Sunday 4/26/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Soccer: EPL Best Bets - Week 34
By Toby Maxtone-Smith

This weekend’s Premier League action saves the best until last as Arsenal meet Chelsea on Sunday. Arsenal, who have 33/1 odds to win the title, need to keep up any hopes of winning the league. If Chelsea get the three points at the Emirates, they can win the league if they beat Leicester next Wednesday night.

But it is at the bottom of the league where things are most interesting. QPR’s tough run-in means they are the rock solid 1/7 favourites to be relegated, with Burnley 4/11. Leicester amazing recent run has seen them drift from near-certainties to 9/4 in the past weeks. This leaves Hull (4/5) and Sunderland (5/6) with big chances of being relegated to the Championship.

Fans of big prices may be interested in Newcastle at 50/1. The Magpies have 35 points already, but have lost their last six and it is hard to see where their next win is coming from.

Let's handicap Week 34 of the Premier League.

The Banker: Manchester United to win at Everton at 23/20
(Sunday, 8:30 a.m. ET)

Louis van Gaal called Man Utd’s performance in a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea their ‘best performance of the season’, and while that may be a slight exaggeration, there was plenty to encourage United fans at Stamford Bridge. They face Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, and are quite a juicy price to cement their position in the top 4 of the EPL.

While United dominated possession against Chelsea, they did not create many real openings. This was largely because Chelsea stuck Kurt Zouma on United’s man-of-the-moment, Marouane Fellaini. Everton manager Roberto Martinez is more of a proactive than a reactive type, and will set out to beat United at their own game. This may be a bad strategy. Everton’s defence has shown time and again this year that quick movement can unlock it, and United will be given enough space to create lots of chances. At 23/20 they look a good bet.

The Solid Bet: Arsenal to draw with Chelsea at 23/10
(Sunday, 11:00 a.m. ET)

The biggest game of the weekend may also turn out to be the most predictable. Arsenal will dominate the ball, probably having more than 70% of possession; Jose Mourinho will cram as many defensive midfielders as he can into his Chelsea side and look for opportunities to find Eden Hazard on the counter-attack. Chelsea will be happy with a draw.

Arsene Wenger has never beaten Jose Mourinho. Mourinho’s record of seven wins and five draws against Wenger shows that he is simply a better one-on-one manager than his counterpart. He will have studied Arsenal for months ahead of this game and will have a plan to stop Sanchez, Cazorla and Özil. Chelsea are experts at digging out the result they need, and at 23/10 the draw looks a very strong bet.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA Preview: Clippers (56-26) at Spurs (55-27)

Date: April 26, 2015 3:30 PM EDT

The San Antonio Spurs have experienced their share of double-digit losses and poor shooting performances during their five playoffs runs that ended with an NBA title.

Their response to such an effort in Game 1 has the Spurs leading their first-round series, though they're expecting the Los Angeles Clippers to come out with something to prove Sunday after suffering a blowout defeat in Game 3.

San Antonio lost by at least 10 points a combined nine times during its championship runs in 1999, 2003, '05, '07 and last year, never letting a single loss - no matter how bad - derail its championship march.

Last Sunday, the Spurs shot 36.6 percent from the field and fell 107-92 to the Clippers. In typical fashion, they bounced back to win 111-107 in overtime behind 28 points and 11 rebounds from Tim Duncan before Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard scored a playoff career-high 32 in Friday's 100-73 rout.

San Antonio shot 52.6 percent while holding Los Angeles to 34.1 from the floor.

"We're not that good, and they're not what you saw (Friday) without a doubt," coach Gregg Popovich said. "We just had one heck of a night, and that's all it is is one night. You throw it out and start all over again, and they'll do the same thing."

The Clippers will have to do just that if they hope to even this series. The only time Los Angeles has rallied from a series deficit in team history was last year when it came back after losing Game 1 to Golden State.

Chris Paul shot just 3 of 11 and scored seven points after netting 32 in Game 1 and 21 in Game 2. Los Angeles scored its fewest points in a playoff game in franchise history, and the 11 it put up in the third marked its fewest in any quarter this season.

