Cnotes MLB June's Picks-Trends-Stats-News !!

Well back from a weeks vacation and refreshed back to the games.....Hope all of you had a safe and awesome Memorial Day Weekend.......

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack


How the divisional races in major league baseball are shaping up..........


NL East-- Washington leads Mets by three games, Miami by four.


NL Central-- Cubs are jogging, lead sliding Pittsburgh by 8.5 games.


NL West-- Giants lead underachieving Dodgers by 5.5 games; other three are awful.


AL East-- Red Sox lead Orioles by a game, Toronto by 3.5 games.


AL Central-- Royals now lead Cleveland, fading White Sox by 1.5 games.


AL West-- Texas/Seattle are tied for first; they meet this weekend in Arlington.


**********


Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here.......


13) Warriors 104, Cavaliers 89-- Curry/Thompson combined for only 20 points, their lowest total of the year, and Golden State still wasn't in danger here. Subs for Warriors were a combined +55 in the game.


12) Now Curry/Thompson can rest up for a couple days before Sunday's Game 2. Golden State has won six in a row over the Cavaliers, dating back to LY's Finals.


11) Mariners 16, Padres 13-- San Diego led 12-2 after 5th inning, trailed before the 7th-inning stretch. Seattle had seven consecutive run scoring singles in top of the 7th. If you took the Giants and Clayton Kershaw out of the NL West, it wouldn't be that much better than the freakin' Pacific Coast League.


10) Bud Black went 649-713 in 8.5 years as Padres' manager; looking back, he seems like freakin' Sparky Anderson compared to the present regime. Somene remind me why an Ivy league genius fired Black. anyone? anyone? Bueller?


9) So far seven football recruits have asked out of their Letter of Intent to play this fall at Baylor; will be interesting to see how much this damages their recruiting going forward. People tend to have short memories.


8) When UNLV hired Marvin Menzies as its basketball coach April 16, they had three scholarship players on their roster- now they have 11, two under the limit. This is an excellent job of recruiting by the new staff; plus there are no McDonald's A-A's in the group, so no one will be jumping to the NBA next spring. Muy bueno. .


7) Looking thri college hoop stuff this week, it is striking how St Mary's went 29-6 this year, 15-3 in WCC, despite Gaels having no seniors on their squad. They should be really good this coming season, with their whole team back.


6) Rennie Stennett was at the Pirate-Marlin game Wednesday night; he is best known as last player to get seven hits in a game, on September 16, 1975 against Chicago. Odd thing is that his first hit that night was against Rick Reuschel; his 7th hit that night was against Reuschel's brother Paul


5) Arizona 3B Jake Lamb has nine homers this year, five in the ninth inning.


4) Diamondback TV analyst Bob Brenly is a very nice guy, totally relaxed during games, so it was odd to hear shred Houston OF Carlos Gomez during Monday's game, saying opponents are "delighted to see Gomez struggle" like he is this season. Gomez is known as a showboat who gloats when things are going well for him- they have not been going well for him for over a year now.


3) Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas will be imploded starting at 2am June 14- demolition of the famed casino, which will be completed in August, will cost $42M.


2) Jets need a starting QB, Rams have a QB (Nick Foles) they don't want. Foles threw 27 TDs with two INTs when he was on the Eagles and had DeSean Jackson to throw to. Jets should toss the Rams a 7th-round pick and help both teams out, and then Ryan Fitzpatrick can explain to his wife why he turned down a $24M deal. .


1) ESPN is not going to be happy if the NBA Finals are as bad as it looks like they might be. Thunder-Warriors seems like real Finals- they were televised on TNT. The Western Conference is just so much better than the East. Would the league think about eliminating east/west distinctions for the playoffs? Tough thing to do.

Friday's Diamond Notes
June 3, 2016


Hottest team:


Astros (8-3 last 11)
Houston couldn’t pull off the four-game sweep of Arizona after getting blanked on Thursday, 3-0, but the Astros have gotten things together following a poor start. The Astros sit at 25-30 entering Friday’s action after beginning the season at 5-16. Houston’s hot streak started after getting swept by rival Texas at home two weeks ago, as the Astros swept the Orioles before capturing series against the Angels and Diamondbacks. Doug Fister takes the mound for Houston tonight against Oakland, as the Astros have won six straight starts made by the right-hander.

Coldest team:


Rays, Phillies (2-9 last 11)


The two teams that hooked up for the 2008 World Series have hit the skids recently as it was too tough to just isolate one of these squads. Philadelphia turned heads to begin the season, but the Phillies are the team we thought they were as they have dropped seven straight games following Thursday’s 4-1 home setback to the Brewers. To make matters worse, the Phillies are 1-6 in their last seven home games, while scoring two runs or less in five of those defeats.


Tampa Bay has lost the first four games of its road trip after falling at Minnesota last night, the team with the worst record in the American League. In each of the past four losses, the Rays have allowed at least six runs, cashing the ‘over’ each time. Tampa Bay has stumbled to a 1-7 record in its past eight games away from Tropicana Field, but the Rays should take solace in Jake Odorzzi taking the mound tonight as Tampa Bay has won his last four road outings.


