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**Spark** · 08-06-2005, 10:13 AM

Hot pitchers
-- Hudson is 1-1, 3.20 in four starts since coming off DL
-- Seo is 2-1, 1.96 in three starts in April; he was 7-4, 4.29 in 19 starts at AAA level.
-- Oswalt is 2-0, 1.50 in his last three starts.
-- Duke is 4-0, 0.56 in his last five starts. Perez is 2-0, 3.48 in his last three starts.
-- Capuano is 8-0, 4.00 in his last nine starts.
-- Gosling is 1-0, 2.95 in four starts this season. Francis is 2-0, 1.42 in his last two starts.

-- Johnson is 4-0, 3.76 in his last six starts.
-- Indians scored 23 runs in winning last three starts by Westbrook (3-0, 7.45).
-- Seattle is 9-2 in last eleven Moyer starts; he is 3-0, 2.97 in his last five starts.
-- Wells is 3-0, 2.63 in his last four starts. Santana is 3-0 3.12 in his last four starts.
-- Lima is 2-1, 3.18 in his last three starts. Blanotn has a 1.29 RA in his last two starts.
-- Bootcheck allowed one run in six IP at Bronx in first start of year, game Halos lost 8-7 in extra innings.

Cold pitchers
-- Marquis is 0-3, 7.23 in his last three starts.
-- Maddux is 1-4, 5.11 in his last seven starts.
-- Lowry is 1-4, 3.86 in his last six starts.
-- Lieber is 0-6, 5.11 in his last nine starts.
-- Astacio is 2-10, 6.06 so far this season. Drese is 1-3, 7.85 in his last four starts.
-- LHudson is 1-5, 9.20 in his last seven starts. Moehler is 0-2, 7.00 in his last two starts.

-- Wasdin has 8.82 RA in four starts this season. Orioles lost last four Cabrera starts (0-2, 4.34).
-- Downs lost first start 4-1 vs Texas, allowing pair of runs in five innings.
-- Bonderman is 2-2, 4.18 in his last four starts.
-- Buehrle is 2-3, 6.39 in his last six starts.
-- Hendrickson has 11.78 RA in his last five starts.

Totals
-- Three of last four THudson starts stayed under total.
-- Under is 8-3 in last eleven Cub games.
-- Last six Houston road games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-1 in Duke starts this season.
-- Over is 5-2 in last seven Milwaukee road games.
-- Seven of last eight Padre games went over the total.
-- Over is 10-2-1 in last 13 Cincinnati home games.
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Francis starts.

-- Seven of last eight Texas home games went over total.
-- Six of last seven Johnson starts went over the total.
-- Six of last eight Westbrook starts went over the total.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Buehrle starts.
-- Eight of last nine Minnesota home games stayed under.
-- Over is 7-2-1 in last ten Kansas City games.
-- Over is 6-1 in last seven Hendrickson starts.

Hot teams
-- Braves won eight of their last eleven games.
-- Astros won nine of their last eleven road games.
-- Brewers scored 41 runs in winning five of last six tilts -- Reds won six of their last nine games. Marlins won 7 of their last ten games.
-- Rockies are 6-4 in their last ten road games.

-- Orioles are 2-0 under Perlozzo, after losing fourteen of their previous fifteen games.
-- Toronto won seven of last ten home games.
-- Indians won six of their last eight games.
-- Red Sox won eight of last nine games.
-- A's won ten of their last eleven road games.
-- Angels won six of last eight home games. Tampa is 13-6 in its last nineteen games.

Cold Teams
-- Cardinals are 5-6 in their last eleven home games.
-- Mets lost five of their last eight games. Cubs lost five of their last six games.
-- Giants are 10-21 in their last thirty-one home games.
-- Dodgers lost six of their last nine games.
-- Padres lost 17 of their last twenty-six road games. Nationals are 6-15 since All-Star Break.
-- Arizona is 6-14 in its last twenty home games.