"We beat them Game 1, they beat us Game 2," Paul said. "They came out, did what we did in Game 1 against us here. Now we've got to show some resolve."

Clippers coach Doc Rivers believes Paul's tough night was a credit to Danny Green's defense. Paul averaged 24 points and shot 56 percent over his previous five against San Antonio, including the postseason.

Duncan also got the better of Blake Griffin, who had 14 points after averaging 27.7 and shooting 52 percent in his previous six against the Spurs, including this series.

"This game can't dictate how we play in Game 4," Griffin said. "We just gotta forget about it and move on. Games like this happen. Whether we lose by one or lose by two or whatever it is, it doesn't matter. It's a loss. We gotta move on and get the next one."

Los Angeles has had championship aspirations since Paul was acquired from New Orleans before the 2011-12 season, but it has yet to reach the Western Conference Finals.

The Clippers, who were swept by the Spurs in the second round in Paul's first season in Los Angeles, now are in danger of falling into a bigger hole despite San Antonio guard Tony Parker not playing at full strength.

Parker aggravated a right Achilles injury in Game 2 and scored just six points while shooting 3 of 11 on Friday. He said he was able to move better in Game 3 and hopes the tightness will subside even more by tipoff, when he's expecting the Clippers to come out with a chip on their shoulders.

Rivers will be looking for more out of J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford, who combined for 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting. They combined for 27 points in each of the first two games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Sunday's Evening Tips
By Tony Mejia

Raptors at Wizards – 6:35 PM EST

The Raptors won more in ’14-’15 than in any other season in their franchise history, besting last year’s record by a game. Unless they make NBA history by becoming the first team ever to erase a 3-0 deficit, they’ll again follow up their Atlantic Division title with a first-round exit in the playoffs. Last year’s postseason run reached a seventh game and therefore carried some intrigue. Barring a Toronto upset here, this season will end in a sweep and must be chalked up as a disappointment. The struggles begin and end with All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry, who is shooting under 24 percent from the field through the first three games. He’s 3-for-16 (18.8 pct) from 3-point range and hasn’t been able to guard anybody. In his defense, he’s playing injured, dealing with a nasty shin contusion on the heels of a back issue that forced him for shut it down for parts of April and May. The Toronto Star reported he had a bit of a cold on Friday, too, but his whole team is going to need tissues after this one if he can’t get it together. Complicating matters is that the two reserve guards who have picked the team up for months, Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams and the typically productive Greivis Vasquez, have combined for 19-for-58 (32.8 pct) shooting in the series. That’s left too heavy a burden on DeMar DeRozan, who has averaged 22.3 points despite not shooting it well either, clocking in at just under 39 percent from the field. DeRozan scored 32 points in the Game 3 loss and has averaged 6.3 assists to take advantage of the attention he’s received from Washington’s defense, continuing to be productive against a Wizards team he torched for averages of 21.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in three regular-season wins. Forward Amir Johnson has been the Raptors most productive big man, averaging 14.0 points and 8.3 boards while shooting 75 percent from the field, but he’s giving up size in the post and has thrived due to his energy and activity. The Raptors opened at -190 to win the series according to Sportsbook.ag. Toronto is 2-8 ATS in their last 10, failing to cover in six straight.

Although most would agree the Wizards underachieved given the preseason expectations, they’re on the verge of reaching the conference semis in consecutive years for the first time since 1978-79. Considering how this postseason started, blowing a 15-point Game 1 edge with just 8:45 to go, the fact they rallied to win in OT and haven’t looked back is proof of their growth. 37-year-old Paul Pierce scored a game-high 20 points in the series opener and added 18 on Friday night, including five of Washington’s last six, playing closer as he has so often through his long career. John Wall remains the straw that stirs the drink, drawing “MVP” chants from his adoring fan base last time out after his second straight double-double. He’s shooting just 36.7 percent in the series but averaging 18.3 points and 13.3 assists. Bradley Beal followed up a team-high 28 points in Game 2 with just 16 on Friday, finishing 3-for-9 from 3-point range and 4-for-12 overall. He’s dealing with a bone bruise just above his knee after banging knees on Friday but is expected to go without limitations. Center Marcin Gortat has been tremendous the last two games, giving Washington a huge lift up front by shooting 18-for-24 from the field (75 pct) in averaging 20 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. The Wizards opened +165 to pull the upset in this series according to Sportsbook.ag. They have outrebounded the Raptors 61-48, 45-28 and 45-41 through the first three in this series and have also held a decisive edge in fast-break points every time out (52-44, 20-9, 13-10). Washington has covered each of its last five games and has seen five of its last six go over the posted total.