Hottest pitcher:


Johnny Cueto, Giants (8-1, 2.31 ERA)
The Cy Young race in the National League is going to be exciting with Chicago’s Jake Arrieta and Los Angeles southpaw Clayton Kershaw as the two favorites. Cueto is thriving in his first season with San Francisco as he seeks consideration as the NL’s top pitcher, winning four straight starts, which includes a pair of complete game victories over the Padres. The Giants are 6-0 in Cueto’s six starts away from AT&T Park, but the right-hander is winless in his last three starts at Busch Stadium since 2012.


Coldest pitcher:


Jered Weaver, Angels (4-4, 5.40 ERA)


Los Angeles travels to the East Coast to begin an interleague series with Pittsburgh following a 3-3 homestand. Weaver has allowed at least four runs in three of his last four outings, while getting knocked around in his last two road losses to the Dodgers and Brewers. The Angels have struggled against National League opponents with a 4-8 record, while Los Angeles owns a 1-5 mark in Weaver’s past six interleague starts since the beginning of the 2015 season.


Biggest UNDER run:


Cubs (6-1 last seven)


Chicago continues to shut down opposing team’s offenses as the Cubs have allowed two runs or less in six of the past seven contests. The Cubs barely went ‘over’ Thursday’s total of 8 ½ in a 7-2 rout of the Dodgers to snap a six-game ‘under’ streak, but Chicago is 12-5 to the ‘under’ since mid-May. John Lackey takes the mound for the Cubs this afternoon against the Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field, as Chicago has finished ‘under’ the total in each of his past four starts.


Biggest OVER run:


Royals (10-0 last 10)


Kansas City suffered a rare bullpen meltdown in Thursday’s 5-4 walk-off loss at Cleveland, but the Royals managed to sail ‘over’ the total for the 10th consecutive game. The Royals actually scored their fewest runs in a game during this ‘over’ streak last night, snapping a nine-game streak plating at least five runs. Nine times during this stretch the Royals and their opponent have combined for at least nine runs, as tonight’s total against the Indians sits at 7 ½. Edinson Volquez starts for Kansas City tonight, as the Royals have gone ‘over’ the total in his last three road outings, including a 5-4 defeat at Cleveland last month on a 7 ½ total.


Matchup to watch:


Mariners vs. Rangers


Seattle pulled off a comeback for the ages last Thursday night, erasing a 12-2 deficit to shock San Diego, 16-13. The Mariners improved to 19-8 away from Safeco Field, while losing consecutive games only once on the road this season. Seattle visits Texas for the first time since the opening weekend of the season when the Mariners grabbed two of three from the Rangers. However, Texas picked up revenge in mid-April by winning two of three games at Safeco Field. The Rangers couldn’t finish off a sweep in their last series at Cleveland, losing the finale in walk-off fashion, but won the first two games as heavy underdogs. Yu Darvish makes his second start for Texas since Tommy John surgery, as the right-hander tossed five innings and scattered three hits and allowed one run in a 5-2 victory over the Pirates in his first outing last weekend.

Betcha didn’t know:


The Mets owned a 1-8 record in Noah Syndergaard’s first nine road starts, but New York has won six of his past eight outings away from Citi Field. Syndergaard is making his first career start at Marlins Park, while looking to avenge a 2-1 defeat to Miami in April as the Mets’ right-hander allowed one run in seven innings and struck out 12 in the loss.

Biggest public favorite: Dodgers (-220) vs. Braves

Biggest public underdog: Brewers (+105) at Phillies

Biggest line move: Padres (-130 to -140) vs. Rockies

Giants, Cards meet in St. Louis
June 3, 2016




SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (34-22) at ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (28-26)


First pitch: Friday, 8:15 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: San Francisco -125, St. Louis +115, Total: 7.0


The Cardinals will be looking to pick up a big home win over the Giants on Friday night.


San Francisco has been playing extremely well recently, as the team has now won nine of its past 13 games. The Giants have been getting some excellent performances from their pitching staff, as they shutout the Braves twice in their four-game set last series.


They’ll be hoping that the rotation can continue to hold up against the Cardinals and it’ll be RHP Johnny Cueto (8-1, 2.31 ERA, 72 K) that will be on the mound in this one.


For the Cardinals, RHP Adam Wainwright (5-3, 5.71 ERA, 40 K) will be trying to outduel Cueto on Friday. St. Louis has won in each of his past seven starts, but that has nothing to do with his pitching.


He has allowed three or more earned runs in six of those seven starts and has pitched less than seven innings in six of those seven as well.


San Francisco is an incredible 26-9 against the money line as a favorite of -110 or higher this season. The Giants are, however, facing a Cardinals team that is 19-5 against the money line off a loss to a division rival as a favorite over the past two seasons.


One key player that is expected to miss this one is the Giants’ OF Hunter Pence (Hamstring), who was placed on the 15-day DL on Jun. 1.


