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Cardinals And Reds Start Exciting Second Half

Major League Baseball comes flying out of the All-Star break with five of the six division races closely contested.

Play resumes on Friday with all 30 teams in action and St. Louis at Cincinnati one of the marquee matchups. The current NL Central standings have the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates leading Cincinnati by one game and St. Louis 2.5 behind.

The pitching matchup for the weekend series opener is Adam Wainwright (7-8, 4.56 ERA) against Mat Latos (7-2, 4.13 ERA). Don Best will release the odds shortly for this 7:10 p.m. (ET) contest.

St. Louis is 4-2 against the Reds this season, 2-1 in Cincinnati. Both series came back in April with the ‘under’ going 4-2.

Wainwright’s numbers overall are disappointing, but he has allowed three runs or less in five of his last six outings. He could be rounding back into form after missing all of last year with an elbow injury and he’s 3-5 with a 4.25 ERA lifetime against the Reds.

Latos has had an up-and-down first season in Cincinnati after coming over from San Diego. However, he’s been great his last three starts at 2-0 with a miniscule .72 ERA. He also has 28 strikeouts and just four walks over those 25 innings of work.

The 24-year-old right-hander has struggled badly against the Cardinals in his relatively short career, 1-3 with an 11.37 ERA.

St. Louis has relied on offense this year at first in runs scored (4.95 per game) in the NL and fourth in MLB overall. Matt Holliday is having an MVP-type year with a .317 batting average, 14 homers and 56 RBIs. He can’t be pitched around with Carlos Beltran, David Freese and Yadier Molina also hitting well.

Note Molina (personal) is questionable for this contest, which would be a big loss both batting and behind home plate.

The Reds are having trouble at the plate with Joey Votto (.348) the only regular hitting over .300. They are weak at lead-off and the second hole, and Votto would have more than 48 RBIs with better hitters ahead of him.

Cincy has gotten it done with pitching, an ERA of 3.39 which is third in MLB. The team does have its own injury concern with third baseman Scott Rolen (back) questionable.

Weather could be an issue on Friday with an 80 percent chance of rain. There should be humid conditions, which means the ball could be traveling well.

Yankees And Nationals Lead Updated MLB Odds

Mark Trumbo has been a big part of the Angels’ rebound from a slow start.

Now is as good a time as any to bet the Houston Astros or Chicago Cubs to win the World Series. Each team is 200/1 to take the 2012 Fall Classic, making for a nice little payday if and when either squad pulls it off.

Now is also as good a time as any to look out your window and see a drift of pigs fly by.

Pennant races will begin to seriously heat up when play resumes Friday following the all-star break. Five of the six divisions currently have leaders with 4-game advantages or less, the lone exception being the AL East which was a free-for-all the first 10 weeks before the New York Yankees surged to a 7-game edge when play halted this past Sunday.

Here is a quick rundown of each division with updated odds. Note the numbers represent consensus futures and are listed to win Division/to win League/to win World Series.

AL EAST
The division might have the largest gap from first to second, but it is the only one of the six groups to hit the break with every team sporting .500 records or better, leaving it wide open. The Yankees (-400/+200/+400) closed the first half with a 26-10 mark and will start the second half on a key 6-game homestand that begins Friday against the Los Angeles Angels, who have also come on strong following a sluggish start to the '12 campaign.

The Baltimore Orioles (+1600/+2500/+6000) might be closest to the Yanks in the standings, but along with the Toronto Blue Jays (+1600/+2000/+3500) who are 9.5-games out, they are seen as having the longest odds to take the division.

Expected to give New York its toughest challenge are the Tampa Bay Rays (+600/+1200/+1600) and Boston Red Sox (+600/+1200/+1800). Neither team hit the midseason vacation in good form; Tampa dropped nine of its last 14 before the All-Star Game while Boston lost eight of 11. Those two clubs begin the second half against each other at Tropicana Field, and the Red Sox face a very rough schedule the rest of the month with the White Sox, Blue Jays, Rangers, Yankees and Tigers on tap.