Rockets at Mavericks – 9:05 PM EST

James Harden willed Houston to a huge 130-128 road victory in Game 3, shooting 15-for-24 to finish with 42 points and nine assists in an epic performance that gave it a stranglehold over its Southwest Division rival in this series. It must have been disheartening for the Mavericks to lose a game in which they played so well, especially since they had a pretty good grip on what they wanted do defensively against Harden, who shot just 9-for-28 in the Rockets’ two home wins, scoring 24 in both. Dwight Howard played just 17 minutes due to foul trouble in Game 1, winding up with just 11 points, five rebounds and five blocks, but he’s been a force ever since. He’s 15-for-25 over the last two contests, averaging 20.5 points and 19 rebounds and is starting to look like the overpowering center that led the Orlando Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals. That’s noteworthy since Howard has only won two playoff series since that time and is poised to get out of the first round for the first time since ’10. Howard has teamed with power forwards Terrence Jones and Josh Smith to dominate the older, slower Dallas frontcourt thus far. Point guard Patrick Beverley, out for the season with a wrist injury, has definitely been missed, but Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni have done a nice job running the offense. Sportsbook.ag had Houston at -330 to win this series. The Rockets are 9-2 SU in their last 11 ATS and have covered in eight of their last 10. The posted total has been surpassed for overs in seven of nine.

Dirk Nowitzki poured in 34 points in Friday’s 130-128 loss, but didn’t touch the ball on the last possession since Monta Ellis wound up calling his own number for the game-tying look. Defensively, Nowitzki has looked two steps slow, which the Rockets have taken advantage of by putting him in pick-and-rolls and taking advantage of his lack of lateral movement. Ellis also scored 34 points on 15-for-25 FGs in the Game 3 loss, finding his footing in the series after shooting 13-for-39 (33 pct) over the first two games. Point guard Rajon Rondo has been banished due to a “back ailment” and Chandler Parsons is done the rest of the way with a knee issue, so depth is limited. Dallas got a boost getting Devin Harris back from a toe injury for Game 3, but he was 0-for-4 off the bench from 3-point range and shouldn’t be expected to display much of a rhythm. Al Farouq Aminu has received a major increase in minutes with Parsons out since his length and athleticism make him the perfect guy for Rick Carlisle to have out on the floor next to Nowitzki in order to better match up with Houston’s limber frontcourt. Aminu played 34 minutes in Game 3, hitting two of three 3-pointers, so count on him being a major x-factor. The Mavericks opened at +265 at Sportsbook.ag..The over has hit in 10 of the last 12 Dallas games, including eight of nine.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Game of the day: Sunday's NBA Playoff action

Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics (+7, 203)
Cavaliers lead series 3-0

The scrappy Boston Celtics are giving it they’re all, but the Cleveland Cavaliers might just be too much for them to handle. The Cavaliers will try to wrap up a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference series when they visit the Celtics on Sunday.

Cleveland star LeBron James has increased his scoring and rebounding in each of the first three games, up to 31 points and 11 boards in Game 3. “LeBron’s leadership is obviously a huge factor, because he’s the guy that not only guys follow but they feel him, they sense him,” Cavaliers coach David Blatt told reporters, “and his control in these games has been outstanding both in terms of seizing the moment, but also talking guys through situations.” Boston is trying to make history as the first NBA team ever to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series. “You have a game Sunday,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters. “You prepare for the game. Play to the best of your ability.”