Johnny Cueto is going to be toeing the rubber on Friday and he has been absolutely dominant for the Giants recently. In his last 24.0 innings on the mound, Cueto has allowed just two earned runs and has struck out 19 batters.


One thing that he is doing is keeping his homers allowed down. He has allowed just three over the past 10 starts and he should really be able to keep his brilliance up if he can continue to avoid the long ball.


Offensively, the Giants are coming off of a good game and will be hoping it carries over into this one. C Buster Posey (.264, 8 HR, 26 RBI) homered against the Braves on Thursday and that was his first hit since May 29.


San Francisco needs him to start hitting more consistently moving forward, but he is just 2-for-11 against Wainwright in his career. He’ll need to find a way to figure out the Cardinals’ starter on Friday.


Another guy to watch out for coming into this game is 2B Joe Panik (.242, 6 HR, 23 RBI). Panik hasn’t faced Wainwright very often, but he is 2-for-3 against the pitcher in his career. It’d be big if he can get on base a few times on Friday.


Adam Wainwright has not been his usual self this season, but he has been slowly progressing as of late.


Wainwright has seen his ERA go from 8.27 to 5.71 since Apr. 16 and will be hoping to continue to improve moving forward. Wainwright has been solid against the Giants over the past three seasons, going 3-1 with a 3.21 ERA versus the team.


Two guys that will be looking forward to facing Cueto on Friday are OF Matt Holliday (.262, 9 HR, 31 RBI) and C Yadier Molina (.266, 1 HR, 19 RBI). Both guys have struggled this season, but they are a combined 22-for-77 with two homers and 15 RBI against the Giants’ starter in their careers and it’d be very big for the Cardinals if they can produce on Friday.


St. Louis can also use a solid game from OF Stephen Piscotty (.318, 6 HR, 31 RBI). He has been their best hitter all season and it’s hard to imagine the Cardinals beating Cueto without him getting it going.

June Pitchers Report
June 1, 2016


You know the saying, “May flowers bring June showers.”


For Major League Baseball pitchers hurling during the month of June, showers are hopefully not in their immediate plans. Instead, it’s the hope of all MLB starting pitchers to stay around long enough in their starts to avoid having to clean up and go home early.


Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one or better success ratio in team-starts over the course of the last three seasons during the month of June. On the flip side, we've also listed pitchers that struggle in June, winning 33% percent or less of their team-start efforts.


To qualify pitchers must have made a minimum of 10 starts, with at least one start each June over the last three years. And for your convenience alongside each record we break down each pitcher’s greatest success or greatest failure rate either home (H) or away (A) within his good or bad month.


Note: * designates a categorical repeat appearance by this pitcher, maintaining status quo from last season’s June list.


GOOD MONTH PITCHERS:


Arrieta, Jake - 8-4 (6-2 A)


Only Clayton Kershaw has been in Arrieta's stratosphere since 2015. The right-hander is in the right organization which has allowed his abundant talents to flourish and this season opposing batters are hitting a mere .168 against him. His effortless delivery and mid-90's fastball causes a lot of swings and misses as does his breaking pitches.


Cole, Gerrit - 10-2 (6-0 A)


Cole is now the ace of the Pittsburgh staff and expertly commands a two and four-seam fastball in the mid to upper 90's which he can sink or have riding action. After a sluggish start to season, his ERA is down to close to 2.50 and expect him to have another fine month. Note: Cole’s numbers above reflect his career team mark during June.


*Colon, Bartolo - 10-5 (7-0 H)


The 43-year old right-hander just keeps churning along on staff that is very talented and youthful. Colon knows how and where to spot his fastball, which he tosses 70 or more percent of the time and blends in a quick slider that has excellent depth. The fact is Colon understands his craft and wins.


Lackey, John - 11-5 (6-1 H)


Remember for years no pitcher in his right mind would want to pitch at Wrigley Field, now they line up for the chance. Being a talented young team helps and Lackey is the right fit, with fastball he keeps low in the zone and sinker opposing hitters cannot elevate. Through two months, the batter's Lackey has faced are at a lowly .209 batting average and his WHIP is sick 0.97.


Sanchez, Anibal - 9-4 (8-3 H)


The Detroit hurler has gotten off to a rugged start with ERA over 6 as June began. Sanchez's problems revolve around lack of pitch placement, not even having 2-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio and giving up more than a hit an inning. Of the 58 hits allowed, 11 have left the yard and if the Tigers are going to be contenders in the AL Central, Sanchez will have to throw like previous June's.


*Scherzer, Max - 11-4 (6-2 A)


If you research Mad Max's numbers, many are at or below career norm, yet he begins this month with an ERA over 4. The problem is too many pitches right down the middle, which is why he on pace to give up 45 home runs (15 thru May). If Scherzer solves this, he will have a great rest of the year.


Tillman, Chris - 11-3 (4-1 A)


After an off year in 2015, the Orioles righty has come back in a big way. When he's at his best like he has been this year, Tillman works his low 90's heater at the knees on both sides of the dish and his curve and changeup have sharp downward motion. He starts this month with hitters at .203 batting average versus his tosses.