AL CENTRAL
Chicago has been a nice surprise under first-year manager Robin Ventura, and the White Sox (-105/+700/+1000) have even established themselves as the division favorites after starting the year as 9/1 dark horses, odds that even trailed the Kansas City Royals in late-March, early-April.

Cleveland (+300/+2000/+4000) has also exceeded preseason expectations, but the Tribe is not expected to keep it going. Pressure is squarely on the top three of the Indians' rotation (Ubaldo Jimenez, Derek Lowe and Justin Masterson), and Cleveland faces a tough test coming out of the second-half chute with a 7-game road trip to Toronto and Tampa Bay.

Detroit (+120/+800/+1600) started the season as prohibitive -650 chalk to win ALC, easily the biggest favorite of any division. The Tigers shook off poor showings in April and May by winning 16 of their last 27, including the last five before the all-star break. If they are to complete the turnaround and eventually take the division, the Tigers will have earned it. Detroit has a very tough schedule that won't see them catch anything close to a break until mid-August as the first nine series are against teams that begin play Friday at .500 or better.

Kansas City fans should have their own team to boo once the schedule ends in early October, especially if the Minnesota Twins continue their recent play and push the Royals down into the division cellar for the sixth time in 10 seasons.

AL WEST
Texas has the second-best record in the majors plus the largest run differential, and the Rangers (-500/+200/+450) are more than capable of winning a third consecutive AL flag. They have also done well weathering injuries to the pitching staff with Derek Holland (shoulder) already back in the fold plus Neftali Feliz (elbow), Colby Lewis (forearm) and Alexi Ogando (groin) all close to returning.

The Rangers will start the second half on an 8-game West Coast tour, the last three of which are in Anaheim. It doesn't get any easier when Texas returns home from the trip as the Red Sox, White Sox and Halos come to Arlington.

The general belief is the Angels (+300/+700/+1000) are the most dangerous club not presently leading a division, and might present the best value for midseason futures bettors. The offense has been the biggest story in the rebound, thanks in part to megabuck free agent Albert Pujols but mostly because of what Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo have provided.

Oakland is at .500 to begin the second half, but the A's won't keep that up. Seattle is simply in a dogfight with the Royals and Twins for the AL's worst record, and the Mariners have to be considered the favorites.

NL EAST
No division is more upside down based on preseason prognostications than this one. Philadelphia was the +170 favorite to win the NL, but now sits at 12/1 to just take the NL East. Miami, meanwhile, was seen as the Phils' stiffest competition, but the Marlins have been very inconsistent and will now be without Giancarlo Stanton's big bat for the next 4-6 weeks following knee surgery. Both the Phillies and Marlins are under .500 and will need to finish July strong just to get back into the conversation.

Washington is at the top of the ranks and a co-favorite in the National League. The Nationals (-175/+400/+900) have four key series to begin the second half starting with a trip to Miami this weekend. That is followed by a homestand vs. the Mets and Braves, their closest division challengers presently, and then a return series in Flushing against the Mets. Looming for the Nats is GM Mike Rizzo's insistence that the club will limit ace Stephen Strasburg to around 160 innings. Strasburg has worked 99 frames so far, leaving roughly nine more starts.

The Mets (+600/+1200/+2500) have been a scrappy bunch and could shock us by pulling off the division title. New York's biggest shortcoming has been the bullpen, and without addressing that in the trade market, I just don't see much of a shock factor here.

Atlanta's biggest downfall has been the inability to win at home where the Braves (+250/+600/+1400) are 20-22. That will be tested right off the bat with the Mets and Giants in town to begin the second half.

NL CENTRAL
We were expecting this to be a 3-team race, with Cincinnati and St. Louis part of the trio. What we didn't see coming was seeing the Pittsburgh Pirates (+350/+1000/+3000) as the third wheel. Unlike the Braves, the Bucs have been getting it done at home with the top mark in the majors (29-14). They could really use another starter and a stick, so it will be interesting to see just how serious the Pirates are as buyers in this year's July swap meet.