-- Texas is 1-8 in its last nine home games.
-- Bronx lost five of its last eight road games.
-- Tigers lost six of their last eight games.
-- White Sox are 5-9 in their last fourteen home games. Seattle lost six of their last eight games.
-- Twins lost eleven of their last fourteen games.
-- Royals allowed 59 runs in losing last eight games.

Umpires
-- Dogs are 4-2 in last six Kulpa games, with visitor 4-0 in his last four behind the plate. (Atl-StL)
-- Under is 11-3-2 in last 14 TWelke games. (Chi-NY)
-- Over is 4-0-1 in last five Emmel games. (Hst-SF)
-- Under is 5-2-2 last nine Eddings games, with favorite winning his last four games. (LA-Pitt)
-- Over is 11-6 in last 17 Dimuro games. (Mil-Phil)
-- Under is 6-1 last seven Fletcher games. (SD-Wsh)
-- Over is 5-2 in last seven Nauert games. (Fla-Cin)
-- Favorite won last nine Bell games. (Col-Az)

-- Favorite is 5-1 in last six Reed games. (Blt-Tex)
-- Under is 5-1 last six Foster games, with dogs 5-2 in his last seven games behind dish. (NY-Tor)
-- Over is 5-2 in last seven Nelson games. (Clev-Det)
-- Over is 4-1 in last five Crawford games. (Sea-Chi)
-- 46 runs were scored in last three McClelland games, with favorites 13-2 in his last fiften games. (Bos-Min)
-- Last four Froemming games stayed under. (A's-KC)
-- Dogs are 7-1 in last eight Marsh games, with five of last six staying under total. (TB-LA)

**Spark** · 08-06-2005, 10:18 AM

New Orleans Saints-- I think it is significant that this Saint squad won last four games to finish 8-8 last year, holding foes to 15.3 ppg. This is it for both Brooks and Haslett on Bourbon Street; team dumped Delhomme, a Cajun, who led rival Panthers to Super Bowl, so since '98, other three teams in NFC South have been to Super Bowl. The team is also rumored to be for sale, with Red McCombs possibly moving them to San Antonio. New Orleans is not wealthy for an NFL city; the Saints need a good '05, if they are to remain in the French Quarter.

Aaron Brooks is starting to resemble Jeff Blake; a decent deep passer, but inaccurate as hell on shorter passes that move chains. Saint defense was on field for 1,067 plays, third-most in league, too damn many. Brooks needs to grind out some drives, shorten game, so defense can stay fresh through whole game. Saint defense forced 4th-most fumbles in league, so they have Haslett's toughness, but now they need a passing game to compliment running of McAllister, and maybe the Saints can march into playoffs

New York Giants-- Coughlin in second season now, and Eli is the QB (he better stay healthy, because his backups are horrible), so optimism high for Big Blue team that was 5-2 last year, before reality set in, and team lost eight in a row before ending year with win over Dallas. Giants were +12 in turnovers when they were 5-2; rest of season, in a 1-8 finish, they were minus-8.

Simply put, if Giants are to win half their games, they have to improve when ball is in either red zone. Giants were 30th in third down conversions last season, so they need Eli to connect with Shockey and Burress to move chains more, and improve field position- they were 28th in both plays run and red zone offense, 29th in first drive points, so they need to be more aggressive with Eli early in game, rather than sitting back, now that he has some experience. Giant defense could also be better, as they were 30th in red zone defense last year.

New York Jets-- Jets started out 5-0 last year, then lost three of four, then won three in row before 1-3 finish that put them on road in playoffs. OC Hackett was sacked, so frontrunners in Big Apple will focus on Herm if things go sour this season. Jets averaged just 11.5 ppg in going 0-4 vs Patriots the last two years. Hard to have a dynasty in your division and be consistent playoff team.

Jets are dependent on defense that forces turnovers (2nd in turnover margin last year, 2nd in least giveaways, 8th in takeaways) in three of last four years. Gang Green D was on field for sixth-fewest amount of plays last year. Adding of Heimerdinger as offensive guru has Jet offense back in shotgun; now all they need is line to keep Pennington healthy, because Fiedler is the backup, and he just got Wannstedt fired in Miami.