Volquez, Edinson - 11-5 (7-1 A)


The Royals right-hander is doing what he does best, as in nine of his 11 starts for Kansas City he has induced double digit groundball outs. Volquez is still thought to be a power pitcher and gets numerous weak swings with tilted curve and deluxe changeup he will throw on any count.


*Zimmermann, Jordan - 12-5 (8-3 H)


After an unbelievable start, Zimmermann has drifted back to the previous career numbers. He pulled a groin late last month, but is expected to make start on June 3rd and continue from that point. His strengths include four pitches he trusts to throw for strikes and he has shown greater durability thus far in the AL.


BAD MONTH PITCHERS:


Miller, Shelby - 6-12 (2-6 A)


After disastrous start with Arizona, having ERA over 7, maybe a trip to the DL with bad finger on throwing hand will settle Miller down, who looks like he is trying to throw a no-hitter on every pitch and is getting hammered. The talent has always been in place, just not the execution as this record shows. Note: Miller’s numbers above reflect his career team mark during June.


Verlander, Justin - 4-10 (2-5 H)


No longer equipped with high 90's fastball, Verlander tends to give up runs in bunches these days. He can be sailing along for three to five innings and then give up three or four runs in single inning. Without the necessary secondary pitches, he's become easier to hit a third time through the lineup.


Weaver, Jered - 5-10 (1-6 A)


It is sometimes tough to watch former aces who were among the best in the game, as their stuff is in decline and they are not close to what they used to be. This is the case of Weaver, whose fastball barely reaches 85 MPH, which makes his breaking ball and assortment of change-ups less effective. It is no accident at this juncture hitters are clocking him for .311 BA.

C/note...........hope you and your family had a great Vac.............welcome back............BOL with tonight's action.............indy

Giants place Hunter Pence on DL
June 2, 2016


ATLANTA (AP) The San Francisco Giants have placed outfielder Hunter Pence on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.


Pence missed six starts with another right hamstring injury before returning on Saturday. This time, the more significant injury could keep Pence on the disabled list longer than two weeks.


Manager Bruce Bochy says Pence ''did a pretty good job on it. That's a shame.''


The Giants placed outfielder Angel Pagan on the 15-day disabled list on May 24 with a left hamstring injury.


Pence's seven home runs are tied for the team lead. He is tied for fifth in the NL with 36 RBIs.


Jarrett Parker replaced Pence in right field in Thursday's lineup against the Atlanta Braves.


The Giants recalled outfielder Mac Williamson from Triple-A Sacramento

LEADING OFF: Baker back in Cincy, X-Man goes for 27 straight
June 3, 2016


A look at what's happening all around the majors today:


WELCOME BACK


Dusty Baker manages a game in Cincinnati for the first time since the Reds let him go after a loss to the Pirates in the 2013 NL wild-card game. Now guiding the first-place Nationals, Baker will see whether star Bryce Harper is able to play. The reigning NL MVP has been out of the lineup since being hit on the side of the right knee by a pitch on Monday.


THE X FACTOR


Xander Bogaerts takes a 26-game hitting streak for the Red Sox into the series opener at Fenway Park against Toronto. Bogaerts faces a tricky task to extend it - knuckleballer R.A. Dickey pitches for the Blue Jays against David Price, the lefty ace who led Toronto to the AL East title last season.


STRONG START


Healthy ace Yu Darvish and the Rangers host Seattle in a matchup between the top teams in the AL West. Out of the majors last year while recovering from elbow surgery, Darvish gave up one run in five innings vs. Pittsburgh last weekend in his season debut.


DECISION TIME


The Mets are expected to decide whether to put third baseman David Wright on the disabled list before they open a 10-game trip in Miami. Wright has missed five straight games with a herniated disk in his neck. He was scheduled to remain in New York for treatment Thursday, an off day for the team. ''We'll assess the situation when he gets down there,'' manager Terry Collins said Wednesday.


BOTH ON A ROLL


Two streaking pitchers take the mound when the Yankees open a three-game series in Baltimore. New York right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (6-2) has won a career-best five consecutive starts going into his matchup with Chris Tillman (7-1), who is 6-0 in his last seven.

Lincecum allows 3 runs over 5 innings in Triple-A debut
June 3, 2016


TACOMA, Wash. (AP) Despite winning two Cy Young Awards and three World Series rings, Tim Lincecum acknowledged being a bit nervous in his first comeback start with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees.


''It's good to get the feet wet again and get in that game-type atmosphere and just get the ball rolling again,'' said Lincecum, making his first start since June 27 last season with the San Francisco Giants. ''It kind of got the better of me the first couple innings and then I settled into it and started making better pitches and getting better results.''


Lincecum allowed three runs and three hits against the Tacoma Rainiers on Thursday night, exiting after five innings in his first game appearance since hip surgery in September.


