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Diamond Trends - Sunday

May 6, 2012

SU TREND OF THE DAY:


The Brewers are 0-10 since May 01, 2011 on the road and it is the last game of a three game series when they split the first two for a net profit of $1072 when playing against.


OU TREND OF THE DAY:


The Diamondbacks are 0-10 OU since May 12, 2011 on the road when they are off a loss in which they held the lead and it is the last game of a series for a net profit of $1000 when playing the under.

STARTER TREND OF THE DAY:


The Pirates are 0-7 OU since July 18, 2011 when Charlie Morton starts at home for a net profit of $700 when playing the under.

MLB BIBLE TREND OF THE DAY:


The Indians are 0-25 OU (-2.7 rpg) in database history when the total is at least 8 when closing a series in a home day game starting at 1:00 p.m. or later vs a non-divisional American League team which they played at night the game prior.

TODAY’S TRENDS:


The Mariners are 0-10 since May 07, 2011 at home after a win in which their opponent left fewer than 10 men on base for a net profit of $1110 when playing against.

The Rockies are 7-0 since June 14, 2011 when Juan Nicasio starts when he is off a start in which he needed more than 4 pitches per batter for a net profit of $700

Giants Close Homestand Before 6-Game Road Trip

It's been an abysmal homestand so far for Bruce Bochy and the San Francisco Giants. Swept by the Miami Marlins earlier this week, the Giants also fell in Friday's series opener vs. the Milwaukee Brewers to enter Saturday's contest on a 4-game skid.

San Francisco was priced at -150 to even the set with a win against the Brew Crew in Game 2. That game was still pending and featured an all-lefty mound clash between the Giants' Madison Bumgarner and Milwaukee's Randy Wolf. If San Fran can grab the dubya in that game, Bochy's squad can get back to .500 on the season with another win Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET) when ace Matt Cain takes the mound opposite Shaun Marcum of the Brewers.

To be fair, injuries to key personnel have dogged the Giants in the early going, beginning with 2B Freddy Sanchez who started the season on the DL while he continued to rehab from shoulder surgery. That rehab has been slow, and his return to action is without a timetable.

San Francisco then lost closer Brian Wilson to season-ending elbow surgery, with the bullpen taking another hit when Jeremy Affeldt hit the DL with a knee injury. The Giants have also been without 1B Aubrey Huff because of anxiety disorder, and just placed 3B Pablo Sandoval on the shelf this week because of a broken hand that needed surgery. Sandoval is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

Fortunately for Bochy, his starting rotation remains intact and ranked among the top 5 in the NL in ERA (3.16), batting average against (.216) and WHIP (1.14) when play started Saturday.

Cain has dropped his last two starts and the Giants are just 2-3 in his 2012 assignments despite the right-hander owning a 2.35 ERA. His last four outings have each been quality starts and his ERA at AT&T Park is a tiny 0.69 in three games (26 IP).

The Brewers have been a bit troublesome for him recently, with Cain 2-3 in his last five tries vs. Milwaukee while posting a 4.36 ERA.

Meanwhile, Ron Roenicke's rotation has been anything but the team's strength to this point. Milwaukee starters rank 15th in the NL in ERA (4.97), WHIP (1.50) and BAA (.284), and the offense hasn't been able to do enough to make up for the poor effort from the mound corps.

Marcum has the lowest ERA among the starters (3.19), yet the Brewers have dropped each of his last four trips to the hill with the offense supplying just nine runs total in those games. His lone career outing in San Francisco came last July, and Marcum picked up the win with seven 4-hit innings while allowing just two runs as a +120 underdog.

The unpredictable Angel Hernandez should have the plate for the series finale. Two of his first three games calling the balls and strikes have gone 'under' the total, and that comes on the heels of a 2011 campaign in which the low side prevailed at a 19-15-2 clip.

Zito Gets Nod As Giants Begin Road Trip In LA
Staying with the Giants as we head into next week, they'll skip town after Sunday's game vs. the Brewers to make a short trip south to Los Angeles for Monday's matchup against the Dodgers. The contest begins a 6-game road trip for San Francisco who will be in Arizona following the 3-game set in LA.

