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Sinking Indians Clash With Kansas City Royals

Foes from the AL Central lock horns on Sunday night at Progressive Field when the Kansas City Royals finish up their 3-game series with the Cleveland Indians.

MLB betting fans will be able to engage in action on this duel until the first pitch at 10:05 a.m. (PT).

Cleveland knows that it is in a heck of a lot of trouble right now. The Detroit Tigers are starting to pull away in the AL Central, the Chicago White Sox aren't all that far behind and the Tribe have picked a terrible time to fall flat. In the first six games of this 8-game homestand, Cleveland has scored a grand total of seven runs and was no-hit as well by the Angels' Ervin Santana.

About the only hope that the Indians have right now of getting back in the playoff race is if they can figure out how to keep their pitching staff together.

Fausto Carmona was the weak link of the rotation at the outset of the year, as demonstrated by his 5-10 record and 5.34 ERA. However, since serving a short stint on the disabled list with shoulder problems, Carmona has been pitching quite well.

The righty threw six innings against both the Minnesota Twins and the aforementioned Angels, allowing a total of two runs and 11 hits in those outings.

Carmona hasn't pitched all that well against Kansas City in his career though, going 6-4 with a 4.62 ERA. He did allow just two runs in seven innings against it on April 28, picking up an 8-2 win for the Tribe.

The Royals have been out to play the role of spoiler of late, and they've been doing a great job of just that. Since the middle of July, they have taken two out of three from the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, split a 4-game series on the road against the Boston Red Sox (winning both games at +260, mind you), and have beaten the Tribe 12-0 in the first game in this series.

The big problem that Kansas City has in this one is trying to find a way to pick up a victory in a game that Kyle Davies is pitching. The right-hander is just 1-9 on the year, and that victory came way back on April 13.

Since that point, Davies is 0-8, and the team is just 1-9. The good news is that Davies was able to help his squad beat the boys from Beantown after throwing six strong frames, allowing just one run against a very potent offense. It was the only time this season in which he allowed fewer than two runs.

The last time the Royals won two straight games that Davies pitched was in September 2010.

Davies has faced the Indians three times this season, and they have averaged a tremendous 11.33 runs per game. The righty only lasted longer than 3 1/3-innings in one of those three starts. Needless to say, Kansas City went 0-3 in those efforts.

Friday night's 12-run outburst marked the sixth straight 'over' game in this series. 'Over' bettors are 37-17-2 over the last 55 meetings in this series.

Veteran umpire Wally Bell might have other plans than following those trends, however. Now in his 20th season, Bell's last 129 plate assignments have seen the 'under' go 66-50 with 13 'pushes.'

Television coverage is set for Sports Time Ohio and FOX Sports Kansas City on Sunday. The weather forecast is calling for a bright, sunny day. Temperatures should be in the mid-80s.

From here, Cleveland heads to Boston to battle the Red Sox while the Royals start a 3-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday.

Pirates, Phillies Complete Pennsylvania Series

One of the biggest feel-good stories of the year is the success of the Pittsburgh Pirates. On Sunday, however, they will be up against the Philadelphia Phillies who own the best record in all of baseball. The last game of this three-game series will begin at 10:35 a.m. (PT) at Citizens Bank Park.

For many years the Buccos have suffered losing seasons but in 2011 they actually found themselves leading their division at one point. This created a buzz and hope for baseball in Pittsburgh. As it sits right now, though, they are third in the NL Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals.

Jeff Karstens (8-5, 2.41 ERA) was a reliever in his first three games for the Pirates but has been starting ever since and he gets the nod for Sunday. Only one time has the right-hander given up more than three earned runs in a game and that was back in May. He has a good WHIP (1.07) and up until his last start, he had been pitching well into the sixth inning or longer from June on.

The bad news on Karstens is his flat out bad record in day games, 1-5. His ERA raises to 3.55 and his WHIP to 1.24 under the sun as well. Even then, those numbers are certainly not horrible so that might attest to the team’s bats more than anything.

Here is a summary of Pittsburgh’s hitting: they do not hit homeruns and yet, they strike out a ton.

Right now, the Phillies are soaring and with their fantastic pitching it is almost unfair how their starter for Sunday is throwing. It would be enough to have Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Cole Hamels, but Vance Worley (7-1, 2.02 ERA) could be considered for rookie of the year.

Two runs is the most that Worley has given up since late May and he also has great home stats. The 23-year-old is 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA and a WHIP of 0.92 in Philly. His numbers, like Karstens, go up in day games but he has had just two starts in the daytime.

In Karstens’ last seven road starts versus teams with a winning record the Pirates are just 1-6. Meanwhile, the Phillies are 7-0 in Worley’s last seven starts overall with the ‘under’ going 5-2 in that stretch. The ‘under’ is also 9-1-1 in Karstens’ last 11 overall.

It should be a sunny day of 88 degrees when the Bucs and Phils face off on Sunday.

Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals MLB Betting Preview

The St. Louis Cardinals can’t afford to look ahead when they host the Chicago Cubs in their series finale on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. The Cards head to division-leading Milwaukee on Monday.

The Sunday broadcast will begin at Busch Stadium at 5:05 p.m. (PT). It’s a pitching duel between righties Jake Westbrook and Ryan Dempster.

Friday’s opener was a St. Louis victory (9-2) behind newly acquired starter Edwin Jackson. That broke a 2-game losing streak and the Cardinals (56-50) can’t afford many more setbacks trailing Milwaukee by 1.5 games in the NL Central standings. Pittsburgh is 2.5 games back.

The Saturday late afternoon game is still pending with St. Louis a 170 favorite. Kyle Lohse was matched up against Rodrigo Lopez.

Westbrook (9-4, 4.86 ERA) is second in the team in wins behind Jamie Garcia (10) despite his ERA. He’s been under a lot of pressure to do well with Adam Wainwright injured before the season and Chris Carpenter struggling the first two months.

The 33-year-old right-hander is in his first full season in the NL. He was acquired by St. Louis from Cleveland last July. His home ERA is 6.33 with three bad starts skewing that number. St. Louis is 5-5 in his home starts, including beating Houston 3-1 last Tuesday. Westbrook allowed just one run over six innings.