Oakland Raiders-- Addition of Randy Moss makes them the #1 apparel seller, and gives them an awesome passing game, with RB Jordan coming in from Jets, Oakland will light up the scoreboard. Raiders were 2-6 in first half last season, allowing 30+ points during five-game loss streak, so they better improve their defense, too. Raiders were dead last in forced fumbles, 30th in takeaways, 29th in giveaways, 29th in turnover margin. That number needs to improve, or it won't matter how many points they score.

Raiders ran second-least plays in NFL, and their defense was on field for the most. Oakland will never be a team that controls ball, but if offense scores more points, and defense can get off field by forcing turnovers, this is team that could be a sleeper in AFC. Raiders also had the #32 red zone defense. More takeaways would lessen amount of times they have to defend their end zone. No matter, if defense doesn't get better, Moss will still think he is on the Vikings, except in a warmer climate.

Philadelphia Eagles-- Eagles reached their second Super Bowl last year, then had to deal with fact that they could not run hurry up offense because QB McNabb was sick or exhausted, depending on whom you believe. Losing a Super Bowl has created problems in recent years, and the contract situations of many players, with selfish Owens in the forefront, makes Reid's job that much more ticklish.

Obviously, this is an excellent team that has played in last four NFC title games, the last three at home. They were 15-4 last year, and two of four losses were meaningless games they didn't try to win. They came out of chute fast in '04, winning first seven games, covering first five. It will be interesting to see if the Super Bowl hangover effects them. In reality, the biggest enemy the Eagles have in the NFC is themselves.

Pittsburgh Steelers-- Steelers lost their QB and a game at Baltimore in Week 2, then never lost again until playoffs, riding rookie QB Roethlisberger- they went 11-3 against spread in his 14 regular season starts. Pitt defense gave up 16 or less points in six straight games, and beat Philly and Patriots in consecutive weeks, when both hadn't lost a game. Only once in Big Ben's starts did Steelers rush ball for less than 120 yards; they allowed more than 107 yards on ground once in his fourteen starts. .

Steeler defense was only on field for 882 plays, least in NFL, because they ran ball so well; as usually, they were terrific on first drives, but were poor on offense in the red zone (29th) and on drives starting 80+ yards from paydirt (28th). In short, when Steelers had to throw ball to move chains, they didn't do so well, which is part of reason why Burress was allowed to bolt to Giants for more money. Cowher has his team close to top in AFC, but he needs Big Ben to raise his level of play, if they want to play in Detroit in February.

St Louis Rams-- Turnovers. Miscues. Delay penalties and horrible special teams play. These are hallmarks of Martz Madness, as well as maddening habit for brilliant offensive play which erases a lot of the mistakes. Last year, Rams slipped to 8-8, were lucky to make playoffs, luckier still to beat Seattle in Wild Card, then got their butts kicked by Atlanta in the second round. All in all, a disappointing season. Things need to get better.

There is hope. Replay reviews were better last year, and this spring, the Rams actually practiced special teams, a first in the post-Vermeil era. A new RT was drafted, and Marshall Faulk will now be rationed wisely, to make most of his pass catching skills, giving running load to Jackson, another wise move. But that damn turnover ratio just has to get better (they were tied for last in takeaways, last in giveaways, ugly statistics).

Rams were 21st in NFL in first drive points allowed. As good as offense is, if Rams can get early stop, they can play downhill rest of game. Personnel changes addressed defense in the offseason, and Archuleta's improved health should help. Lovie Smith was obviously a tough act to follow, as head of the defense, but Rams started just eight drives in enemy territory, a horrible fact. Coach Marmie better come up with more turnovers this year or else there will be a lot of new coaches in Rams Park in 2006.