Cincinnati (-120/+400/+1000) is a game south of Pittsburgh, yet the favorites to take the NLC and NL co-favorites alongside Washington. Quite possibly the biggest series to start the second half will be at Great American Ball Park this weekend when the Reds host the St. Louis Cardinals (+200/+1000/+1600), who are seen as Cincy's chief competitors according to the latest odds. The ability of both the Cards and Reds to stay healthy might very well decide it in the end.

About the nicest thing you can say about Milwaukee is of all six division winners in 2011, the Brewers probably had the least expectations to repeat this year. As for the Cubs and Astros, let me know when you see those pigs float by.

NL WEST
Arizona and San Francisco were supposed to duke it out, but both are chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers, and in the case of the Diamondbacks, chasing .500.

San Francisco (-125/+500/+1400) starts the second half with a favorable slate that finds home games vs. Houston and San Diego sandwiched around a road trip to Atlanta and Philly. In fact, the Giants have a fairly soft road schedule the rest of the way with only three away series (Braves, Cardinals, Dodgers) against clubs above .500 at this point.

Los Angeles (+135/+650/+1600) has a tenuous half-game lead over San Fran, and the Dodgers are reportedly trying to shore up their rotation by talking to the Cubs about deals for either Ryan Dempster or Matt Garza. Arizona (+400/+1200/+3000) certainly has its work cut out just to defend the 2011 division title, but the D-Backs did at least build a little momentum with a 3-game win streak entering the all-star break.

Colorado and San Diego fall into the flying swine column with the Cubs and Astros. It could be a very tight, 4-team race to see who gets the No. 1 pick in the June 2013 first-year players draft.

Total Recap - 1st Half

July 9, 2012

With the 2012 MLB season put on hold to see which league will ridiculously hold home field advantage in the upcoming World Series, we thought it would be a great idea to dig into the season long stats and determine which teams have been kind to both ‘over’ and ‘under’ bettors throughout the first three months of the campaign. Here’s a look at the Top 3 in both categories.

“3 Up”

Philadelphia Phillies (53-31-3): It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see the struggling Phillies as the best ‘over’ bet in the league heading into the All-Star break. Philly currently sits in last place within the NL East and does so on the back of an offense that’s middle of the pack in terms of runs scored (4.2 RPG), batting average (.262), and home runs (84), but it’s the pitching staff that’s seen all games played go ‘over’ the closing number at a 61 percent frequency. While the Phillies starters rank 8th with 51 overall quality starts, Cole Hamels is the only starter that’s earned double-digit wins and that has everything to do with a bullpen that checks in second to last in the league with a collective 4.76 ERA. Jonathan Papelbon’s only blown two saves through 20 tries, but the bridge to get to him has been blown up numerous times due to the Phillies wretched middle and late relief. Until a trade is made to help bolster this unit, look for Philadelphia to continue partaking in high scoring games.

New York Mets (49-33-4): Like their hated division rivals up above, the Mets have a better than average offense paired with a starting staff that gets the job done more times than not. Manager Terry Collins’s squad doesn’t hit for the power the Phillies do evidenced by their 74 overall home runs launched, but David Wright and his mates have scored an average of 4.6 runs per game and hit for a .259 batting average. Again, the main reason the Mets have been one of the best ‘over’ investments in the league is because of a bullpen that can’t seem to get out of its own way. It checks in as the worst overall unit with a collective 4.94 ERA and has allowed the opposition to light them up for a .267 batting average against. Though Frank Francisco has converted 18 of his 21 overall save opportunities, he normally made the close out inning very interesting before going on the DL. It also hasn’t helped matters that the defense has committed 64 errors which have allowed for the opposition to get multiple extra chances at pushing runs across the plate.

Milwaukee Brewers (48-34-3): Led by Ryan Braun’s big bat (24 home runs), the Brew Crew’s offense has proven to be one of the most potent the league has to offer. It wrapped up the first-half of the season scoring an average of 4.5 runs per game, launched 101 bombs out of the park, and swiped a total of 63 bases. While the consistency hasn’t been there evidenced by the team’s .245 batting average, Milwaukee has shown a penchant for getting back into games with big strikes making it easier for ‘over’ bettors to cash tickets more times than not. That quick strike attack paired with yet another bullpen that has underperformed finds the Brewers checking in as the third best ‘over’ bet to date. John Axford has struggled mightily blowing five of his 20 overall save opportunities, and the rest of his bullpen mates haven’t been up to task of shutting the opposition down evidenced by their 4.60 collective ERA and .277 BAA; the latter tally being the worst mark in the league!