Westbrook has faced the Cubs once this year in May, lasting just 2 1/3 innings and allowing five earned runs in an 11-4 road loss. He has just three lifetime starts against them and did pitch well (two earned runs over six innings) in the one home game last year.

The Cubs (42-64) are playing just for pride at this point, at least what pride they have left. They did trade outfielder Kosuke Fukudome to Cleveland and Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano are big-money players they would like to deal before Sunday’s deadline.

Chicago has lost four straight games, all on the road. The second half started with a 10-game homestand, going 5-5.

Dempster (7-8, 4.98 ERA) has lost his last two starts. He had a quality start at Milwaukee last Tuesday (three earned over six innings) but still lost 3-2. He got bombed at home against Philly (six earned over three innings) on July 20.

The 34-year-old Canadian was very effective his previous 14 starts, posting a 2.95 ERA and seeing Chicago win 11 of them. That helped make up for an awful April (9.58 ERA), which is still badly effecting his ERA.

The ‘under’ is 9-2 in Dempster’s last 11 starts.

Dempster has faced the Cardinals once this year, allowing six earned runs over five innings in a 6-1 road loss on June 3. His ERA at Busch from 2008-2010 was 2.86 over five starts, but Chicago is still 1-6 in his last seven starts in St. Louis.

St. Louis is 6-1 against the Cubs this year (the ‘over’ 5-2), including sweeping a home series in early June. There are two more series remaining between the teams.

The Cardinals are 28-23 at home this season (-3.9 units). The Cubs are 17-33 on the road (-12.4 units) and a terrible 6-22 in their last 28 away.

The ‘under’ is 8-2 in Chicago’s last 10 games, scoring six total runs in the four games of this trip.

Derryl Cousins will call balls and strikes. The home team is 7-2 in his last nine games behind home plate.

Weather should be clear and warm in the mid-80s. The Cubs move on to Pittsburgh Monday, while the Cards have that showdown with Milwaukee.

Sunday's Tip Sheet

July 31, 2011


Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals (-138 & 8.5) - 8:05 pm (EDT)
The Cardinals’ Sunday night series finale against the Cubs will be the most critical game they've had in July. This game tops the charts because it's the last game of the month and everything in the present matters most. But more importantly, they have to take care of business against teams like the Cubs. They'll be going for a sweep and then immediately after, it's on to Milwaukee for a three-game set.

It would be easy to understand if the Cardinals were looking ahead to their next series where if doing well, they could come out of that series in first place. The final game of this series could be overlooked just because they are the Cubs, one of the most hidden losing secrets in baseball.

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The Cubs have been smacked around all season by the Cardinals in seven of eight games and pretty much everyone else in the National League. They are somewhat fortunate that their poor play has been overshadowed by the Astros in the six-team Central Division. No one seems to be talking about how bad the loveable Cubs are, but Chicago's season record is so bad that they would be in last place in every other division in baseball.

The Cubs have also chosen Sunday's to be their most pitiful day of the week going 3-13 this year. In the month of July, they have made somewhat of a run going 2-2 on Sunday's, but get quality points deducted because one of the wins was against the Astros. Their other Sunday win in July was to avoid a sweep at the hands of their cross-town rival White Sox during interleague play.

Their win against the White Sox to salvage some pride and avoid being swept could serve as a notice for Sunday because it's fair to say, not even the Sox are disliked as much by the players and fans like the Cardinals are on the north side.

Taking the mound for the Cubs tonight is Ryan Dempster (7-8, 4.98 ERA), who lost a 6-1 decision at St. Louis on June 3 where he gave up all six of the runs in five innings of work.

After a rocky start to the season where the Cubs lost five of his first eight starts, Dempster became the only source of stability for the rotation as they won 10 of his next 12 starts where he compiled six of his seven wins on the year.

However, in his last two starts, Dempster has cooled off losing both and allowing nine earned runs in nine combined innings of work against the Brewers and Phillies.

The good news for Dempster is that he's only given up one home run in his last nine starts, a stretch that incidentally began after serving up two to the Cardinals in June. The main correlation between Dempster having success in some of his starts this season has been limiting the free passes, and or course -- the obvious, allowing home runs. Only 20 NL starters have a better K/BB ratio (2.80) than Dempster, but of those, only Ted Lilly has a higher ERA (5.02) and only three of them have a losing record like Dempster does.

Overall, Dempster's season should be considered a success only because of the negative aura and losing mentality that has infected the Cubs locker room this season. It would be nearly impossible for him to be immune to the disease. He also has been fortunate that none of his starts have been blown by the suspect Cubs bullpen that has let down all the other starters 16 times this season.

As bad as the Cubs bullpen has been this season, the Cardinals have been worse. Their 19 blown saves this year are topped by only Washington's 21 among all 30 MLB teams. The Cardinals would be fooling themselves if they think they can win the division without making a move for a closer.

The Cards recent acquisition of Octavio Dotel and Marc Rzepczynski aren't the answers to solving their most precious need, especially while Heath Bell and Mike Adams still sit in San Diego awaiting assignment.

Tonight's starter for St. Louis is Jake Westbrook (9-4, 4,86 ERA), who hasn't been as good as his record may indicate. However, Westbrook has had his most productive month of the year in July (3-0 3.56 ERA) with only one poor outing in his five starts, a game where the Reds tattooed him for seven runs in 4.1 innings of work. In his last three starts heading into tonight's game he's allowed only five runs in 19 innings.

The hottest hitters for the Cardinals in July have been Yadier Molina (4 HRs, .318), John Jay (.313), Albert Pujols (6 HRs, 19 RBIs) and Lance Berkman (7 HRs). Berkman has been banged up for the last week with a sore shoulder and could be ‘out’ again Sunday.

For the Cubs, their best hitter in July, and the only one who really strikes any fear to opposing pitchers from their lineup, has been Aramis Ramirez (9 HRs, 23 RBIs). Marlon Byrd (.318) is the only everyday player hitting over. 300 for the month. The featured slump of the month has been Alfonso Soriano (.179) who picked a fine time -- close to the trade deadline -- to show off his talents to prospective buyers.