TRENDS:

*Cavaliers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS win.
*Celtics are 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 home games.
*Under is 5-0 in Cavaliers last 5 vs. a team with a losing S.U. record.
*Under is 9-2 in Celtics last 11 Conference Quarterfinals games.


Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs (-6, 200)
Spurs lead series 2-1

Kawhi Leonard and the sixth-seeded San Antonio Spurs annihilated Los Angeles to take the series lead and attempt to stretch it to a 3-1 advantage when they host the Clippers on Sunday in the Western Conference first-round series. Leonard scored a career-best 32 points in Friday’s Game 3 as the Spurs rolled to a 100-73 dismantling of third-seeded Los Angeles.

Leonard was awarded his NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophy prior to the game and then went on an offensive splurge by making 13-of-18 shots. “He can put on a show like that in a situation like this,” power forward Tim Duncan told reporters. “It’s not only great for us but it’s impressive to watch.” The Clippers will be focused on improvement and evening up a series that started out well when they won Game 1 before the Spurs rebounded. “I just know we got our butts kicked,” Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers told reporters after the worst playoff defeat in franchise history. “They played terrific basketball and we didn’t.”

TRENDS:

*Clippers are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
*Spurs are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 home games.
*Over is 6-1 in Clippers last 7 games after scoring less than 75 points in their previous game.
*Under is 8-2 in Spurs last 10 games playing on 1 days rest.


Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards (-5.5, 197.5)
Wizards lead series 3-0

Paul Pierce and the fifth-seeded Washington Wizards look to finish off the visiting Toronto Raptors when Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first-round series commences on Sunday. No NBA team has recovered from a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series so fourth-seeded Toronto faces a monumental task.

Pierce tossed verbal intimidation at the Raptors prior to the series and has been tormenting them on the court during it. The veteran forward scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter of Game 3 as Washington recorded a 106-99 victory. The Toronto players are having a hard time with the notion of now having to win four straight games but coach Dwane Casey insists his squad won’t be rolling over. “We’re still on life support. It’s not over yet,” Casey told reporters. “There’s no ‘give-up’ on this team.”

TRENDS:

*Raptors are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 Conference Quarterfinals games.
*Wizards are 8-1-2 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
*Over is 4-0 in Raptors last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
*Over is 9-2 in Wizards last 11 home games.


Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks (+2.5, 220)
Rockets lead series 3-0

The Houston Rockets are bullying their way to the Western Conference semifinals, at least according to the Dallas Mavericks. The Rockets have been the more physical team in the first three games will try to wrap up a four-game sweep when they visit the Mavericks for Game 4 on Sunday.

Houston and Dallas were each whistled for 28 personal fouls in Game 3, but Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle felt there could have been more on the visitors. “Look, referees miss calls, but there's just a lot of physical stuff going on out there that just doesn't look kosher to me,” Carlisle told reporters. “They're a more physical team, but this series has got to be played within the rules.” Carlisle called out Rockets center Dwight Howard, who grabbed a postseason career-high 26 rebounds, in particular after the contest. “It's a long series, and my job is to be dominant in the paint and just do my best,” Howard told reporters in response. “I don't think about it when I'm out there. I just go out there and play.”

TRENDS:

*Rockets are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 vs. Western Conference.
*Mavericks are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
*Over is 7-1 in Rockets last 8 vs. Western Conference.
*Over is 8-1 in Mavericks last 9 overall.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NBA

Lebron James is 40-7 in first round games in his career; Cleveland won nine of last 11 games overall, covering three of its last nine; they were 32-88 on ar in first three wins, as Irving was on court for 120 minutes, James 126- they get lot of rest if they win this game and end series. Boston covered nine of its last 12 games overall; they had only 25 fast break points in first three games, were -20 on the boards.

Gortat was huge in Game 3, with 24 points, 13 boards, four blocks, as Wizards took 3-0 series edge; NBA teams with 3-0 series edge are 111-0 in those series. Toronto has only 25 fast break points in two games. Raptors won four of last seven road games. Five of their last eight Toronto games stayed under total. Wizards won five of last six at home. Toronto bench is -85 in last two games.

