +115 500
Tampa Bay - Over 6.5 500

Houston - 8:05 PM ET Houston +183 500 DOUBLE PLAY
Texas - Over 8 500

Philadelphia - 8:10 PM ET Milwaukee -182 500
Milwaukee - Under 8 500

Pittsburgh - 8:15 PM ET Pittsburgh +126 500 TRIPLE PLAY
St. Louis - Over 7.5 500

Minnesota - 10:10 PM ET Minnesota +131 500
Seattle - Under 7.5 500

Oakland - 10:15 PM ET Oakland -120 500
San Francisco - Over 7 500

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday's Tip Sheet

July 9, 2014

Nationals at Orioles – 7:05 PM EST

Probable Pitchers:
WSH: Gonzalez (6-4, 3.52 ERA)
BAL: Chen (8-3, 4.12 ERA)

Series recap: The Nationals rebounded from Monday’s 8-2 extra-innings loss to the Orioles by cruising past Baltimore last night, 6-2 as short underdogs. The victory by Washington was just the second in the last seven meetings with Baltimore dating back to 2012, as the Nats last won at Camden Yards prior to Wednesday on June 23, 2012.

What to watch for: Since coming off the disabled list, the Nationals have won each of Gonzalez’s four starts, while the southpaw hasn’t allowed a run in his last three outings. The Orioles have alternated wins and losses in each of Chen’s last eight trips to the mound, coming off a victory over the Rangers as a home underdog in his previous start.

Braves at Mets – 7:10 PM EST

Probable Pitchers:
ATL: Harang (8-6, 3.67 ERA)
NYM: Colon (8-7, 4.04 ERA)

Series recap: The Mets extended their season-high winning streak to four games after taking care of the Braves, 4-1 as +110 underdogs. Since knocking off Atlanta in walk-off fashion in the series opener, the Mets have outscored the Braves in the last two victories, 12-4, while winning each of the past four home meetings with their NL East rivals.

What to watch for: The Braves have won each of Harang’s last three starts, while tossing seven no-hit innings in a 6-0 triumph at Citi Field over the Mets in mid-April. The Mets have cashed the ‘over’ in five of Colon’s past seven trips to the mound, while splitting a pair of starts made by the veteran right-hander against Atlanta this season.

Pirates at Cardinals – 7:15 PM EST

Probable Pitchers:
PIT: Volquez (7-6, 3.88 ERA)
STL: Miller (7-7, 4.15 ERA)

Series recap: The Cardinals go for the sweep of the Pirates on Thursday after capturing each of the first three games at home. St. Louis won the first two contests thanks to walk-off homers, while winning in more conventional fashion on Wednesday. The Redbirds own a 7-5 record against the Pirates this season, including a 5-1 mark at Busch Stadium.

What to watch for: After losing five consecutive starts against Pittsburgh dating back to last season, Miller has come out victorious in his last two outings versus the Pirates. However, the Cards have dropped each of Miller’s last four starts overall, while posting a 1-4 record in the past five home outings. The Pirates have done a solid job of rebounding off a three-game losing streak, putting together a 6-1 mark in this situation.

Tigers at Royals – 8:10 PM EST

Probable Pitchers:
DET: Smyly (4-8, 3.89 ERA)
KC: Guthrie (5-7, 4.02 ERA)

Series recap: Kansas City finished off a series victory at Tampa Bay after rallying for a 5-4 triumph on Wednesday as +110 underdogs. The Royals grabbed four of six meetings from the Rays this season, while improving to 4-2 in the past six road series finales. Following a shaky first inning on Tuesday against the Dodgers, the Tigers rolled past Los Angeles for a pair of home victories, while outscoring them, 18-1 in the final 17 innings.

What to watch for: Detroit won the first five matchups this season with Kansas City, but the Royals grabbed three of four at Comerica Park from the Tigers in mid-June. The Royals have stumbled to a 3-6 record the last nine home contests, but Kansas City is 4-1 in Guthrie’s past five outings. Smyly has struggled lately with the Tigers owning a 2-7 record in his last nine trips to the mound, but the southpaw tossed seven innings of two-hit ball in a 9-2 rout at Kansas City in April.

Padres at Dodgers – 10:10 PM EST

Probable Pitchers:
SD: Despaigne (2-0, 0.92 ERA)
LAD: Kershaw (10-2, 1.85 ERA)

Previous series recap: The Dodgers were swept for the first time this season, albeit in a two-game series at Detroit. Los Angeles squandered a 5-0 lead in Tuesday’s 14-5 setback at Comerica Park, while the Dodgers fell behind early in Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat as a short ‘dog. The Padres dropped two of three games to the struggling Rockies at Coors Field, while scoring just four runs in the final two defeats.

What to watch for: Since the start of June, the Dodgers are a perfect 7-0 with Kershaw on the mound, while the former Cy Young winner hasn’t allowed a run in any of his past four starts. The Padres are making their first trip to Chavez Ravine this season, looking to improve on a 2-4 record against their division rivals. The ‘under’ has cashed in five of the first six meetings, while San Diego is 13-4 to the ‘under’ in the last 17 games overall.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Thursday's six-pack

-- Rough night for thumbs in the NL Central; Yadier Molina/Brandon Phillips both left their games Wednesday with sprained thumbs.

-- Cincinnati is 15-3 when Alfredo Simon starts, 34-39 when he doesn't.

-- Masahiro Tanaka (elbow) is on the DL, very bad news in the Bronx.

-- Red Sox are going young; they dumped catcher AJ Pierzynski Wednesday, and brought up youngster Christian Vazquez from the minors.