Game 1 in Los Angeles is another all-lefty mound duel for the Giants who send Barry Zito up against the Dodgers' Ted Lilly for the 10:10 p.m. (ET) start.

Don Mattingly's club will be returning to LA after a 6-game tour through Colorado and Chicago. That trip started by dropping three of the first four contests, and the Dodgers will no doubt be happy to come back to Chavez Ravine where they've started the year 10-2 and outscored the opposition 50-32. Los Angeles is also 6-1 at home so far in 1-run games.

The Dodgers are also off to a 3-1 beginning to the season with Lilly on the hill, and why not with the Cali native sporting a 1.38 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in those four assignments. The 13-year vet has been immensely efficient on the mound, using under 83 pitches on average and twice working seven full frames. He came out of his last start in Colorado after six innings and 79 pitches due to a mild oblique strain, but is reportedly ready to go on Monday.

Lilly has made four starts vs. San Fran since joining the Dodgers midway through the 2010 campaign, and LA has lost all four. Lilly's ERA in those games is a batting practice-esque 6.86.

Zito's excellent start to the 2012 season was jerked back into reality his last time out when he couldn't get through the fourth inning vs. Miami while burning through 91 offerings and walking seven. He's been stellar away from San Fran in three assignments, allowing just three earned runs 22 innings.

San Francisco is just 1-6 in Zito's last seven battles with the Dodgers despite his ERA below 3.00 in those games, and 0-3 in his last three starts in Los Angeles.

MLB
Dunkel

Toronto at LA Angels
The Blue Jays look to bounce back from yesterday's 6-2 loss to LA and take advantage of the Angels' 1-11 record in their last 12 games after allowing 2 runs or less in the previous game. Toronto is the pick (+115) according to Dunkel, which has the Blue Jays favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+115). Here are all of today's picks.

SUNDAY, MAY 6

Game 951-952: Arizona at NY Mets (1:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Cahill) 13.755; NY Mets (Dickey) 15.216
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: NY Mets (-110); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (-110); Under

Game 953-954: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cincinnati (Latos) 15.079; Pittsburgh (Morton) 16.646
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-130); 8
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+110); Over

Game 955-956: St. Louis at Houston (2:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Wainwright) 16.257; Houston (Happ) 15.462
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 9
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-165); 8
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-165); Over

Game 957-958: LA Dodgers at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Harang) 14.633; Cubs (Wood) 15.647
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1; 7
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 959-960: Atlanta at Colorado (3:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Beachy) 15.504; Colorado (Nicasio) 14.409
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 9
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-130); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (-130); Under

Game 961-962: Miami at San Diego (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Miami (Nolasco) 13.903; San Diego (Wieland) 15.190
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Miami (-130); 7
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+110); Over

Game 963-964: Milwaukee at San Francisco (4:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Milwaukee (Marcum) 13.951; San Francisco (Cain) 14.315
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1/2; 5
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-145); 6
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-145); Under

Game 965-966: Philadelphia at Washington (8:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Hamels) 15.490; Washington (Zimmermann) 14.807
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Washington (-120); 6
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+100); Over

Game 967-968: Chicago White Sox at Detroit (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Axelford) 15.016; Detroit (Porcello) 15.820
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1; 8
Vegas Line: Detroit (-150); 9
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-150); Under

Game 969-970: Texas at Cleveland (1:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Darvish) 15.018; Cleveland (Jimenez) 16.370
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Texas (-160); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+140); Over

Game 971-972: Baltimore at Boston (1:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Hunter) 15.431; Boston (Buchholz) 15.749
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1/2; 11
Vegas Line: Boston (-145); 10 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-145); Over

Game 973-974: Oakland at Tampa Bay (1:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Milone) 16.661; Tampa Bay (Moore) 15.596
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-170); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+150); Under

Game 975-976: NY Yankees at Kansas City (2:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Yankees (Hughes) 15.414; Kansas City (Hochevar) 13.747
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-135); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-135); Under

Game 977-978: Toronto at LA Angels (3:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto (Hutchison) 16.433; LA Angels (Williams) 15.156
Dunkel Line: Toronto by 1 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: LA Angels (-135); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Toronto (+115); Over