Houston won seven of last eight games with Dallas; five of last seven series games stayed under total. Rockets won nine of last eleven overall; seven of their last nine games went over. Dallas is 4-4 in its last eight games; 10 of its last 12 went over. Both teams shot 50%+ in Game 3, as defense took night off; Dallas had 72 at the half and still lost- they had 33 fast break points, most by any team in playoffs so far.

Whatever Clippers have left in tank, would expect best effort here after they got bamboozled in Game 3. Defending champ Spurs are 12-2 in last 14 first round series, 3-1 in years after they won a title. Clippers had won seven in row before losing Games 2-3; they got eviscerated Friday, losing by 27 and it wasn't that close. Spurs won 13 of last 15 games; five of their subs played 15+ minutes in Game 3, thats how stress-free the game was.

Home favorites are 10-10 in this round, home dogs are 3-3; home teams are 17-9 SU-- over is 10-16.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Mets (14-4) at Yankees (10-8)

Game: 3
Venue: Yankee Stadium
Date: April 26, 2015 8:05 PM EDT

The hype and expectations surrounding Matt Harvey have led to his starts being treated as some sort of holiday by the New York Mets, but he may not even be the best pitcher on his own team.

After getting back in the win column on the latest "Harvey Day," the Mets will look for Jonathon Niese to continue the best stretch of his career Sunday night against the New York Yankees in the finale of this Subway Series.

Harvey's return from Tommy John surgery has been celebrated by the Mets (14-4), and his 4-0 record and 3.04 ERA has justified the growing hype.

He was superb again Saturday, coming one out shy of a complete game in an 8-2 win over the Yankees (10-8) after the Mets' 11-game winning streak ended with a 6-1 defeat a day earlier.

Now, Niese (2-0, 1.50 ERA) looks to hold an opponent to two earned runs or fewer for the eighth consecutive start. The left-hander is 3-1 with a 1.62 ERA over his last seven games, dating to last season. He's yielded one run in each of his last two starts and is in position to win three straight for the first time since September 2012.

Niese tossed six scoreless innings Tuesday before giving up a homer and leaving with two outs in the seventh of a 7-1 win over Atlanta.

He's 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA in four career starts against the Yankees.

He is likely to have rookie Kevin Plawecki behind the plate again. Plawecki went 2 for 4 with two runs in his major league debut Wednesday and hit his first career homer - a two-run shot - and added an RBI single on Saturday.

"It was a special day in many ways," Plawecki said.

Juan Lagares would certainly agree, matching his career high with four hits with an RBI triple on Saturday. He was 1 for 13 over his seven previous meetings with the Yankees.

The Yankees will try to bounce back from their first loss in five games behind Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 3.12).

The right-hander is coming off his best start since being acquired in an offseason trade with Miami, yielding one run and scattering eight hits in seven innings of a 5-2 win at Detroit on Tuesday.

After giving up five runs in 10 1-3 innings over his first two starts, he credited the improvement with a slight adjustment.

"I moved my arm a little closer to my body in my last bullpen (session), and I was able to keep it there for most of the game," Eovaldi said. "It really helped my command."

He went 0-1 with a 7.15 ERA in two starts against the Mets last season.

Alex Rodriguez is 1 for 7 with two strikeouts in this series, but he's 3 for 8 with a homer versus Niese.

Mark Teixeira, who is also 3 for 8 in this matchup, has five hits - including three homers - over the last two games and five RBIs.

The Mets have won five of six in the Bronx after a five-game skid there.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Indians a hot Under play with Carrasco pitching
Justin Hartling

The Over/Under count as gone 1-13 in Carlos Carrasco's previous 14 starts for the Cleveland Indians making the AL Central club a hot Under wager when the Venezuelan gets the ball.

Those 14 games have seen Carrasco allow an average of only 1.2 runs per outing while registering 7.3 K's per game. Hell, teams can't even hit Carrasco, as he has only given up four hits per game during that span while only allowing more than four hits 21 percent of the time.