The 31-year-old right-hander, signed by the Los Angeles Angels to a $2.5 million, one-year contract two weeks ago, retired nine straight during one stretch after allowing two runs in the first inning and another in the second. He left with Salt Lake trailing 3-1 against a Tacoma lineup that included Seattle Mariners starting shortstop Ketel Marte, who is on a rehab assignment.


''About the third inning, it kind of came around. I forget who the hitter was, but I went fastball away, fastball in and that kind of just established it and I was like, OK, I can still do those pitches,'' said Lincecum, who won consecutive NL Cy Young Awards in 2008-09.


Lincecum struck out five and walked three with one hit batter. He also balked in a run with the bases loaded in the first. He threw 88 pitches, 48 strikes, and consistently had his fastball in the 88-89 mph range.


''The approach is kind of like spring training. You want to do well, but you want to establish strikes and not worry necessarily about the result,'' Lincecum said. ''So, today I was kind of trying to do that, but at the same time, worry about the result because I don't want to be getting hit around.''


Lincecum, who went 7-4 last year with San Francisco, had season-ending hip surgery in September and became a free agent after the season. He pitched in two extended spring training games after signing with Los Angeles and is scheduled to make one more start for the Bees next Tuesday, then join the Angels on June 12 to face the Cleveland Indians in Anaheim, California.


Former Angels pitching coach Bud Black, now a special assistant to the general manager, was on hand.


''I've seen him a lot over the years and the delivery, the arm action looked like Tim Lincecum, which is a good sign,'' said Black, also a former manager of the San Diego Padres. ''Physically, he looked good. This is for him, his spring training in a way. He's got to build pitch count, he's got to build stamina and he accomplished that tonight in a first step to getting back.''


Tacoma manager Pat Listach, who was familiar with Lincecum when Listach was coaching in the National League, was impressed with the pitcher's season debut.


''For a while there, he was in a pretty good groove, winning three out of five World Series and winning Cy Young twice,'' Listach said. ''He's looking for his groove and after being down for an amount of time, it's just a matter of time before he finds it. And, when he finds it, he's going to be a quality major league pitcher again.''


Lincecum, who pitched in high school at nearby Renton and later at the University of Washington, said he had several family members in attendance, including his father.


''It's always good to be pitching at home,'' he said. ''I don't get to do it very often. But, when I do, those comforts really come in and make a difference.''

MLB MONEYLINE


MLB > (973) SEATTLE@ (974) TEXAS | 2016-06-03 20:05:00 - 2016-06-03 20:05:00
Play ON TEXAS using money line in All games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 57 Wins and 37 Losses for the last two seasons (+35.77 units)


MLB > (957) WASHINGTON@ (958) CINCINNATI | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Play AGAINST CINCINNATI using money line in All games as a home underdog of +125 to +150
The record is 2 Wins and 18 Losses for the last two seasons (-15.3 units)


MLB > (977) TAMPA BAY@ (978) MINNESOTA | 2016-06-03 20:10:00 - 2016-06-03 20:10:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA using money line in All games when the total is 8 to 8.5
The record is 7 Wins and 23 Losses for the this season (-15.95 units)

MLB > (973) SEATTLE@ (974) TEXAS | 2016-06-03 20:05:00 - 2016-06-03 20:05:00
Play ON TEXAS using money line in All games in night games
The record is 88 Wins and 66 Losses for the last two seasons (+39.12 units)


MLB > (977) TAMPA BAY@ (978) MINNESOTA | 2016-06-03 20:10:00 - 2016-06-03 20:10:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA using money line in all games
The record is 15 Wins and 37 Losses for the this season (-18.7 units)


MLB > (965) NY YANKEES@ (966) BALTIMORE | 2016-06-03 19:05:00 - 2016-06-03 19:05:00
Play ON BALTIMORE using money line in Home games in night games
The record is 94 Wins and 45 Losses for the last three seasons (+41.65 units)


MLB > (971) TORONTO@ (972) BOSTON | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Play AGAINST BOSTON using money line in Home games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 32 Wins and 55 Losses for the last three seasons (-32.75 units)

MLB > (957) WASHINGTON@ (958) CINCINNATI | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Play AGAINST CINCINNATI using money line in All games in night games
The record is 8 Wins and 29 Losses for the this season (-19.33 units)

MLB > (977) TAMPA BAY@ (978) MINNESOTA | 2016-06-03 20:10:00 - 2016-06-03 20:10:00
Play AGAINST MINNESOTA using money line in All games against right-handed starters
The record is 12 Wins and 30 Losses for the this season (-16.15 units)


------------------

MLB RUNLINE


MLB > (965) NY YANKEES@ (966) BALTIMORE | 2016-06-03 19:05:00 - 2016-06-03 19:05:00
Play ON BALTIMORE in Home games in night games
The record is 15 Wins and 6 Losses for the this season (+13.95 units)


MLB > (971) TORONTO@ (972) BOSTON | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Play AGAINST BOSTON in All games when playing with a day off
The record is 11 Wins and 31 Losses for the last three seasons (-26.15 units)