Game 979-980: Minnesota at Seattle (4:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota (Blackburn) 14.380; Seattle (Noesi) 14.012
Dunkel Line: Minnesota by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Seattle (-135); 8
Dunkel Pick: Minnesota (+115); Over

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, May 6

Hot pitchers
-- Dickey is 1-0, 2.77 in his last couple starts.
-- Morton is 1-1, 2.25 in his two home starts.
-- Garza is 1-0, 1.29 in his last couple starts.
-- Beachy is 2-0, 1.63 in his last four starts. Nicasio is 2-0, 3.38 in his last three outings.
-- Cain has a 1.39 RA in his last four starts. Marcum has a 3.24 RA in his last four starts, but no wins.
-- Nolasco is 2-0, 2.29 in his last three starts.
-- Hamels is 3-0, 2.33 in his last four starts. Zimmerman is 1-2, 2.43 in his five starts this season.

-- Darvish is 3-0, 0.83 in his last three starts.
-- Hunter is 1-0, 2.07 in his last couple starts.
-- Moore is 1-0, 3.71 in his last three starts.
-- JWilliams is 2-0, 1.99 in his last three starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Cahill is 1-2, 5.79 in his last three starts.
-- Latos is 1-2, 5.97 in five starts this season.
-- Harang is 1-2, 6.04 in his five starts this season.
-- Happ has a 4.60 RA in five starts this season. Wainwright is 1-3, 6.75 in his five starts this season.
-- Padres were outscored 23-6 in Weiland's (0-4, 5.73) four starts.

-- Porcello is 1-2, 9.77 in his last three starts.
-- Jimenez is 0-2, 9.28 in his last couple starts.
-- Buchholz allowed 29 runs in 29 IP in five starts this season.
-- Milone is 1-2, 8.04 on road (2-0, 0.00 at home).
-- Hochevar is 1-2, 8.85 in his last four starts. Hughes is 1-4, 9.14 in his five starts this season.
-- Noesi is 0-2, 9.75 in his last three starts. Minnesota is 0-4 when Blackburn starts (0-3, 6.64).

Hot teams
-- Cincinnati won four of its last six road games.
-- Houston won its last six home games.
-- Braves won seven of their last nine road games.
-- Marlins are 5-0 on this road trip, with four one-run wins.
-- Washington won three of its last four games.

-- Cleveland won four of its last six games.
-- Tampa Bay won 12 of their last 14 games. A's are 7-4 in their last 11 road games.
-- Orioles won six of their last seven games.
-- Royals won six of their last nine games, but are 2-11 at home.
-- Angels won six of their last nine home games. Toronto won six of their last eight games overall.

Cold teams
-- Diamondbacks lost three of their last four games. Mets lost four of their last five games.
-- Dodgers lost four of last six road games. Cubs are 6-9 at home.
-- Pirates lost six of their last nine games.
-- Cardinals lost four of their last five road games.
-- Colorado lost five of its last seven games.
-- Giants are 5-7 in their last dozen home games. Brewers are 3-6 in their last nine games overall.
-- Padres are 4-7 in their last eleven games.
-- Phillies lost three of their last four games.

-- Detroit lost six of its last eight home games. White Sox lost eight of their last eleven games.
-- Rangers lost four of their last six games.
-- Dating back to LY, Red Sox are 8-19 in their last 27 home games.
-- Bronx lost seven of its last eleven games.
-- Mariners lost seven of their last eight games. Minnesota lost ten of last twelve games.

Totals
-- Nine of Cubs' last eleven games stayed under the total.
-- Eight of Phillies' last ten road games went over the total.
-- Under is 7-3-1 in last eleven Pittsburgh home games.
-- Six of Mets' last eight games went over the total.
-- Nine of last eleven St Louis road games stayed under total.
-- Eight of last nine games at Coors Field went over total.
-- Ten of last eleven Miami road games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-1-1 in last seven San Francisco home games.

-- Seven of White Sox' last ten games went over the total.
-- Under is 8-3 in Cleveland's last eleven home games.
-- Under is 8-2-1 in last eleven Tampa Bay home games.
-- Under is 9-3 in last dozen Baltimore games.
-- Last seven Bronx games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 11-2 in Angels' last thirteen games.
-- Under is 3-1-1 in last five Minnesota games.