San Diego Chargers-- Dream season last year for Bolts, who drafted young QB Rivers, but had such a good year that he never got to play, and may never, at least not for Chargers. San Diego was 3-3 after tough 21-20 loss in Atlanta, but never lost again until day after Christmas, in OT at Indy. A butchered field goal cost them their home playoff game against the Jets, but it was a great season.

Chargers led league in red zone offense, 1st drive defense and were second in 1st drive scoring margin; they were 8th in takeaways, 3rd in giveaways, 4th in TO margin. At one point during season they won five games in a row as an underdog. One red flag is that San Diego was third in NFL, recovering 58.7% of all fumbles (27 of 46) in their games, meaning the ball bounced their way more than a few times in '04. Sometimes, those things even out in the coming seasons, so San Diego could slide a little in '05.

San Francisco 49ers-- Niners beat Arizona twice in OT last year, both by 31-28 scores; they were 0-14 in their other games, thats how bad they were. 49ers were 2-8 against spread in last ten games, as only one of their last nine losses was by less than ten points. Which is why the club cleaned house in the offseason. Not sure why they gave Mike Nolan the keys to the car, but they have.

Here is part of the mess he has to clean up: last in black zone (80+ yard drives) defense, 31st in turnover margin, 31st in giveaways, 27th in takeaways, 27th in first drive scoring margin, 26th in first drive yards, 27th in 3rd down conversion offense, 23rd in defense, 31st in its red zone offense. All in all, they were terrible. The first big thing for Nolan to decide will be how quickly to play Alex Smith, the rookie QB. Anything other than a last place finish will be a pleasant surprise on Candlestick Point.

Seattle Seahawks-- 2004 was disaster for Seattle, even though they won NFC West; they allowed their star RB to lose the rushing title by a yard, then lost home playoff game to St Louis; they were 0-3 vs Rams, blowing 28-10 lead at home in final 5:35 of regular season meeting, then losing 23-12 at Dome, when they scored just six points in three drives that started in Ram territory. In the playoff tilt their pass into the end zone on game's final play failed.

Seattle was 3-0 and very hot, but after their bye in Week 4, they lost three straight games, and were 6-7, with only one win (42-27 at 49ers) by more than seven points.

Oddly, Seattle was 2nd in NFL in scoring in both red and green zone drives, but in critical spots, they failed; their defense was just 29th in third down stops, and their QB has been bit of disappointment. For 2005, Holmgren will need to mend fences with Alexander, find a way to beat both the Rams and improved Cardinals, and score more in the red zone, when the game is on the line.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers-- Gruden started out 0-4 a year ago, as they failed to score TD on offense in the first two games of season; after rallying with 5-3 stretch, the roof fell in again, and Bucs lost last four games, allowing 25.3 ppg, very un-Buclike. They were 1-7 on road, winning at Superdome in Week 5. Bucs were 20th in takeaways, 24th in giveaways, so that has to improve. Everything has to improve, actually; this was a bad team in 2004.

Bucs were well-prepared (7th in first drive margin) but were poor offensively after that, as they still struggle to find QB Gruden is content to work with. They were 23rd in red zone scoring, 23rd in black zone and 22nd in green zone, so at no point did offense excel, except somewhat on first drives (T9th, pts). Buc defense is still strong, but not like in the Dungy days. People are frontrunners, and there are grumblings that Gruden won Super Bowl, but with Dungy's players. Stay tuned.

Tennessee Titans-- Tennessee went for it on fourth down 27 times last year (12-27, 44%), six more times than any other team; they used three onside kicks in game vs Indy, as Fisher showed he had no faith in his defense to shut down Colt offense that scored 82 points in pair of wins over Titans. At 5-11, Tennessee never won two games in a row, and held only one team below 100 yards rushing in second half of season.

They were 25th in third down conversions, as absence of McNair hurt; he missed seven games (2-5) and it remains a question whether he will ever play full season again. The tank job pulled by defense (allowed 39.2 ppg over last 5 games, yielding 20 TD's on 60 drives, does not bode well for this season, as salary cup pain hitting Titans this year. They were 29th in black zone (drives of 80+ yards) def. last year, allowing 47 points on 21 such drives. Not good.