Because of the current form of both pitchers, the line should probably be closer to St. Louis -120, but the rest of each team's lineup make up the difference in price. The Cubs are a terrible team, but the combo of the rivalry and Dempster pitching well may present some value along with the UNDER.

Around the Horn - Sunday

July 30, 2011


NATIONAL LEAGUE


San Francisco at Cincinnati - 1:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Zito (3-3, 5.24 ERA) 7-4 L11 3-10 away Game 3's
Cueto (6-4, 1.88 ERA) 4-6 L10 6-3 home on Sundays

Reds beat Giants, 4-3 on Friday
Reds beat Giants, 7-2 on Saturday

Pittsburgh at Philadelphia - 1:35 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Karstens (8-5, 2.41 ERA) 3-6 L9 5-3 away on Sundays
Worley (7-1, 2.02 ERA) 7-3 L10 12-5 home Game 3's

Phillies beat Pirates, 10-3 on Friday
Phillies beat Pirates, 7-4 on Saturday

Florida at Atlanta - 1:35 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Nolasco (7-7, 4.04 ERA) 4-2 L6 4-1 L5 away during day
Hanson (11-5, 3.13 ERA) 4-2 L6 8-3 L11 home during day

Braves beat Marlins, 5-0 on Friday
Braves beat Marlins, 5-1 on Saturday

N.Y. Mets at Washington - 1:35 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Niese (10-8, 3.97 ERA) 5-5 L10 6-3 away on Sundays
Zimmermann (6-9, 3.27 ERA) 1-6 L7 10-3 home vs LHP

Mets beat Nationals, 8-5 on Friday
Nationals beat Mets, 3-0 on Saturday

Houston at Milwaukee - 2:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Myers (3-11, 4.66 ERA) 2-7 L9 1-7 away on Sundays
Narveson (7-6, 4.41 ERA) 7-3 L10 15-3 L18 home vs RHP

Brewers beat Astros, 4-0 on Friday
Brewers beat Astros, 6-2 on Saturday

Colorado at San Diego - 4:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Nicasio (4-3, 4.24 ERA) 3-5 L8 1-7 away on Sundays
LeBlanc (0-2, 5.17 ERA) 2-6 L8 6-2 L8 home Game 3's

Rockies beat Padres, 3-2 on Friday
Rockies beat Padres, 10-6 on Saturday

Arizona at Los Angeles - 4:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Saunders (7-8, 3.63 ERA) 6-2 L8 0-5 L5 away Game 3's
De La Rosa (4-4, 3.49 ERA) 6-3 L9 1-6 L7 home vs LHP

Dodgers beat Diamondbacks, 9-5 on Friday
Diamondbacks beat Dodgers, 6-4 on Saturday

Chicago at St. Louis - 8:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Dempster (7-8, 4.98 ERA) 0-5 L5 0-8 away on Sundays
Westbrook (9-4, 4.86 ERA) 7-3 L10 6-1 home on Sundays

Cardinals beat Cubs, 9-2 on Friday
Cardinals beat Cubs, 13-5 on Saturday

AMERICAN LEAGUE


Baltimore at N.Y. Yankees - 1:05 PM EST (Game 4/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Arrieta (10-7, 5.12 ERA) 3-6 L9 OVER 6-2 away on Sundays
Garcia (9-7, 3.23 ERA) 6-4 L10 18-3 home during day

Orioles beat Yankees, 4-2 on Friday
Yankees beat Orioles, 8-3 on Saturday (G1/DH)
Yankees beat Orioles, 17-3 on Saturday (G2/DH)

Texas at Toronto - 1:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Wilson (10-4, 3.16 ERA) 4-6 L10 UNDER 10-3 away Game 3's
Morrow (7-5, 4.71 ERA) 7-4 L11 4-10 home Game 3's

Blue Jays beat Rangers, 3-2 on Friday
Rangers beat Blue Jays, 3-0 on Saturday

Los Angeles at Detroit - 1:05 PM EST (Game 4/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Weaver (14-4, 1.79 ERA) 7-3 L10 OVER 7-2 away on Sundays
Verlander (14-5, 2.34 ERA) 6-4 L10 5-2 L7 home on Sundays

Angels beat Tigers, 12-7 on Thursday
Tigers beat Angels, 12-2 on Friday
Angels beat Tigers, 5-1 on Saturday

Kansas City at Cleveland - 1:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Duffy (2-4, 5.17 ERA) 7-3 L10 4-8 away Game 3's
Carmona (5-10, 5.34 ERA) 2-7 L9 1-6 L7 home during day

Royals beat Indians, 12-0 on Friday
Indians beat Royals, 5-2 on Saturday

Boston at Chicago - 2:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Miller (4-1, 5.45 ERA) 8-4 L12 7-3 L10 away vs LHP
Buehrle (8-5, 3.22 ERA) 5-2 L7 UNDER 6-0 L6 home Game 3's

White Sox beat Red Sox, 3-1 on Friday
Red Sox beat White Sox, 10-2 on Saturday

Minnesota at Oakland - 4:05 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Pavano (6-7, 4.60 ERA) 5-5 L10 UNDER 7-0 L7 away Game 3's
McCarthy (3-5, 3.52 ERA) 7-4 L11 9-4 home Game 3's

Twins beat Athletics, 9-5 on Friday
Athletics beat Twins, 8-3 on Saturday

Tampa Bay at Seattle - 4:10 PM EST (Game 3/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Trends Betcha Didn't Know
Hellickson (9-7, 3.27 ERA) 3-6 L9 6-3 away on Sundays
Vargas (6-9, 4.09 ERA) 2-18 L20 4-10 home Game 3's

Rays beat Mariners, 8-0 on Friday
Mariners beat Rays, 3-2 on Saturday

Sunday's betting tips: Tigers roll behind Verlander

Who’s hot

AL: The Tigers are 13-3 in Justin Verlander’s last 16 starts.

NL: The Dodgers are 7-2 in their last nine Sunday games.

WNBA: The Under is 7-1-1 in San Antonio’s last nine games.