Umpires
-- Az-NY-- Over is 5-2 in Davidson games this season.
-- Cin-Pitt-- Four of five Wolf games went over the total.
-- StL-Hst-- Road teams won all five Meals games this year.
-- LA-Chi-- Five of six Kellogg games stayed under the total.
-- Atl-Col-- Home teams won four of six Runge games.
-- Mil-SF-- Under is 21-16 in last 37 Hernandez games.
-- Mia-SD-- Underdogs won three of five Barksdale games.
-- Phil-Wsh-- Last four Fletcher games went over the total.

-- Balt-Bos-- Underdogs won four of last five Hoye games.
-- Chi-Det-- Four of last five BWelke games went over total.
-- Tex-Clev-- Home side won four of five Campos games.
-- A's-TB-- Road teams won four of last five Demuth games.
-- NY-KC-- Home teams won three of four Gonzalez games.
-- Tor-LA-- Four of five Wegner games stayed under the total.
-- Min-Sea-- Road teams are 22-18 in last 40 Everitt games.

MLB

Sunday, May 6

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Trend Report
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1:05 PM
TEXAS vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Texas's last 9 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
Texas is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Cleveland's last 16 games
Cleveland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

1:05 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. DETROIT
Chi White Sox are 3-8 SU in their last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games when playing Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing Chi White Sox
Detroit is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox

1:10 PM
ARIZONA vs. NY METS
Arizona is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing NY Mets
Arizona is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 7 of NY Mets's last 9 games when playing at home against Arizona

1:35 PM
BALTIMORE vs. BOSTON
Baltimore is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Boston
Baltimore is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Boston is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Boston's last 18 games at home

1:35 PM
CINCINNATI vs. PITTSBURGH
Cincinnati is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Pittsburgh's last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games

1:40 PM
OAKLAND vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Oakland's last 22 games on the road
Oakland is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Tampa Bay's last 14 games
Tampa Bay is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home

2:05 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. HOUSTON
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis's last 6 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Houston's last 18 games at home

2:10 PM
NY YANKEES vs. KANSAS CITY
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 5 games on the road
NY Yankees are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 5 games when playing NY Yankees
Kansas City is 2-12 SU in its last 14 games at home

2:20 PM
LA DODGERS vs. CHI CUBS
LA Dodgers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games on the road
LA Dodgers are 15-8 SU in their last 23 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Chi Cubs's last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs's last 5 games when playing LA Dodgers

3:10 PM
ATLANTA vs. COLORADO
Atlanta is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Colorado
Atlanta is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado's last 7 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Colorado's last 9 games when playing Atlanta

3:35 PM
TORONTO vs. LA ANGELS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of LA Angels's last 13 games
LA Angels are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games when playing Toronto

4:05 PM
MIAMI vs. SAN DIEGO
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Miami's last 11 games on the road
Miami is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing San Diego
San Diego is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Diego's last 7 games

4:05 PM
MILWAUKEE vs. SAN FRANCISCO
Milwaukee is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
Milwaukee is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Francisco's last 7 games when playing Milwaukee
San Francisco is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games

4:10 PM
MINNESOTA vs. SEATTLE
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
Minnesota is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games
Seattle is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Seattle's last 19 games at home

8:05 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Philadelphia's last 10 games on the road
Philadelphia is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home

MLB

Sunday, May 6

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Sunday's streaking and slumping starters
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STREAKING

Yu Darvish, Texas Rangers
4-0, 2.18 ERA

The 25-year-old Japanese sensation has fanned 19 batters in his last two starts covering 15 1/3 innings. He’s allowed one or zero runs in his last four starts. In fact, since a bad first inning in his major league debut, Darvish has allowed four runs over 32 innings. He gets the Indians in Cleveland on Sunday.

Brandon Beachy, Atlanta Braves
2-1, 1.38 ERA

Batters are hitting .193 against the 25-year-old right-hander, who has a fine strikeout-to-walk ratio of 22:7. He’s allowed two or fewer runs in all five of his starts entering Sunday’s visit to Coors Field. However, current Rockies are 7-for-15 against him with two homers and five RBIs.