-- White Sox led 4-0 in 8th inning in Boston; took Chris Sale out after 107 pitches, then the bullpen imploded and they lost 5-4 in Fenway. Bitter loss.

-- Brewers lost eight of last ten games; their NL Central lead is down to 2 games.

**********

Armadillo: Thursday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but..........

13) If major league ballplayers took a secret ballot vote (with no union pressure) on whether to keep/dump the DH, I don’t think it would stay. There are 25 players on a baseball team, 30 teams=750 players, 360 of which are pitchers, since teams generally carry 12 pitchers these days. Would any of the 360 pitchers vote for the DH, and if so, why? So you’re starting out with the DH down 360-0, meaning only 31 of 390 position players would have to vote against the DH to eliminate it.

12) To appease the union after the DH was eliminated, rosters should go to 27 guys, so 60 new jobs (albeit lower-paying ones) are created.

This is a fair compromise. Baseball is a more interesting game without the DH and I root for an American League team.

11) Wonder if MLB will move the All-Star Game to Wednesday to allow more pitchers who throw in the previous Sunday’s games to participate in the ASG? Then they could have Home Run Derby on Tuesday; think that would work better.

10) Baylor Bears open a new football stadium this season, and they’re putting a statue of RGIII in front of it, seeing as his team’s play spurred the donations that got the stadium built. He is the best football player in Baylor history, but I’m thinking unless you died fighting in a war, no one should have a statue before they turn 35. You can’t even be President of the US until you’re 35.

9) Sounds like a Jake Peavy-to-St Louis trade is imminent, as Cardinals need rotation help and Peavy needs to get away from Fenway and the DH.

8) Three overrated things: Niagara Falls-winter-broccoli.

Niagara Falls is just a lot of water over a bunch of rocks, winter is generally awful (I’ve lived in upstate NY my whole life, trust me on this) and I’m convinced that broccoli really isn’t even a food, just a plant that people eat.

7) Miami Heat signed free agents Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger this week; if Lebron James leaves Miami, those two signed on to be captains on the NBA’s version of the SS Minnow. If Lebron stays, then they can hug their agents.

6) Kelvin Sampson is the new hoop coach at Houston; he’s brought in eight new players, seven of which are JC kids or transfers, same recipe Fred Hoiberg used to get the Iowa State program jumpstarted. Prediction: Sampson will win big at Houston, which is a city rich with high school hoop talent.

5) The 2016 Republican National Convention is being held in Cleveland; no word yet on whether Johnny Manziel will deliver the keynote address.

4) There is a Home Run Derby at the AAA All-Star Game in Durham next week; the winner will get a championship belt, much like they have in boxing or wrestling. Very cool idea; major leagues should go that route.

3) 7-foot-5 Sim Bhullar is trying out for a spot on the Sacramento Kings’ summer league team; kid played two years at New Mexico State, is surprisingly nimble for his size, has pretty good hands, I think he’ll make an NBA roster somewhere.

2) Good early morning golf the next four days on the Golf Channel; the Scottish Open, which probably has a better field than the John Deere/Quad Cities tournament in Iowa this weekend. It’s a prelude to next week’s British Open.

1) Not a fan of the All-Star Game uniforms; like it when the players wear their team uniforms instead. Put it this way; I know damn well Cespedes and Donaldson will be wearing colors other than green and gold soon enough; I’d rather see them wearing the A’s colors while they represent Oakland in the All-Star Game.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

LA Angels at Texas
The Angels head to Texas to open a series against a Rangers team that is 3-13 in its last 16 games as a home underdog. LA is the pick (-135) according to Dunkel, which has the Angels favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick; LA Angels (-135). Here are all of today's MLB picks.

THURSDAY, JULY 10

Game 951-952: Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati (12:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Hendricks) 14.527; Cincinnati (Bailey) 16.190
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-180); 8
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-180); Over

Game 953-954: Philadelphia at Milwaukee (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Buchanan) 15.167; Milwaukee (Garza) 14.077
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-210); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+180); Under

Game 955-956: Atlanta at NY Mets (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Harang) 15.715; NY Mets (Colon) 14.650
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 7
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-110); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-110); Under

Game 957-958: Pittsburgh at St. Louis (7:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Volquez) 14.199; St. Louis (Miller) 16.140
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 2; 9
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-130); Over

Game 959-960: San Diego at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Despaigne) 12.138; LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 16.099
Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 4; 7
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-265); 6
Dunkel Pick: LA Dodgers (-265); Over

Game 961-962: Chicago White Sox at Boston (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Quintana) 15.942; Boston (Lester) 14.834
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Boston (-160); 8
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-140); Under

Game 963-964: NY Yankees at Cleveland (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Phelps) 15.942; Cleveland (House) 14.485
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (+105); Under

Game 965-966: LA Angels at Texas (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Santiago) 15.934; Texas (Lewis) 14.366
Dunkel Line: LA Angels by 1 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-135); 10
Dunkel Pick: LA Angels (-135); Over

Game 967-968: Detroit at Kansas City (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Smyly) 16.828; Kansas City (Guthrie) 14.305
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 2 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Detroit (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-115); Over

Game 969-970: Minnesota at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Pino) 14.778; Seattle (Wilhelmsen) 13.692
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 7
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 971-972: Oakland at San Francisco (3:45 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Kazmir) 16.456; San Francisco (Hudson) 15.568
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 6
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-110); 7
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (-110); Under

Game 973-974: Washington at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Gonzalez) 16.286; Baltimore (Chen) 11.650
Dunkel Line: Washington by 4 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Washington (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-120); Over