Who’s not

AL: The A’s are 0-7 in Brandon McCarthy’s last seven starts following a quality start in his last appearance.

NL: The Under is 4-11 in Jordan Zimmerman’s last 15 home starts for the Nationals.

WNBA: Atlanta is 1-5 ATS in its last six games against winning teams.

Key stat

1,582 – Though they’re third in the NL Central, the Pirates had won their backers 1,582 units entering Saturday’s action. They’ve been the most profitable bet this season.

Injury not to be overlooked

Rangers shortstop Nelson Cruz is experiencing tightness in his left quadriceps and might not return to the starting lineup until Tuesday’s game at Detroit. Cruz, hitting .262 with 23 homers and 69 RBIs, was available to pinch-hit this weekend.

Notable quotable

"You can never have enough cover corners. That helps your pass rush, and when you have an opportunity to add the players we added, we just thought we had to add those guys." – Eagles general manager Howie Roseman after the team signed top corner Nnamdi Asomugha and traded for another Pro Bowl corner, Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie.

Notes and Tips

Albert Haynesworth’s much-heralded arrival in New England got off to a slow start. He missed the first two practice sessions. The massive defensive lineman passed his physical but perhaps not a conditioning test. “He’s not quite ready to practice yet," coach Bill Belichick said. "When he’s ready, he’ll be out there.”

Fighting to stay atop the AL Central, the Tigers acquired starter Doug Fister from Seattle on Saturday. Fister is 3-12, but he has gotten the worst run support in MLB. He has a fine 3.33 ERA and a WHIP of 1.17.

Umpire Bruce Dreckman will be behind the plate when the White Sox host the Red Sox on Sunday. The Over is 7-2-1 in Dreckman’s last 10 games calling balls and strikes. And the home team is 12-4 in Dreckman’s last 16 games behind the plate.

MLB


Sunday, July 31

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Sunday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
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Streaking

Jered Weaver, Los Angeles Angels (14-4, 1.79 ERA)

If Weaver doesn’t win the American League Cy Young, Halos fans can probably blame that pesky West Coast bias. With the 6-foot-7 righty’s starts taking place in the wee hours of the night, the majority of baseball fans haven’t seen his performances. That’s a damn shame, since Weaver has won five straight outings and hasn’t suffered a loss since May 18. His stuff has been invisible in July, boasting a 1.19 ERA over those five outings. Weaver goes toe-to-toe with Tigers ace Justin Verlander on Sunday.

Vance Worley, Philadelphia Phillies (7-1, 2.02 ERA)

Guess which Philly starter had the best numbers in July? Nope, not Cole, Doc or Cliff. The young right-hander Worley is emerging as a dominant fourth starter for the Phillies, taking the place of Roy Oswalt in the rotation. Worley has won five straight starts and carries a slim 1.23 ERA this month, with his most recent outing possibly being his best. He allowed two runs on three hits over nine innings, picking up a win over the defending World Series champs Tuesday.

Slumping

Kyle Davies, Kansas City Royals (1-9, 6.75 ERA)

Another day, another Royals pitcher finds their way into the slumping section. Davies is terrible, with his only win coming way back on April 13. However, the righty showed some signs of life in his most recent outing. After notching losses in eight straight starts, Davies managed to steal a no-decision last Monday. He gave up one run on six hits over six innings in a thrilling 3-1 extra-innings victory against the Red Sox. He takes on the Indians Sunday, bringing with him a 3-7 record and 6.75 career ERA versus Cleveland.

Brett Myers, Houston Astros (3-11, 4.66 ERA)

With a dismal record and an anaphylactic ERA swelling like it got stung by a bee, Myers has nothing to lose - which is why his pitching is improving. Despite going winless since June 17, the right-hander has been solid in his last three starts. Sure, he’s 0-2 in that span, but has posted a respectable 3.43 ERA over those 21 innings of work. And to add to Myers’ turnaround, he’s done it all on a tender hamstring. This doesn’t mean bettors should run out and take the Astros Sunday (Myers is still on the slumping end of this article), but perhaps the Under might be a smart wager. Houston has played below the total in seven of Myers' last 10 appearances.

MLB


Sunday, July 31

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Sunday Night Baseball: Cubs at Cardinals
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Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals (-144, 8.5)

The struggling Chicago Cubs close out their three-game series against their National League Central rival, the St. Louis Cardinals, in this week’s ESPN Sunday night game.

CARDINAL RULE

The Cardinals have ruled the season series winning seven of the first eight, including a three-game sweep in early June. They took Friday's game 9-2 and Saturday's 13-5 after spotting the Cubs five first-inning runs.

DEMPSTER DIVING

Ryan Dempster (7-8, 4.89 ERA) gets the call for Chicago Sunday night. He has been another high-priced veteran disappointment for the Cubs. In his last two starts, he is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA. In his only start against St. Louis this season, he was tagged for six earned runs in five innings of work in a 6-1 Cardinals win. Dempster will go up against St. Louis’ Jake Westbrook.

JAKE THE SNAKE

Westbrook (9-4, 4.86 ERA) has been one of the most deceiving pitchers in baseball. His ERA is the worst it’s been since 2002, but his record is tied for a career best. The Cardinals have given Westbrook plenty of run support this season although he hasn’t needed it lately. Westbrook allowed a total of three earned runs in his last two starts, when he went a combined 14 innings and picked up two wins. But looking back to May, he had his worst start of the year against the Cubs, surrendering five earned runs and not getting out of the third inning. It was the Cubs’ only win against St. Louis this season.

BUYER AND SELLER

The Cubs are desperately trying to slash payroll and move high-priced veterans while the Cardinals have moved all in as they desperately try to win this year due to the uncertainty surrounding Albert Pujols after 2011.

The Cubs have already parted ways with Kosuke Fukudome, and Carlos Pena is being shopped around. There are plenty of takers for Aramis Ramirez and Cubs GM Jim Hendry would love to unload the terrible contracts belonging to Carlos Zambrano and Alfonso Soriano.