The Indians have already proven to be a solid under play as the team has posted a 5-10 O/U mark overall this season, but an even better 2-8 away from Cleveland. You can thank Cleveland's lack of offense this season, as the team has averaged a mere 3.80 runs per game, good for twenty-first in the majors.

Carrasco is slated to get the start when the Indians visit the Detroit Tigers Sunday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Buehrle the Blue Jays luck charm versus Rays
Justin Hartling

The Toronto Blue Jays will send veteran Mark Buehrle to the mound to face the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday. The leftie has meant wins when the Jays and Rays meet, with Toronto winning six of Buehrle's past seven starts against Tampa.

Buehrle has only allowed 2.4 runs per outing in those seven games, while twice leaving a zero in the runs column.

The Rays are expected to start Chris Archer opposite Buehrle Sunday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Scherzer still bothered by thumb injury
The Sports Xchange

Right-hander Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals had his scheduled bullpen session pushed back one day to Sunday because he still was experiencing swelling in his right thumb.

Scherzer, who jammed the thumb while batting in his last start, still is scheduled to start on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves.

He has a 1-2 record this season with a 1.26 earned-run average.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

'On the diamond'

Toronto and Tampa Bay conclude their three-game set in what looks to be a pitcher's duel. The duel in question will be between Jays Mark Buehrle carrying a perfect 3-0 mark, 4.00 ERA over three starts including a home victory vs Rays and Chris Archer heading to the hill 2-2 with a 1.07 ERA and an earlier victory vs Jays up in Toronto. MLB Handicappers researching this game will be quick to note that for whatever reason the Rays bring their best to this series having won 73-of-110 encounters since '2009 including an impressive 39-19 mark at Tropicana Field. However, a key to baseball handicapping is the ability to unearth hidden gems among a sea of baseball betting stats. Those digging deeper will have found Toronto has made its mark when starting Buehrle in this series as Jays have won 8-of-11 since his arrival including 4-1 at the Trop. In addition, when Buehrle tosses on the road in daylight hours the Jays have thrived winning 8 of 10. Toronto has also shown a penchant for winning game three of a series w/Buehrle as they're 15-5 in the situation including 7-3 in enemy territory. Final betting nugget. Jays are 7-3 avoiding a three-game road sweep including 2-0 handing the ball to Buehrle. The numbers above clearly illustrate Toronto is the right choice.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Today's games

National League

Braves @ Phillies
Cahill is 0-2, 11.37 in his two starts; five of his last six went over total.

Williams is 1-1, 4.76 in his three starts this year.

Phillies lost ten of last 13 games; over is 6-3-2 in their last 11- they lost three of last four with Atlanta, with all four staying under total. Braves lost four of last five games; three of their last four stayed under.

Nationals @ Marlins
Gonzalez is 1-1, 3.93 in his three starts; four of his last five stayed under.

Haren is 1-1, 3.32 in his three starts; over is 5-0-1 in his last six.

Miami won its last four games; over is 7-2-1 in their last ten. Nationals lost last four games, outscored 22-8; four of their last six stayed under. Nationals won eight of last eleven games with Miami, but lost last two; nine of last 12 series games stayed under total.

Cubs @ Reds
Arrieta is 2-1, 1.75 in his three starts; under is 3-0-1 in his last four.

DeSclafani is 2-0, 0.86 in three starts, all of which stayed under.

Cubs won six of last seven games with Cincinnati; over is 5-1-2 in last eight games. Reds won three of its last five games; five of last seven games went under. Chicago is 5-4 in its last nine games.

Cardinals @ Brewers
Lynn is 1-1, 2.08 in his three starts; seven of his last nine stayed under.

Fiers is 0-3, 9.20 in his three starts; sevne of his last ten stayed under.

Milwaukee lost ten of last 11 games, outscored 58-26; they lost eight of last ten games with St Louis-- six of last nine series games stayed under total. Cardinals won eight of last nine games (under 6-3).

Giants @ Rockies
Lincecum is 1-1, 2.50 in his three starts (under 2-1).

Matzek is 1-1, 2.40 in his three starts; seven of his last nine stayed under.