Washington Redskins-- Skins were 2-8 last year when they allowed more than 10 points; they are terrific on the defensive side of ball (2nd in 3rd down defense, 1st in first drive defense (yards)- only four of 15 foes ran ball for 100+ yards against them), but not good on offense, as neither Brunell or Ramsey proved capable QB, and this spring's drafting of Campbell further muddles the picture.

To say game has passed Gibbs by is stupid; Washington was fifth in league in points scored on first drive of game, first in yards allowed- they outscored foes 55-37 on the first drive, so they were well-prepared team. The thing that may have changed most for Gibbs is how much more selfish today's player is (free agency). Skins were 1-5 in the division, losing pair of three-point decisions to Dallas. Second place is best they can hope for this season.

**Spark** · 08-06-2005, 02:15 PM

L.A. Dodgers at Pittsburgh (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

If you’re Pirates’ manager Lloyd McClendon, the path to victory against the Dodgers seems very clear: Start as many righties as you can and you’ll do just fine. Da Bums are a pitiful 14-27 (-$1130) on the road against them. Kip Wells (4.03) and Josh Fogg (4.5 both have solid ERAs at home and should dominate the Dodgers’ sub par (.260 BA, 10th in the NL in runs) offense. BEST BET: Righthanders. vs. the Dodgers.

Milwaukee at Philadelphia (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

The Phillies have won four of six (+$195) against the Brewers and have won 10 of 12 (+$795) against them in the last year plus. Coming off a productive weekend in Denver (won three of four) that has nudged them back into the wildcard picture, Philadelphia figures to take advantage of Milwaukee’s mediocre road play (-$650) especially at night against righties (9-15, -$355, averaging 3.8 RPG). BEST BET: Phillies’ righthanders at night.

San Diego at Washington (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

This is a tough series to call as both teams are playing awful baseball (Nationals have

lost 13 of 17, Padres have lost 12 of13). Since neither team hits worth a damn (Padres are hitting .255 on the road, Nationals are averaging 3.8 RPG at home), the best course to take is to go under the Vegas total in every game as each team’s pitching staff is among the best in the NL. BEST BET: UNDER in all games.

Chicago Cubs at N.Y. Mets (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

The Cubs have defeated the Mets in 6 of 9 over the last year and a half but are only +$70 in the black because they’ve been such big favorites. That won’t be the case this weekend where the hosts are a sparkling 32-21 (+$765). The Mets have picked themselves off the ground at home a few times this season after bad road trips (2-5 last week) and we expect them to do it again. Pedro Martinez has been remarkable all year and simply devastating at Shea Stadium (6-1, 2.81 ERA, .185 BAA). Lay the juice and relax. BEST BET: Martinez.

Florida at Cincinnati (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

This looks like a good opportunity for the Marlins to pick up a few “Ws” against the lowly Reds. Florida is hitting a more than respectable .286 on the road and Cincy’s pitching at home has been simply brutal (starters’ ERA is 5.89) in the Great American Bandbox. And, with the Marlins finally playing (won 8 of 11, +$370) as anticipated in March. Take the Marlins in all situations even against Ramon Ortiz who is 5-2 in the bandbox but has a 6.21 ERA and a .315 BAA. BEST BET: Marlins in all games.

Atlanta at St. Louis (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

Is this a potential playoff preview? Absolutely! The Cards and Braves have the first and third best team ERAs in the NL. The difference in this series could be that St. Louis averages a full run more at home than the Braves average on the road and have a true closer in Jason Isringhausen while Atlanta takes the close by committee approach. We’ll make an exception with the great John Smoltz who is 6-2 away with a 2.62 ERA and a .232 BAA and was 3-0 in July with a 2.25 ERA and a .223 BAA. BEST BET; Smoltz. PREFERRED: Cardinals vs. all but Smoltz.