The Cardinals are in the Heath Bell sweepstakes and they mortgaged their future by parting ways with 24-year-old centerfielder Colby Rasmus for Edwin Jackson. St. Louis also was close to acquiring shortstop Rafael Furcal. It’s safe to say that the Cubs and Cardinals are certainly in two completely different mindsets right now.

PRIMETIME DIFFERENCE

This game marks both teams' second appearance on Sunday Night Baseball this season. The Cubs lost 5-1 at Boston in their previous appearance while the Cardinals shut out the Reds in St. Louis 3-0. In that game, Westbrook went six scoreless innings only allowing only three hits.

THE BIG PUMA

Keep an eye on the status of Lance Berkman. He aggravated his right shoulder Tuesday and has missed four straight starts. Despite having 56 less at-bats than Albert Pujols Berkman leads Pujols in batting average (.286 vs. 280), home runs (27 vs. 24) and RBIs (69 vs. 66). The St. Louis lineup is a whole different animal with the Big Puma in it.

WHAT’S BREWING AHEAD

Against the fifth-place Cubs, the Cardinals may be looking ahead to a huge three-game series in Milwaukee starting Monday. The Cardinals moved within one game of the Brewers after Saturday afternoon's win.

NOTEWORTHY NUMBERS

- The Cubs have the seventh-best team batting average (.261) but rank 21st in runs scored (3.93 per game).

- The Cubs rank in the bottom four in baseball in team ERA (4.64), team WHIP (1.47), quality starts (43) and errors (91).

- The Cubs and Cardinals rank 28th and 29th in MLB in stolen bases respectively.

- The Cubs are 6-23 in their last 29 road games.

- The Cardinals are 10-4 in their last 14 vs. teams below .400.

- The Cubs are 1-6 in Dempster’s last seven starts in St. Louis.

- The Over is 8-2 in last nine meetings between Chicago and St. Louis.

MLB


Sunday, July 31

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Hot lines: Sunday's best MLB bets
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San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds (-165, 8.5)

Johnny Cueto takes the hill for the Reds on Sunday, and that’s bad news for the Giants.

Cueto has been almost untouchable, posting a 1.88 ERA in 15 starts. Opponents are hitting .202 against him.

When Cueto faced the Giants in San Francisco on June 9, he tossed seven scoreless innings. He struck out eight, walked two and allowed four hits. Of course, that was before San Fran added a big bat in Carlos Beltran.

The Giants’ Barry Zito is under pressure to deliver a good outing Sunday after being knocked around in his last two starts.

The Under was 7-1 in San Fran’s last eight games heading into Saturday night’s action.

Pick: Under


Colorado Rockies at San Diego Padres (-110, 7.5)

In their last seven games with Colorado before Saturday, the Padres had scored a total of 16 runs.

San Diego’s offense has been hurt by injuries and slumps, like Ryan Ludwick going 2-for-25 from the All-Star break through Friday.

Now San Diego must face Juan Nicasio, who has an impressive 0.92 WHIP and 2.75 ERA over his last three starts.

The Padres counter with Dustin Moseley. He hasn’t pitched terribly, but the team has won just five of his 20 starts.

Pick: Rockies

MLB
Dunkel


LA Angels at Detroit
The Tigers look to bounce back from yesterday's 5-1 loss and build on their 10-1 record in Justin Verlander's last 11 starts after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game. Detroit is the pick (-130) according to Dunkel, which has the Tigers favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-130). Here are all of today's picks.

SUNDAY, JULY 31

Game 951-952: San Francisco at Cincinnati (1:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Zito) 15.061; Cincinnati (Cueto) 15.370
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-160); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-160); Over

Game 953-954: Pittsburgh at Philadelphia (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Karstens) 15.545; Philadelphia (Worley) 15.322
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-210); 8
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+180); Under

Game 955-956: Florida at Atlanta (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Florida (Nolasco) 14.608; Atlanta (Hanson) 15.455
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-165); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-165); Over

Game 957-958: NY Mets at Washington (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Niese) 15.086; Washington (Zimmermann) 14.480
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Washington (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+110); Under

Game 959-960: Houston at Milwaukee (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Myers) 15.097; Milwaukee (Narveson) 14.854
Dunkel Line: Houston by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-185); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Houston (+165); Under

Game 961-962: Chicago Cubs at St. Louis (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cubs (Dempster) 13.564; St. Louis (Westbrook) 15.543
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 2; 9
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-150); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-150); Over

Game 963-964: Colorado at San Diego (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Colorado (Nicasio) 14.462; San Diego (LeBlanc) 15.457
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1; 8
Vegas Line: San Diego (-125); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (-125); Over

Game 965-966: Arizona at LA Dodgers (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Saunders) 15.541; LA Dodgers (De La Rosa) 14.876
Dunkel Line: Arizona by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-120); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+100); Under

Game 967-968: LA Angels at Detroit (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Weaver) 14.890; Detroit (Verlander) 15.990
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1; 5
Vegas Line: Detroit (-130); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-130); Under

Game 969-970: Texas at Toronto (1:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Wilson) 15.873; Toronto (Morrow) 15.225
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Texas (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-125); Over

Game 971-972: Kansas City at Cleveland (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Davies) 15.386; Cleveland (Carmona) 14.364
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Cleveland (-145); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (+125); Under

Game 973-974: Baltimore at NY Yankees (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Arrieta) 13.995; NY Yankees (Garcia) 16.221
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 2; 11
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-190); 10
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-190); Over

Game 975-976: Boston at Chicago White Sox (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Miller) 15.796; White Sox (Buehrle) 16.149
Dunkel Line: Chicago White Sox by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Chicago White Sox (-115); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Chicago White Sox (-115); Under

Game 977-978: Minnesota at Oakland (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Pavano) 16.037; Oakland (McCarthy) 14.967
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Oakland (-145); 8
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+125); Over

Game 979-980: Tampa Bay at Seattle (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Tampa Bay (Price) 15.624; Seattle (Vargas) 14.341
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-120); 7
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-120); Over

MLB
Write-Up


Sunday, July 31

Please keep in mind the trading deadline is 4:00 Sunday; guys could be taken out during games if they're traded and this includes pitchers who start (like Jimenez Saturday night).