Colorado won six of last eight games with Giants; under is 8-2-2 in last 12 in series. Rockies lost six of their last eight games, outscored 54-29. Under is 7-3-1 in last eleven San Francisco games. Giants won four of their last five.

Pirates @ Diamondbacks
Liriano is 0-1, 3.00 in his three starts; under is 6-3-1 in his last ten.

Hellickson is 1-2, 4.58 in his three starts, all of which stayed under.

Pittsburgh won four of last five games with Arizona, six of last eight games overall. Arizona lost four of last five at home; five of its last six overall stayed under the total.

Dodgers @ Padres
Baker is 66-52, 4.25 in 170 MLB starts over nine years; he started eight games for Texas LY (3-4, 5.47). His last three starts went over- this is his first start this season, first start for the Dodgers.

Morrow is 0-0, 3.15 in his three starts (under 2-1).

Dodgers won seven of last nine games with San Diego; seven of nine went over the total. LA won nine of its last eleven games. Padres lost last four games, outscored 21-13; three of their last four stayed under.


American League

Red Sox @ Orioles
Miley is 1-1, 6.08 in his three starts; four of his last six went over.

Norris is 0-2, 17.42 in his three starts; his last four all went over.

Baltimore lost five of last six games, outscored 42-25; they're 7-5 in last 12 games with Boston- three of last four went over. Red Sox lost three of last four games, with three of those four going over total.

Indians @ Tigers
Carrasco is 2-1, 2.38 in his three starts; his last six stayed under.

Lobstein is 1-1, 327 in his two startsl four of his last six at home went under. .

Detroit lost four of its last five games after an 11-2 start; they've won eight of last nine vs Cleveland, scoring 59 runs (over 8-1). Indians lost eight of last 12 games, with eight of last ten staying under the total.

Blue Jays @ Rays
Buehrle is 3-0, 4.00 in his three starts; Blue Jays scored 13-12-12 runs in the three games. Six of his last seven starts went over.

Archer is 2-1, 0.46 in his three starts, all of which stayed under.

Rays won last four games, outscoring foes 25-11. Five of last seven Tampa Bay games went over total; they've won six of their last seven games with Toronto. Four of last six Toronto road tilts went over.

Royals @ White Sox
Friday night's game was suspended at 2-2 in 8th inning; teams got rained out yesterday.

Volquez is 2-1, 1.99 in three starts this year; under was 2-0-1 in those games.

Danks is 0-2, 6.06 in his three starts, all of which stayed under.

Kansas City won eight of last nine games with Chicago; seven of last ten series games went over. Royals won four of last five games overall; under is 4-1-1 in their last six. White Sox won four of last six home games.

Rangers @ Angels
Martinez is 2-0, 0.90 in his first three starts.

Santiago is 2-1, 2.45 in his three starts; six of his last eight went over.

Rangers lost eight of last 11 games; five of last seven stayed under. Angels won eight of last 11 games with Texas; over is 5-3-1 in last nine. Halos won four of their last five games.

Astros @ A's
Wojchiechowski is 0-1, 9.00 in two major league starts.

Pomeranz is 1-2, 4.76 in his three starts; four of his last six went over.

Houston is 7-5 in last 12 games with Oakland; they've won six of last seven games overall- four of their last five went over. A's lost four of their last five games- five of their last six went over.

Twins @ Mariners
Gibson is 1-2, 6.46 in his three starts; under is 3-0-1 in his last four.

Elias is making first '15 start; he was 3-4, 2.66 in his last 10 starts LY (under was 7-3 in those games). .

Seattle lost eight of last 12 games with Minnesota; four of last six series games stayed under. Twins lost eight of their last eleven road games. Seattle is 4-6 in its last ten games- four of its last six went over.


Interleague

Mets @ Bronx
Niese is 2-0, 2.50 in his three starts (over 2-0-1)-- he was thrown out of Friday's game for bitching on balls/strikes from dugout.

Eovaldi is 1-1, 3.12 in his three starts this year.