“3 Down”

Oakland A’s (31-52-3): This should come as no surprise whatsoever since the Athletics have been one of the best ‘under’ bets available for MLB bettors over the course of Billy Beane’s reign as the franchise’s general manager. Oakland has failed to put a feared offense on the field ever since Jason Giambi and Miguel Tejada manned their positions as future cornerstones. While this year’s squad has gotten a standout performance from Josh Reddick, the lack of power is still there with the team hitting just 83 overall home runs collectively. The offense also finds itself in the bottom third of the league in runs scored (3.7 RPG), batting average (.225), OPS (.667), and OBP (.301). When you pair those unintimidating hitting stats with a starting staff that’s churned out 50 quality starts and owns a 3.67 ERA along with a bullpen ranked in the Top 5 of the league in both ERA (2.81) & BAA (.204), it hardly comes as a surprise to find the Athletics finishing up the first half of the season as the best overall ‘under’ wager on the betting board.

Los Angeles Angels (35-49-2): With a lineup boasting names like Pujols, Trumbo, Hunter, and Morales, the Angels were hardly a team pegged by many to be one of the more lucrative ‘under’ bets at the outset of the season. When you add Mike Trout’s unbelievable effort since getting called up to the “Bigs”, the likelihood of the Halos still being a money maker for ‘under’ bettors seems even less likely. Regardless, Los Angeles checks in as the second best ‘under’ investment at the halfway point of the season largely in part to its overall pitching staff’s efforts. Jered Weaver has been exceptional atop the Angels starting staff lending a hand in leading the unit to a 3.81 ERA & .241 BAA; Manager Mike Scioscia has received a total of 51 quality starts from his starting staff! The Halos have also been lights out in the back end of the bullpen with Scott Downs and Ernesto Frieri converting 19 of their 21 overall save opportunities. The latter is yet to give up an earned run since coming over from San Diego in early May!

Cincinnati Reds (34-48-3): The only National League representative on this list comes in the form of manager Dusty Baker’s Reds, who entered the break trailing the Pittsburgh Pirates by just one game in the NL Central and led the Atlanta Braves by a single game in the NL Wild Card race. Aiding ‘under’ bettors has been what’s proven to be a station-to-station offense evidenced by Cincy’s 43 overall stolen bases; a mark that finds them 36 swipes in back of the #1 ranked Miami Marlins. That, along with a Joey Votto led offense only hitting at a .248 clip has turned the Reds into a below average team in terms of run production (4.2 RPG). With the starting staff holding up their end of the bargain dishing out 53 quality starts to go with a unit ERA of 3.65, it’s made the bullpen’s job that much easier. Having said that, the pen has been flat out nasty with the likes of Logan Ondrusek, Sean Marshall, Jose Arredondo, Alfredo Simon and Aroldis Chapman more than holding up their ends of the bargain. The unit’s 2.77 ERA & .215 BAA are both ranked in the league’s overall Top 3!

Projected Win Totals

July 8, 2012

The first half of the baseball season saw plenty of surprise teams making headlines, while a handful of playoff clubs from last October are slowly falling out of contention. We'll take a look at the four squads that are set to exceed their projected win totals posted in March. The first team on the list is by far is the biggest shocker not only from a victories standpoint, but from an excitement perspective.

Pirates

Last season, Pittsburgh finished the first half at 47-43, while even getting to six games above .500 on July 25, 2011. The Bucs didn't win three consecutive contests after that night, as Clint Hurdle's team concluded the season at 72-90. The Pirates hope to avoid another second half collapse after 47 games through the first 84.

Pittsburgh's number to begin the season sat at 73 ½, but tremendous pitching from James McDonald (9-3) and A.J. Burnett (10-2) has anchored the Bucs' ship to the top of the NL Central at the All-Star break. Andrew McCutchen is putting up MVP-type numbers (.362 BA, 18 HR, 60 RBI), but the key to Pittsburgh's success is taking care of business at PNC Park (29-14).