Hot pitchers
-- Worley is 6-0, 1.14 in his last seven starts. Karstens is 3-1, 2.31 in his last five outings.
-- Nolasco is 2-1, 1.52 in his last three road starts.
-- Narveson is 2-1, 2.63 in his last four starts.
-- Saunders is 4-1, 2.25 in his last seven starts. de la Rosa has a 2.32 RA in his last five outings.
-- Westbrook is 3-0, 3.55 in his last four starts.

-- Weaver is 7-0, 1.04 in his last eight starts. Verlander is 9-2, 1.77 in his last eleven starts.
-- Wilson is 4-1, 1.81 in his last six road starts.
-- Indians won last three Carmona starts (1-0, 1.29).
-- FGarcia is 4-1, 3.20 in his last six starts.
-- White Sox won last six Buehrle starts (2-0, 3.12).
-- McCarthy is 2-1, 2.25 in his last three home starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Cueto is 1-1, 4.81 in his last four starts. Zito is 0-2, 11.81 in his last couple outings.
-- Hanson is 1-1, 7.27 in his last three starts.
-- Niese has a 5.53 RA in his last seven starts. Zimmerman is 1-2, 6.00 in his last four starts.
-- Myers is 0-5, 5.17 in his last six starts.
-- Nicasio is 0-3, 7.61 in his five road starts. Moseley is 1-4, 5.89 in his last six starts.
-- Dempster is 2-2, 4.91 in his last four starts.

-- Morrow has a 5.40 RA in his last five starts, but Toronto has still won seven of his last eight outings.
-- Davies is 0-8, 7.84 in his last nine starts.
-- Arrieta is 1-3, 7.52 in his last five starts.
-- Miller has a 9.37 RA in his last four starts.
-- Pavano is 1-2, 6.28 in his last six starts.
-- Vargas is 0-4, 8.57 in his last four starts. Rays lost Hellickson's last three road starts (0-2, 5.40).

Totals
-- Over is 10-4-1 in Mets' last fifteen games.
-- Under is 9-1-1 in last eleven Karstens starts.
-- Eight of Giants' last ten road games went over the total.
-- Nine of last thirteen Florida road games went over the total.
-- Six of last seven Myers starts stayed under total.
-- Over is 7-3-1 in last eleven Cardinal games.
-- Over is 7-0-1 in last eight games at Petco Park.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Saunders starts.

-- Last three Verlander starts went over the total.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in Wilson's last six starts.
-- 11 of last 14 Kansas City games stayed under the total.
-- 11 of last 14 Oriole road games went over the total.
-- Four of last five Miller starts went over the total.
-- Ten of last eleven Oakland games went over the total.
-- Five of last six Tampa Bay games went over the total.

Hot Teams
-- Marlins won eight of their last eleven road games. Atlanta won four of its last five games.
-- Phillies won 19 of their last 24 home games.
-- Mets won four of their last five games.
-- Brewers won eight of their last nine home games.
-- Cardinals won seven of their last nine games.
-- Colorado won its last three games, allowing nine runs.
-- Dodgers won five of their last seven games. Arizona won six of its last eight games.

-- Toronto won nine of its last thirteen home games.
-- Red Sox won 10 of their last 14 games. White Sox won four of their last six games, and have won seven of last eight vs Boston.
-- Royals won seven of their last eleven games.
-- Bronx is 10-5 in its last fifteen games.
-- Angels won eight of their last eleven games.
-- A's are 8-3 in their last eleven home games. Minnesota is 7-3 in its last ten road games.

Cold Teams
-- Nationals lost eight of their last ten games.
-- Pittsburgh is 3-7 in its last ten games.
-- Cubs lost 12 of their last 14 road games.
-- Astros lost 16 of their last 20 road games.
-- Cincinnati is 10-14 in its last 24 games, but won the last two. Giants are 3-4 in their last seven road games.
-- San Diego lost 15 of its last 21 games.

-- Detroit is 5-9 in its last fourteen home games.
-- Rangers are 5-6 in their last eleven games.
-- Indians lost seven of their last nine games.
-- Baltimore lost eleven of its last thirteen road games.
-- Mariners lost 18 of their last 20 games.Tampa Bay is 10-16 in its last 26 games.

Umpires
-- Pitt-Phil-- Under is 4-1 in last five NL games Hernandez worked/
-- NY-Wsh-- Six of last nine Bucknor games went over the total.
-- Fla-Atl-- Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Barksdale games.
-- Hst-Mil-- Last four Cooper games all went over the total.
-- SF-Cin-- Six of last nine Foster games stayed under total.
-- Col-SD-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight Guccione games.
-- Az-LA-- Five of last seven Holbrook games stayed under.
-- Chi-StL-- Six of last nine Foster games stayed under total.

-- Tex-Tor-- Underdogs won seven of last eight Hudson games.
-- Balt-NY-- Over is 6-3-1 in last ten Reynolds games.
-- TB-Sea-- Five of last six Demuth games went over the total.
-- LA-Det-- Over is 13-5-1 in Wendelstedt's games behind plate.
-- KC-Clev-- Last four Bell games all went over the total.
-- Bos-Chi-- Over is 6-2-2 in last ten Dreckman games.
-- Min-A's-- Six of last eight Bellino games stayed under total.