SLUMPING

Phil Hughes, New York Yankees
1-4, 7.48 ERA

Hughes has served up seven homers in five starts, and the league is hitting .298 against him. He’s lasted five innings in only two starts. Still, Hughes is expected to keep getting the ball, at least until Andy Pettitte returns. He faces the Royals in K.C. on Sunday.

Hector Noesi, Seattle Mariners
1-3, 7.83 ERA

Like Hughes, Noesi can’t keep the ball in the park, allowing five homers in five starts. He barely has more strikeouts (13) than walks (10). While he pitched decently his last time out, giving up three runs in 5 2/3 innings vs. the Rays, Noesi must put it together soon or else he’ll be knocked out of the rotation. He gets the Twins at home Sunday.

MLB

Sunday, May 6

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MLB Top 4: Best runline bets in baseball
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When a team like the Baltimore Orioles jumps out to a 17-9 record to begin the season, baseball bettors are anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Maybe the O’s are this year’s miracle team and the 11.94 units they’ve earned for moneyline bettors so far is just a taste of the vast riches to come in 2012.

Or maybe, the rest of the American League gets smart to their staff – which boasts the second-lowest team ERA (2.79) - the second and third time through. And maybe, the big bats, which have hit 35 home runs (third most in the bigs), suddenly shrink as the season wears on.

The nearly 12 moneyline units won by Baltimore are impressive, but the 14.37 units it’s earned on the runline are even sweeter (19-7 vs. the runline). And while the Orioles may start coming up on the short end of the scoreboard, they could maintain their value with baseball’s version of the spread.

Here are three other clubs that are paying out on the runline while leaving moneyline bettors a bit shortchanged:

St. Louis Cardinals (10.46 runline units/3.89 moneyline units)

The Cardinals' offense wasn’t supposed to be better with Albert Pujols soaking up the sun in California. But the defending World Series champs are tops in the majors in offense, averaging 5.46 runs per game and hitting a collective .286. Carlos Beltran, who was brought in to soften the loss to Pujols, has seven home runs. Pujols has none. Oddsmakers undervalued St. Louis’ remaining parts, giving it terrific value on the runline.

There have been some weirdo facts and figures during this red-hot runline rip. The Cardinals, who have played only six one-run games – fewest in the National League Central – are just 1-5 in those nailbiters. And, outside of a single-game opener with Miami, St. Louis hasn’t ventured outside its division through the first month of the season. It takes its first steps beyond the NL Central in Arizona Monday.

Houston Astros (8.03 runline units/1.76 moneyline units)

The Astros and Cardinals are facing each other this weekend, posing a tough task for runline bettors. Houston’s 12-14 record is much better than most expected, and its 18-8 runline record is simply shocking.

The Astros are leaning heavily on their offense right now, scoring 4.73 runs a night while watching their team ERA slowly swell, sitting at 3.89 heading into Saturday. The biggest difference maker for Houston’s runline backers has been the bullpen, which has kept the team close in the late innings. The Astros' relievers ranked eighth in baseball as a group, boasting a 2.97 collective ERA.

Chicago White Sox (7.55 runline units/-2.46 moneyline units)

The White Sox were locked atop the American League Central before losing back-to-back games to Cleveland and dropping the series opener with Detroit Friday. Chicago’s 12-14 record isn’t too far off its 15-11 runline record, but the difference in profits speak for itself.

Friday night’s ninth-inning collapse to the Tigers stung moneyline backers like a swarm of killer bees, while the runline fans suffered only minor swelling – in their wallets – after Detroit won 5-4 but failed to cover the 1.5-run spread. Chicago has just two wins in the last eight games but has managed to salvage a 5-5 mark versus the runline.

Other notable runline winners:

Arizona Diamondback (7.55 runline units/1.49 moneyline units)
Toronto Blue Jays (7.49 runline units/2.81 moneyline units)
Seattle Mariners (1.99 runline units/-3.50 moneyline units)

MLB

Sunday, May 6

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Sunday Night Baseball: Phillies at Nationals
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Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals (-115, 6)

Led by what has been easily the best pitching staff in baseball thus far, Washington has given itself an early lead in what was expected to be a tight National League East race. The Nationals have put defending division champ Philadelphia in an early hole, winning the first two games of this weekend’s series to leave the Phillies 5 1/2 games back in fourth place.