MLB > (963) COLORADO@ (964) SAN DIEGO | 2016-06-03 22:40:00 - 2016-06-03 22:40:00
Play ON SAN DIEGO in All games in night games
The record is 27 Wins and 10 Losses for the this season (+15.8 units)


MLB > (961) ATLANTA@ (962) LA DODGERS | 2016-06-03 22:10:00 - 2016-06-03 22:10:00
Play AGAINST ATLANTA in Road games when playing against a team with a winning record
The record is 20 Wins and 34 Losses for the last two seasons (-26.1 units)


----------------


MLB TOTALS


MLB > (969) KANSAS CITY@ (970) CLEVELAND | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Play OVER CLEVELAND on the totalin Home games against division opponents
The record is 35 Overs and 12 Unders for the last two seasons (+22.85 units)


MLB > (971) TORONTO@ (972) BOSTON | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Play UNDER TORONTO on the totalin Road games against division opponents
The record is 2 Overs and 14 Unders for the this season (+12.25 units)


MLB > (969) KANSAS CITY@ (970) CLEVELAND | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Play OVER CLEVELAND on the totalin Home games against right-handed starters
The record is 50 Overs and 21 Unders for the last two seasons (+27.95 units)


MLB > (971) TORONTO@ (972) BOSTON | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Play UNDER TORONTO on the totalin All games in road games
The record is 6 Overs and 20 Unders for the this season (+13.5 units)

MLB > (977) TAMPA BAY@ (978) MINNESOTA | 2016-06-03 20:10:00 - 2016-06-03 20:10:00
Play OVER MINNESOTA on the totalin All games in night games
The record is 21 Overs and 8 Unders for the this season (+13.1 units)

MLB > (979) LA ANGELS@ (980) PITTSBURGH | 2016-06-03 19:05:00 - 2016-06-03 19:05:00
Play OVER PITTSBURGH on the totalin All games when the total is 8 to 8.5
The record is 13 Overs and 3 Unders for the this season (+9.7 units)

MLB > (953) MILWAUKEE@ (954) PHILADELPHIA | 2016-06-03 19:05:00 - 2016-06-03 19:05:00
Play OVER PHILADELPHIA on the totalin Home games in June games
The record is 14 Overs and 3 Unders for the last two seasons (+11.3 units)






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TOP POWER LINES


Users of our matchup reports are familiar with our Power Line ratings, calculated using both teams' ratings and home field advantage. The Top Power Lines tool offers a way to view and compare current Power Lines in one simple report, as well as the Power Line Edge, where the Power Line differs significantly from the current line.




MLB > (951) ARIZONA @ (952) CHICAGO CUBS | 2016-06-03 14:20:00 - 2016-06-03 14:20:00
Line: CHICAGO CUBS-260 BTB PowerLine: CHICAGO CUBS-378
Edge On: CHICAGO CUBS (118)


MLB > (965) NY YANKEES @ (966) BALTIMORE | 2016-06-03 19:05:00 - 2016-06-03 19:05:00
Line: BALTIMORE-126 BTB PowerLine: BALTIMORE-179
Edge On: BALTIMORE (53)


MLB > (979) LA ANGELS @ (980) PITTSBURGH | 2016-06-03 19:05:00 - 2016-06-03 19:05:00
Line: LA ANGELS BTB PowerLine: LA ANGELS-151
Edge On: LA ANGELS (8)

MLB > (953) MILWAUKEE @ (954) PHILADELPHIA | 2016-06-03 19:05:00 - 2016-06-03 19:05:00
Line: PHILADELPHIA-107 BTB PowerLine: PHILADELPHIA-115
Edge On: PHILADELPHIA (8)


MLB > (957) WASHINGTON @ (958) CINCINNATI | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Line: WASHINGTON BTB PowerLine: WASHINGTON228
Edge On: WASHINGTON (58)


MLB > (969) KANSAS CITY @ (970) CLEVELAND | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Line: KANSAS CITY BTB PowerLine: KANSAS CITY-118
Edge On: KANSAS CITY (33)

MLB > (955) NY METS @ (956) MIAMI | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Line: MIAMI+160 BTB PowerLine: MIAMI150
Edge On: MIAMI (10)


MLB > (971) TORONTO @ (972) BOSTON | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Line: TORONTO BTB PowerLine: TORONTO-166
Edge On: TORONTO (16)


MLB > (967) CHI WHITE SOX @ (968) DETROIT | 2016-06-03 19:10:00 - 2016-06-03 19:10:00
Line: CHI WHITE SOX BTB PowerLine: CHI WHITE SOX-127
Edge On: CHI WHITE SOX (7)


MLB > (973) SEATTLE @ (974) TEXAS | 2016-06-03 20:05:00 - 2016-06-03 20:05:00
Line: SEATTLE BTB PowerLine: SEATTLE-121
Edge On: SEATTLE (7)


MLB > (977) TAMPA BAY @ (978) MINNESOTA | 2016-06-03 20:10:00 - 2016-06-03 20:10:00
Line: TAMPA BAY BTB PowerLine: TAMPA BAY184
Edge On: TAMPA BAY (69)