MLB


Sunday, July 31

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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1:05 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. CLEVELAND
Kansas City is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Cleveland is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Cleveland's last 8 games at home

1:05 PM
LA ANGELS vs. DETROIT
LA Angels are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Angels's last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games at home

1:05 PM
BALTIMORE vs. NY YANKEES
Baltimore is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Baltimore is 1-8 SU in their last 9 games when playing NY Yankees
The total has gone OVER in 6 of NY Yankees's last 9 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 5 games when playing at home against Baltimore

1:07 PM
TEXAS vs. TORONTO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas's last 5 games
Texas is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games when playing at home against Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games when playing Texas

1:10 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. CINCINNATI
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Francisco's last 9 games
Cincinnati is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 6 games when playing at home against San Francisco

1:35 PM
FLORIDA vs. ATLANTA
Florida is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Florida's last 8 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games at home
Atlanta is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home

1:35 PM
NY METS vs. WASHINGTON
NY Mets are 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of NY Mets's last 23 games when playing on the road against Washington
Washington is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against NY Mets
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Washington's last 23 games when playing at home against NY Mets

1:35 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. PHILADELPHIA
Pittsburgh is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh

2:10 PM
BOSTON vs. CHI WHITE SOX
Boston is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Boston's last 9 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox
Chi White Sox are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Boston
Chi White Sox are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games

2:10 PM
HOUSTON vs. MILWAUKEE
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 5 games at home

4:05 PM
COLORADO vs. SAN DIEGO
Colorado is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games
San Diego is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of San Diego's last 8 games

4:05 PM
MINNESOTA vs. OAKLAND
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games on the road
Minnesota is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Oakland
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 5 games
Oakland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

4:10 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. SEATTLE
Tampa Bay is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Seattle is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Seattle is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home

4:10 PM
ARIZONA vs. LA DODGERS
Arizona is 8-15-1 SU in their last 24 games ,when playing LA Dodgers
Arizona is 2-4-1 SU in its last 7 games ,on the road
LA Dodgers5-1-1 SU in their last 7 games
LA Dodgers are 2-4-1 SU in their last 7 games ,when playing Arizona

8:05 PM
CHI CUBS vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chi Cubs's last 10 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Chi Cubs's last 10 games on the road
St. Louis is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
St. Louis is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games

WNBA
Dunkel


Atlanta at Connecticut
The Dream look to take advantage of a Connecticut team that is coming off a 69-58 loss to Indiana and is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games following a SU defeat. Atlanta is the pick (+4 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Sun favored by only 2. Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+4 1/2). Here are all of today's picks.

SUNDAY, JULY 31

Game 601-602: Minnesota at San Antonio (3:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 120.836; San Antonio 114.760
Dunkel Line & Total: Minnesota by 6; 164
Vegas Line & Total: Minnesota by 4; 161 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (-4); Over

Game 603-604: Atlanta at Connecticut (5:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 110.443; Connecticut 112.484
Dunkel Line & Total: Connecticut by 2; 153
Vegas Line & Total: Connecticut by 4 1/2; 160
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+4 1/2); Under

Game 605-606: Los Angeles at Indiana (6:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Los Angeles 106.442; Indiana 114.079
Dunkel Line & Total: Indiana by 7 1/2; 146
Vegas Line & Total: Indiana by 9; 149 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Los Angeles (+9); Under

WNBA


Sunday, July 31

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3:00 PM
MINNESOTA vs. SAN ANTONIO
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
San Antonio is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Antonio's last 5 games

5:00 PM
ATLANTA vs. CONNECTICUT
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Connecticut
Connecticut is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta
Connecticut is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Atlanta

6:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. INDIANA
Los Angeles is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Los Angeles's last 5 games when playing Indiana
Indiana is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home
Indiana is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Los Angeles


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WNBA


Sunday, July 31

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lady luck: Sunday's best WNBA bets
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Minnesota Lynx at San Antonio Silver Stars (2.5, 162)

The top spot in the Western Conference is on the line when Minnesota (12-4) visits San Antonio (11-5) on Sunday. This is their first meeting of the season.

The Lynx are on fire, having won and covered five straight, including Friday’s 92-67 dismantling of Seattle as 7.5-point favorites. Seimone Augustus (16.3 points) is shooting 51 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. She leads four players averaging in double figures.

Minnesota is outscoring its opponents by more than nine points a game, easily the biggest margin in the league.

San Antonio is a fine team that has won and covered three of its last four. But the Silver Stars recently lost standout rookie Danielle Adams to a sprained foot, and their lack of depth will hurt against the loaded Lynx.

Lay the small number.

Pick: Minnesota


Los Angeles Sparks at Indiana Fever (-9, 151)

The Sparks have gone 2-8 SU and ATS in their last 10, and now they travel to face a Fever squad that has covered five of their last six home games.

Indiana, on a three-game win streak, is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 Sunday games.

The Fever came out of the All-Star break with renewed intensity and were able to sweep a two-game road trip. On Friday, Shannon Bobbitt’s floating layup at the buzzer lifted Indiana to a 61-59 win in Washington.

Leading the Eastern Conference at 13-6, the Fever won’t have a letdown at home.

Pick: Indiana

Sunday's six-pack

-- Colorado traded Ubaldo Jimenez to Cleveland for four prospects, one of whom is Drew Pomeranz (3-3, 1.98 in 18 minor league starts in '11).

-- Indians then traded Orlando Cabrera to the Giants, who will be the seventh team Cabrera has been played for the last five seasons.

-- Conflicting rumors on whether the A's traded fragile-but-talented Rich Harden to Boston for 1B Lars Anderson, who in 2009 was an Eastern League All-Star. Last we heard, the trade was off.

-- Arizona's Justin Upton has an extra base-hit in each of his team's last ten games.

-- Colby Rasmus is 0-12 in his first three games as a Blue Jay.

-- It doesn't seem like much, but the Pirates went out and traded for Derrek Lee Saturday; its the trading deadline and instead of dumping salary, Pittsburgh went out and added a bat. Good for them.


*******************


Sunday's List of 13: Numbers that have made an impression on me

36,000—In August of 1984, I stood in Saratoga and watched KL Wheat hit a $20 daily double that paid $325 for a $2 ticket. $3,250 in an hour. Wow. Horse that won the 9th race that day was Seal Harbor, will never forget that. And if you thought guys in the NBA can jump high, you should have seen my cousin as that horse came down the stretch with the lead. Serious hops.

Well Thursday, KL Wheat came home from the racetrack with a $36,000 profit, his greatest score ever as a horseplayer. Damn impressive. I only wish I was there to see his reaction when that last horse won to complete his winning Pick-4. Must've been quite a moment.

#13—Kurt Warner is a two-time NFL MVP who helped win Super Bowl XXXIV for the Rams, and who also once won an Arena Football game 77-76 here in Albany, when he was an Iowa Barnstormer; I’m guessing someone will make a movie about his life someday. If we saw the story and didn’t know it was true, we’d dismiss it as unrealistic, but obviously it is really happening.