Mets won 12 of their last 13 games; over is 6-2-2 in last ten- they've won seven of last ten games with Bronx- over is 4-1-1 in last six played here. Bronx won six of its last eight games; over is 8-3-1 in its last twelve.


Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Atl-Phil-- Cahill 0-2; Williams 2-1
Wsh-Mia-- Gonzalez 2-1; Haren 2-1
Chi-Cin-- Arrieta 2-1; DeSclafani 3-0
StL-Mil-- Lynn 1-2; Fiers 0-3
SF-Col-- Lincecum 1-2; Matzek 2-1
Pitt-Az-- Liriano 0-3; Hellickson 1-2
LA-SD-- Baker 0-0; Morrow 3-0

Bos-Balt-- Miley 2-1; Norris 1-2
Clev-Det-- Carrasco 2-1; Lobstein 1-1
Tor-TB-- Buehrle 3-0; Archer 2-2
KC-Chi-- Volquez 2-1; Danks 1-2
Tex-LA-- Martinez 3-0; Santiago 2-1
Hst-A's-- Wojchiechowski 1-1; Pomeranz 1-2
Minn-Sea-- Gibson 1-2; Elias 0-0

NYM-NYY-- Niese 2-1; Eovaldi 1-2

Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Atl-Phil-- Cahill 1-2; Williams 1-3
Wsh-Mia-- Gonzalez 0-3; Haren 0-3
Chi-Cin-- Arrieta 2-1; DeSclafani 3-0
StL-Mil-- Lynn 0-3; Fiers 0-3
SF-Col-- Lincecum 1-3; Matzek 1-3
Pitt-Az-- Liriano 1-3; Hellickson 2-3
LA-SD-- Baker 0-0; Morrow 1-3

Bos-Balt-- Miley 1-3; Norris 1-3
Clev-Det-- Carrasco 2-3; Lobstein 2-2
Tor-TB-- Buehrle 1-3; Archer 1-4
KC-Chi-- Volquez 2-1; Danks 1-2
Tex-LA-- Martinez 0-3; Santiago 1-3
Hst-A's-- Wojchiechowski 1-2; Pomeranz 1-3
Minn-Sea-- Gibson 1-3; Elias 0-0

NYM-NYY-- Niese 2-3; Eovaldi 2-3


Umpires
Chi-Cin-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Diaz games.
Wsh-Mia-- Over is 9-0-1 in last ten Morales games.
Atl-Phil-- Favorites won nine of last eleven Dimuro games.
StL-Mil-- All four Bucknor games this year went over.
Pitt-Az-- Home side won Woodring's last six games LY; this is his first game behind plate this season.
SF-Colo-- Last three BWelke games went over the total.
LA-SD-- I've got no info on rookie umpire Blakney.

Clev-Det-- Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Joyce games.
KC-Chi-- Last six TWelke games stayed under total.
Hst-A's-- Home side won last ten Wolcott games.
Tor-TB-- Eight of last ten Segal games went over.
Bos-Balt-- Underdogs are 5-4 in last nine Basner games.
Tex-LA-- Under is 7-3-1 in last eleven Gonzalez games.
Min-Sea-- Four of last five Barber games went over.

NYM-NYY-- Underdogs won last three Wolf games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Sunday's six-pack

-- Warriors 109, Pelicans 98-- Golden State first NBA team to advance.

-- Bucks 92, Bulls 90-- Good side out of bounds play got Bucks winning hoop.

-- Grizzlies 115, Blazers 109-- Is Memphis the most obscure good team in all of professional sports?

-- Calgary 7, Vancouver 4-- Flames' first playoff series win since 2004.

-- Orioles 5, Red Sox 4 (10)-- Weird night in Baltimore; fans were told to stay inside the ballpark, even if the game ended, due to protests outside the stadium. Then the Orioles tied the game; extra inning gave cops enough time to quell the protests.

-- Cardinals 5, Brewers 3-- St Louis may have lost Wainwright for season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Arthur Ralph Sports

Bonus Play Sunday Nationals w/ Gonzalez

 

[Scott602]

Nover anyone TIA