MLB > (975) OAKLAND @ (976) HOUSTON | 2016-06-03 20:10:00 - 2016-06-03 20:10:00
Line: OAKLAND BTB PowerLine: OAKLAND-136
Edge On: OAKLAND (9)

MLB > (959) SAN FRANCISCO @ (960) ST LOUIS | 2016-06-03 20:15:00 - 2016-06-03 20:15:00
Line: ST LOUIS+110 BTB PowerLine: ST LOUIS-104
Edge On: ST LOUIS (14)


MLB > (961) ATLANTA @ (962) LA DODGERS | 2016-06-03 22:10:00 - 2016-06-03 22:10:00
Line: LA DODGERS-185 BTB PowerLine: LA DODGERS-195
Edge On: LA DODGERS (10)


MLB > (963) COLORADO @ (964) SAN DIEGO | 2016-06-03 22:40:00 - 2016-06-03 22:40:00
Line: SAN DIEGO-140 BTB PowerLine: SAN DIEGO-145
Edge On: SAN DIEGO (5)

FRIDAY'S MLB DOG/TOTALS PICKS


FRIDAY, JUNE 3


GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS


MIL at PHI 07:05 PM


MIL +108




LAA at PIT 07:05 PM

PIT -149




NYY at BAL 07:05 PM


BAL -127




TOR at BOS 07:10 PM


TOR +161




WAS at CIN 07:10 PM

CIN +148




KC at CLE 07:10 PM


CLE -167




NYM at MIA 07:10 PM

MIA +163




CHW at DET 07:10 PM


CHW +116




SEA at TEX 08:05 PM


TEX -149




TB at MIN 08:10 PM


MIN +104




OAK at HOU 08:10 PM


OAK +125




SF at STL 08:15 PM


SF -106




ATL at LAD 10:10 PM


LAD -191


U 7.0




COL at SD 10:40 PM

COL +134


U 7.5

MLB betting cheat sheet: ‘A’ For Effort


The hottest team in baseball right now is … the Oakland A’s?


Power Sports breaks down all the best betting notes for this weekend's MLB series in our betting cheat sheet, including the Oakland A's hot streak.


‘A’ For Effort


The hottest team in baseball right now is … the Oakland A’s? Though they are winners of five in a row, we should be careful about reading too much into this as all they did was sweep Minnesota in the last series and their run differential remains a poor -42 for the season (second worst in the American League, ahead of only the Twins). This weekend might present an ideal time to “sell high” on Billy Beane’s club as they pay a visit to Houston. Sure, the Astros have been a huge disappointment thus far, but they themselves were on a five-game win streak prior to Thursday’s loss. The A’s have lost 13 of their last 18 road games and I’ll be talking a lot more about them in this column.


Just As We Expected


Coming into the season, there were a consensus seven teams expected to be playoff contenders in the National League. Through 50+ games, those same teams (Nats, Mets, Cubs, Pirates, Cardinals, Giants and Dodgers) are the seven that have produced positive run differentials so far in the Senior Circuit. The only matchup this weekend among that grouping takes place in St. Louis where the Giants come calling. They’ll conclude the three game set on Sunday Night Baseball. That finale probably represents the Cards best chance at a win in this series as they’ll face Jake Peavy, who has the highest ERA and WHIP on the Giants staff. The fact that both teams will be sending a trio of righties to the hill in this series does seem to favor the home team, however. While St. Louis bats just .245 vs. lefties, they are at .273 vs. righties. For San Francisco, it’s just the opposite. They hit .276 vs. lefties, but only .248 vs. righties.


Rocky Road


You have to feel for San Diego, who blew a 10-run lead (at home!) to Seattle Thursday night. Scoring 27 runs in two days and coming away with only a split is tough. But you should probably look for the strong offensive output to continue this weekend. That’s because the Padres welcome in the division rival Rockies, whose pitching staff, as always, is very, very bad. While the ERA of the Colorado staff does jump from 29th overall to 12th on the road, the team has lost 14 of its last 18 games at Petco Park and also just dropped three of four – at home – to the lowly Reds.


Hitting Notes


* The A’s Khris Davis hit 11 home runs in May, tied for the most in all of baseball with the Reds’ Adam Duvall. However, he’s already started to slow down (just 1 HR in last 21 at-bats) and he strikes out at an alarming rate (53 times in 51 games). In other words, look for Davis to regress here in June.


* Yet another Oakland slugger, Danny Valencia, has been swinging the stick quite well of late. Over the last seven days, Valencia is 12 for 22 at the plate. But, yet again, regression is probably forthcoming. After not hitting a single home run in his first 61 at-bats this year, Valencia proceeded to hit five in a three-day span earlier this month. The two multi-homer games equaled the number of times he’d done that in the first 543 games of his career.


Pitching Notes


* Oakland also has a pitcher worth talking about as Rich Hill went 5-1 in May with 2.13 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched. He is expected to start Saturday against the one team that beat him last month, that being Houston. Interestingly, Hill has a perfect 6-0 team start record on the road where he’s made 6.6 units.