300—I once bowled on the lanes next to a guy that bowled a 300; I had never seen one in person, so I was way happier than he was, since it was about his 25th career perfect game. Didn’t matter to me, I thought it was very cool to see.

64—Perfect number of teams for the NCAA basketball tournament, but 68 is close enough, I guess. Lets just hope the powers-that-be don’t mess with a good thing and keep it at 68 teams for the foreseeable future.

#27—When I was five years old, someone gave me a box full of unopened packages of baseball cards; as I opened them, I noticed this one card with four rookies on it. Three of the four rookies had a minor league record; the one who didn’t also had his name misspelled on the back, so that guy automatically became my favorite player. I was quirky even back then.

What are the odds that the player would become a Hall of Famer? James Augustus (Catfish) Hunter won 224 games in his big league career, and helped the A’s win three consecutive World Series. I’m forever grateful someone put Tim Hunter on the back of that 1965 baseball card.

#44—David Thompson was a better college basketball player than Michael Jordan, leading NC State to the 1974 national title. I used to lay on my bed and listen to Wolfpack games on WBT in Charlotte, which isn’t always easy to get in upstate New York. Trust me on that.

Thompson’s life got sidetracked by off-court issues when he was a pro with the Nuggets, but he seems to be doing well now. Too bad ESPN wasn’t around when DT was at State; there would be a lot more film to back up my claim of how great he was.

44 is also the best 9-hole golf score I ever shot, but it was so long ago, there was a baseball playoff game on the radio on my ride home that day, and the Pirates were playing. Many, many moons ago.

35—The 35-second clock is the best thing that ever happened to amateur basketball; hard to believe that every state in the country doesn’t have it for high school ball. It keeps nitwit coaches from strangling the game.

#4— When you have an unusual first name, you’re quick to adopt any pro athlete with the same name. Biff Pocoroba hit .257 with 21 HR’s in 596 big league games, making the 1978 All-Star Game and also hitting a game-winning bases-loaded double on national TV on the 4th of July off Tom Seaver. Somewhere in my house is a scrapbook full of clippings I compiled during his career. Apparently, Braves’ owner Ted Turner liked him so much that Braves’ management waited until Turner was out of the country before they released him in 1984.

#15—Vince Ferragamo led the Rams to their first Super Bowl, back in 1980; unfortunately, he then bolted to the CFL, was a dud in Montreal, then never regained his previous form and bounced around the NFL for a while before retiring.

But in January 1980, Ferragamo engineered consecutive road playoff wins in Dallas and Tampa, and had a lead on the 11.5-point favorite Steelers in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl. He should have had a better career.

2—Number of state high school basketball championships I was lucky enough to be an assistant coach for; we had some terrific players who are also good people. Five kids from those two teams played Division I ball, one even made the NBA. Those years, from 1994-2001, were bigtime fun.

.082—What opposing batters hit against my godson this past spring; they had five hits in 61 AB’s, and this is Division II college baseball, a pretty high level (eight kids from his league got drafted in June). Now his coach got fired this summer, so hopefully the new coach likes statistics and like lefthanded starting pitchers.

60—60% is the goal for my college basketball picks every year; if I can hit 60% for a season, I’m pretty damn happy. Glad to report I did it this past winter, but its not something that happens every year.

Sunday, July 31

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Baltimore - 1:05 PM ET NY Yankees -191 500
NY Yankees - Over 10 500

Kansas City - 1:05 PM ET Kansas City +127 500
Cleveland - Under 9 500

LA Angels - 1:05 PM ET Detroit -133 500
Detroit - Under 6.5 500

San Francisco - 1:10 PM ET Cincinnati -151 500
Cincinnati - Over 8.5 500

Texas - 1:30 PM ET Texas -110 500
Toronto - Over 8.5 500

Florida - 1:35 PM ET Atlanta -150 500
Atlanta - Over 7.5 500

NY Mets - 1:35 PM ET NY Mets +114 500
Washington - Under 8 500

Pittsburgh - 1:35 PM ET Pittsburgh +177 500
Philadelphia - Under 8 500

Boston - 2:10 PM ET Chi. White Sox -114 500
Chi. White Sox - Under 9.5 500

Houston - 2:10 PM ET Houston +170 500
Milwaukee - Under 8.5 500

Minnesota - 4:05 PM ET Minnesota +131 500
Oakland - Over 8.5 500

Colorado - 4:05 PM ET San Diego +104 500
San Diego - Over 7 500

Tampa Bay - 4:10 PM ET Tampa Bay -119 500
Seattle - Over 7 500

Arizona - 4:10 PM ET Arizona +111 500
LA Dodgers - Under 7.5 500

Chi. Cubs - 8:05 PM ET St. Louis -140 500
St. Louis - Over 8.5 500

Thanks for all your hard work C Notes. Great information!

Your welcome Barnzy32............information does help then not knowing blindly when wagering on these games....sometimes its good information sometimes not.....you have the final decision.....

Can anyone else viewing these threads want to give some feed back if all this informantion helps or hinders your decisions on games? Your input would be great..........mahalooooooooooooooo !

3:00 PM ETMinnesota at San Antonio

Teams ROT Record Consensus Odds

MIN 601 12-4 (5-2 V) - 160 UNDER


SA 602 11-5 (5-3 H) - 4 Minny + 4

Stats: Matchup | Preview | Trends | Line Moves My Scores
Opinion: Consensus | Team Experts


5:00 PM ETAtlanta at Connecticut

Teams ROT Record Consensus Odds

ATL 603 8-9 (3-4 V) - 160 UNDER

CONN 604 10-6 (7-1 H) - -4 CONN

Stats: Matchup | Preview | Trends | Line Moves My Scores
Opinion: Consensus | Team Experts


6:00 PM ETLos Angeles at Indiana

Teams ROT Record Consensus Odds

LA 605 7-10 (3-8 V) - 149 Under

IND 606 13-6 (8-2 H) - -9 Indiana

Stats: Matchup | Preview | Trends | Line Moves My Scores
Opinion: Consensus | Team Experts