Colorado at Arizona (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

The Diamondbacks have won seven of nine (+$510) against the Rockies and should fare well against the worst road team (only 10-40, -$2145) in MLB. Pay particular attention if Arizona starts either Mike Gosling or Brad Halsey as Colorado is an amazing 1-17 (-$1500) vs. lefties on the road. BEST BET: Diamondbacks’ lefthanders.

Houston at San Francisco (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

The Giants have been playing below. 500 for a month but still hanging around in the NL West because it is, by far, the weakest division in either league. On the other hand, the Astros are the hottest team in MLB (won seven of their last eight and 13 of their last 16 games) and are starting to pull away in the wildcard race. This is a confident team that has won 14 of its last 21 games. Don’t be afraid to play them throughout this series. BEST BET: Astros in all games.

Cleveland at Detroit (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

These two AL Central teams have played virtually to a draw in the last year plus with the Tigers winning 15 of 28 (+$355) games. The Tigers have been extremely successful against portsiders (15-8, +$875), but the fact is that most of that success has come on the road (8-2, +$795). In Comerica Park, the Tigers are a mundane 7-6 (+$80)), so we have no compunction about using Cliff Lee as the Tribe is 11-2 (+$1025) in his 13 road starts or C.C. Sabathia (6-3, +$340 in nine road starts). BEST BET: Indians’ lefthanders.

N.Y. Yankees at Toronto (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

The Yankees have won 15 of 24 games since the beginning of last season against the Blue Jays and may get a break by not having to face the injured Roy Halladay who pitched a three-hit, nine-K, complete game shutout against them in the Bronx earlier this year. The Blue Jays have prospered (24-15, +$885) against righty starters at home while the Yankees have been money burners against righty starters (16-21, -$1420). Need we say more? BEST BET: Blue Jays when righthander meets righthander.

Baltimore at Texas (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

These teams played in Camden Yards last week and the Rangers, a mediocre road team at best, took three of four. Texas comes into this series with little margin for error as they are now behind Oakland, New York, Minnesota and Cleveland in the wildcard race and will not have Kenny Rogers in their rotation until the latter part of August. On the other hand, the Orioles have lost 12 of their last 15 games. Why fight the odds? BEST BET: Rangers in all games.

Seattle at Chicago W. Sox (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

The Mariners’ starting unit is almost exclusively righthanded with Jamie Moyer the lone exception. That should give the team with the second best home record (33-19, +$645) a running start against inferior Seattle. Chicago is 26-12 (+$915) against righties at home and, with the exception of Ryan Franklin (+$45), every righty Mariners’ starter is in the red (-$1165). BEST BET: White Sox vs. righthanders.

Boston at Minnesota (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

These two teams hooked up in Fenway Park last weekend and the Red Sox swept them (+$300) despite the swirling controversy of what to do about Manny Ramirez and his 92 RBIs. The Red Sox are not nearly as intimidating on the road as they are in Fenway Park, but the Twins’ 6-12 record since the All-Star break scares us off for now. BEST BET: None.

Oakland at Kansas City (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

The steamrolling Athletics (11 “Ws” in the last 12 games) and the Royals are playing for the first time this season. Oakland took seven of nine (+$130) a year ago and there is no reason to believe that they won’t continue that dominance. And, while the prices will be on the high side, they’ll be a lot more attractive than when the Royals visit them in California in two weeks. Oakland is too hot to pass up right now. BEST BET: Athletics in all games.

Tampa Bay at L.A. Angels (3) 5th, 6th, 7th

Don’t look now but the Devil Rays have won 11 of their last 15 games. They are getting solid pitching from Casey Fossum (3-2, 3.29 ERA in July) and Scott Kazmir who has defeated the hard hitting Orioles and Red Sox in the last two weeks and was 3-2 with a 3.90 ERA in July, his best month in his short career. The Angels have had trouble with southpaws (14-16, -$575) especially at home where they are $610 in the red and are averaging a mere 3.6 RPG. BEST BET: Lefthanders vs. the Angels.