Washington still has one of the more sluggish lineups in the league, but it upgraded its pitching rotation in the offseason by acquiring Gio Gonzalez — who pitched seven solid innings for the win Saturday — and Edwin Jackson. The Phillies, who already boast one of the best pitching staffs in the game, have struggled almost as badly as the Nationals on offense, scoring one run or fewer nine times this season.

TV: 8:05 p.m. ET, ESPN (national)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies LH Cole Hamels (3-1, ERA 2.78) vs. Nationals RH Jordan Zimmermann (1-2, ERA 1.89)

Hamels was a hard-luck loser in his first outing of the year, but he has been solid ever since, turning in four straight quality starts, all of which Philadelphia won. The left-hander has shown excellent control, walking just five while striking out 36 in 32 1/3 innings. Hamels is 10-4 with a 2.71 ERA in 20 career starts against the Nationals.

Zimmermann hasn’t gotten much run support this season, earning just one win despite yielding one earned run in each of his first four starts. He faltered somewhat in his last trip to the mound, a May 1 loss to Arizona (6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 K). Zimmermann will be looking for his first win against the Phillies, having gone 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA in three prior starts.

TRENDS:

* Phillies are 4-0 in Hamels' last four road starts vs. Nationals.
* Phillies are 9-1 in Hamels' last 10 starts vs. Nationals.
* Over is 25-8-1 in the last 34 meetings in Washington.
* Under is 10-4 in Hamels' last 14 starts vs. Nationals.
* Phillies are 1-6 in the last seven meetings in Washington.
* Phillies are 0-7 in the last seven meetings.

UMP TRENDS - Sam Holbrook

* Over is 20-8-1 in Holbrooks last 29 Sunday games behind home plate.
* Over is 5-2-1 in Holbrooks last eight games behind home plate vs. Philadelphia.
* Over is 45-22-5 in Holbrooks last 72 games behind home plate.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Nationals have allowed just nine homers, eight fewer than any other team in the majors.

2. Hamels has 136 strikeouts in 129 1/3 career innings against Washington. Excluding injured 3B Ryan Zimmerman, current Nationals are 23-for-111 (.207) against him.

3. Though the Phillies owned baseball’s best record (102-60) last season, the Nationals have been the better team lately, winning 32 of their last 45 compared with Philadelphia’s 19-26 mark over the same number of games.

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

05/05/12 6-*2-*0 75.00% +*1950 Detail
05/04/12 14-*13-*1 51.85% +*305 Detail
05/03/12 10-*8-*0 55.56% +*605 Detail
05/02/12 18-*12-*0 60.00% +*3735 Detail
05/01/12 3-*25-*0 10.71% -*13070 Detail

Totals 51-*60-*1 45.95% -*6475



Sunday, May 6

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Chi. White Sox - 1:05 PM ET Detroit -142 500
Detroit - Under 9 500

Texas - 1:05 PM ET Cleveland +154 500
Cleveland - Under 8.5 500

Arizona - 1:10 PM ET NY Mets -107 500
NY Mets - Under 7.5 500

Baltimore - 1:35 PM ET Boston -145 500
Boston - Over 10.5 500

Cincinnati - 1:35 PM ET Cincinnati -124 500
Pittsburgh - Under 8 500

Oakland - 1:40 PM ET Oakland +150 500
Tampa Bay - Over 7.5 500

St. Louis - 2:05 PM ET Houston +138 500
Houston - Over 8 500

NY Yankees - 2:10 PM ET Kansas City +113 500
Kansas City - Over 9.5 500

Atlanta - 3:10 PM ET Colorado +113 500
Colorado - Under 9.5 500

Toronto - 3:35 PM ET LA Angels -124 500
LA Angels - Over 8.5 500

Miami - 4:05 PM ET Miami -119 500
San Diego - Under 7 500

Milwaukee - 4:05 PM ET San Francisco -140 500
San Francisco - Under 6 500

Minnesota - 4:10 PM ET Seattle -125 500
Seattle - Over 8 500

Philadelphia - 8:05 PM ET Washington -111 500
Washington - Over 6 500