* Don’t be fooled by Noah Syndergaard’s 6-4 team start record. The Mets’ phenom has pitched very well of late, not giving up a single earned run in his last three starts, though the last one was cut short due to him being ejected. He threw an inning of scoreless relief on Tuesday (two strikeouts) and now has a 26-0 KW ratio his last 17 1/3 innings of work. He will be on the hill Friday vs. Miami.


Totals Trend


Last year, the Blue Jays lapped the field in terms of runs scored, but this year it is another American League East team doing the same (Red Sox). Even though Boston is by far and away baseball’s highest scoring team, be careful about betting Overs this weekend. Toronto’s last visit to Fenway Park produced four Unders and they are the surprising best team to bet on for Under bettors at 19-33-3 in all games this season.


Friday's Weather Report


* In Baltimore, there is a 42 percent chance of rain and even a chance of thunderstorms for tonight's game between the Orioles and Yankees. The total for the game is currently 8.0.


* In Arlington, there is a 60 percent chance of rain with a chance of thunderstorms in the forecast with the Rangers expected to host the Mariners. The total is currently 8.5.


* It could be a messy in in Minnesota, where the Twins are scheduled to face off against the Rays. There is a 67 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms expected in the forecast. There will also be a 10-12 mile per hour hitters wind gusting out to let field. The total is currently 9.0.


* In St. Louis, there is a 20 percent chance of rain and a chance of thunderstorms, with the Cardinals expected to face off against the Giants. The total is currently 7.5.

*MLB

Friday, June 3*


*Pirates are 15-2 in Liriano's last 17 home starts. He's -149 tonight hosting Angels *


*Yanks 10-2 in Eovaldi's last 12 road starts. O's 7-1 in Tillman's last 8 starts. BAL -127 *

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack


Numbers of entrants in last six Westgate SuperBook's NFL handicapping contests:


2010-- 347-- Since then, entrants have gone up 500.6%.


2011-- 517-- Entrance fee is $1,500, you pick five NFL games every week.


2012-- 745-- This has become so popular, Westgate is taking 8% out of prize pool this year to cover its own expenses for running it, estimated at $216,000.


2013-- 1,034-- Signups for this year's contest begin on July 1st.


2014-- 1,403-- Guy named Steve Fezzik actually won this contest two years in a row (2008, 09), and that is not easy to do.


2015-- 1,727-- Last year's winner took home $906,675.


**********


Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind......


13) Can't be much fun for ESPN's Mark Jackson calling the NBA Finals, seeing as he coached Warriors for three years before Steve Kerr took over, rallying Golden State from a 23-43 strike-shortened season to 98-66 his last two years, before an off-court between he and the front office led to his departure.


12) Not only is Golden State 140-24 in regular season under Kerr, they're 49-3 at home this season, just a remarkable record. Cleveland has to win at least one game in Oakland to even have a shot in this series.


11) One thing, though; you'd think Kerr would use a higher quality clipboard than the cheesy one he shattered during a timeout in Game 1. I'm guessing this could lead to an endorsement next season with whatever company makes those things.


10) Dwane Casey got a well-deserved 3-year contract extension from Toronto, after his Raptors made the Eastern Conference finals for the first time


9) Minnesota Twins have had a rough season, but Eduardo Nunez led off bottom of first inning of Thursday's game with an inside-the-park homer-it iwas the first inside-park homer for the Twins since moving to Minnesota in 1961.


8) Jose Reyes had his first rehab game rained out Wednesday, he went 0-3 in Game 1 of a DH Thursday, then sat out Game 2, I'm not really sure why- wouldn't he at least DH? Reyes went 1-3 with a homer and a walk Friday night.


Colorado is fairly set with LeMahieu/Story up the middle- it figures they have to eat a lot of Reyes' salary and trade him to a contender, right?


7) When Seattle overcame a 12-2 deficit to win in San Diego Thursday, they became the first MLB team since 1990 to win after trailing by 10+ runs.


6) Kevin Love and Klay Thompson were once Little League teammates in Lake Oswego, Oregon; wonder if their team was any good?


5) David Wright (neck), Hunter Pence (hamstring) are both out 6-8 weeks, big blows for their teams (Mets/Giants), which are both obviously contending.


4) Over last three years, Gonzaga is 25-24 vs spread as a favorite in WCC league games, but 7-2 vs spread in the WCC tournament- they peak at the right time.


3) All five of the Chicago Cubs' starting pitchers have an ERA under 3.00, latest in season that has happened in majors since the 1972 Dodgers.


2) I'm looking forward to going to the adidas Uprising basketball tournament in Las Vegas this summer; went to it last year. Very well-organized, lot of good players, all the coaches you see on TV during the winter are there recruiting. Seven games going on under one roof at the same time, plus decent food in the concession stand.


1) RIP Muhammad Ali, 74, for many years considered the most widely-recognized person on the planet, athlete or otherwise. He will be missed.