**Spark** · 08-06-2005, 02:16 PM

Saturday, August 6th

National League:

Atlanta Braves at St. Louis Cardinals, 1:20 EST
Tim Hudson (R) vs. Jason Marquis (R)

Hudson - Atlanta 26-8 in road games revenging a road blowout loss vs opponent of 6 runs or more since 1997
Marquis - 6-12 TSR after a win this season

Chicago Cubs at New York Mets, 1:20 EST
Greg Maddux (R) vs. Jae Seo (R)

Maddux - n/a
Seo - n/a

Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants, 4:05 EST
Roy Oswalt (R) vs. Noah Lowry (L)

Oswalt - 16-6 Under this season
Lowry - SF 11-6 vs. Houston over the last 3 seasons

Los Angeles Dodgers at Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:05 EST
Odalis Perez (L) vs. Zach Duke (L)

Perez - 12-5 TSR on the road when the total is 7 to 7.5 since 1997
Duke - Pittsburgh 12-1 Under after allowing 10 runs or more 2 straight games since 1997

Milwaukee Brewers at Philadelphia Phillies, 7:05 EST
Chris Capuano (L) vs. Jon Lieber (R)

Capuano - Milwaukee 3-13 after a game with a combined score of 4 runs or less this season
Lieber - 42-14 TSR in home games in the second half of the season since 1997

San Diego Padres at Washington Nationals, 7:05 EST
Pedro Astascio (R) vs. Ryan Drese (R)

Williams - San Diego 1-13 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 this season
Drese - Washington 8-0 Under revenging a loss vs opponent as a home favorite this season

Florida Marlins at Cincinnati Reds, 7:10 EST
Brian Moehler (R) vs. Luke Hudson (R)

Moehler - 0-7 TSR as a road favorite of -110 or higher since 1997
Hudson - Cincinnati 6-1 Under at home vs. Florida over the last 3 seasons

Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:40 EST
Jeff Francis (L) vs. Mike Gosling (L)

Francis - Colorado 1-17 in road games against left-handed starters this season
Gosling - Arizona 8-0 Over off a loss to a division rival as a favorite of -200 or higher over the last 3 seasons

American League:

Baltimore Orioles at Texas Rangers, 4:05 EST
Daniel Cabrera (R) vs. John Wasdin (R)

Cabrera - 17-9 TSR in road games over the last 2 seasons
Wasdin - 6-19 TSR when the total is 10 or higher since 1997

New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays, 4:05 EST
Randy Johnson (L) vs. Scott Downs (L)

Johnson - 1-6 TSR as a road favorite of -125 or more this season
Downs - Toronto 21-7 Under after scoring 2 runs or less this season

Cleveland Indians at Detroit Tigers, 7:05 EST
Jake Westbrook (R) vs. Jeremy Bonderman (R)

Westbrook - 15-30 TSR when the money line is +125 to -125 since 1997
Bonderman - Detroit 32-16 Under vs. Cleveland over the last 3 seasons

Seattle Mariners at Chicago White Sox, 7:05 EST
Jamie Moyer (L) vs. Mark Buehrle (L)

Moyer - 42-14 Over as a road underdog since 1997
Buehrle - 38-13 TSR after giving up 1 or less earned runs last outing since 1997

Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins, 7:10 EST
David Wells (L) vs. Johan Santana (L)

Wells - 11-3 TSR as an underdog of +125 to +175 since 1997
Santana - Minnesota 63-39 after scoring 10 runs or more since 1

Oakland Athletics at Kansas City Royals, 7:10 EST
Joe Blanton (R) vs. Jose Lima (R)

Blanton - Oakland 15-1 as a favorite of -150 or more this season
Lima - KC 1-9 at home vs. Oakland over the last 3 seasons

Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Anaheim Angels, 10:05 EST
Mark Hendrickson (L) vs. Chris Bootcheck (R)

Hendrickson - Tampa Bay 1-13 after a one run loss this season
Bootcheck - Anaheim 23-13 Under as a home favorite of -175 to -250 over the last 2 seasons

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