White Sox

The AL Central seemed like Detroit's to lose after the Tigers ran away with the division title last season. Following Ozzie Guillen's exit to Miami, the Sox hired former third baseman Robin Ventura for his first managerial position at any level. Ventura is pushing the right buttons with the Sox sliding into the break in first place of the AL Central.

The key to the pitching staff is southpaw Chris Sale, who posted a 10-2 record in his first season inside the Chicago rotation. The Sox received an offensive jolt from Adam Dunn (25 HR), while Kevin Youkilis is making a strong impact since getting picked up from Boston. There weren't high expectations for Chicago coming out of Spring Training, as the win total came out at 74 ½. The Sox are on pace to win 91 games, while looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Nationals

Washington made tremendous strides last season with 80 victories, but things are coming full-circle in 2012. The duo of former top picks Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper has infused life into baseball inside the Nation's Capital, owning a 49-34 record at the break. The Nationals were expected to finish above .500 in Spring Training with a listed win total of 83 ½, but this club is on a torrid pace to end the campaign with 97 victories.

Davey Johnson's is taking care of business inside the division with a 16-9 record, as the Nats begin the second half with 14 consecutive games against NL East opponents (including six against the Braves). Washington is profiting as a home favorite this season by compiling a 21-11 record, including an 8-4 mark down the stretch.

Orioles

The Beltway's other team started out of the gate on fire with a 27-17 ledger, but that kind of run only lasts so long in the competitive AL East. However, Baltimore's expected slide came at the end of May with a 2-9 stretch to fall backwards in the division. The Orioles are on pace to eclipse the 69 ½ win total posted in March thanks to the fast start, but the schedule will not ease up for Buck Showalter's club.

Baltimore has 40 games remaining against its division counterparts, including the final 12 contests of the season. The O's are set to finish with 87 wins, but a crucial stretch for Baltimore 'over' backers comes in early August with seven home games against the Mariners and Royals. If Baltimore can come out of that span with five victories, there may not be a need to sweat things out over the final two weeks of the season.

All 30 teams are listed in the table below with their win total to start the season and what they are projected to finish at.


National League Win Totals
Team Win Total On Pace Projected Result
Arizona 86 ½ 78
Atlanta 86 ½ 87
Chicago Cubs 74 ½ 62
Cincinnati 87 ½ 88
Colorado 81 ½ 62
Houston 64 63
L.A. Dodgers 81 ½ 89
Miami 84 ½ 79
Milwaukee 84 ½ 78
N.Y. Mets 72 88
Philadelphia 93 ½ 70
Pittsburgh 73 ½ 91
San Diego 73 ½ 65
San Francisco 87 ½ 88
St. Louis 84 ½ 86
Washington 83 ½ 97
Projected Result Key: Over Under Even




American League Win Totals
Team Win Total On Pace Projected
Baltimore 69 ½ 87
Boston 90 82
Chicago White Sox 74 ½ 91
Cleveland 78 ½ 85
Detroit 92 ½ 82
Kansas City 80 72
LA Angels 92 ½ 89
Minnesota 73 ½ 69
NY Yankees 93 ½ 98
Oakland 71 ½ 81
Seattle 72 67
Tampa Bay 86 ½ 84
Texas 91 ½ 100
Toronto 80 ½ 80
Projected Result Key: Over Under Even

Hot & Not - 1st Half Recap

July 8, 2012

The first half of the 2012 MLB betting campaign is now complete with all 30 teams set to go on break for this week's All-Star festivities. Here's a look at how the five best and worst teams stack up from a bottom line standpoint heading into the second half of the regular season.

Money-Makers

Pittsburgh Pirates (48-37, $1887): The Buccos were here a year ago; well within the NL Central race at the midway point and buyers at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, a sickening extra innings marathon loss in Atlanta late in July took all the wind out of Manager Clint Hurdle's squad's sails. Because of it, the Pirates were relegated to a fourth place finish within the division. Now in first place heading into the ASB for the first time since 1997, the talk in Pittsburgh is that it's interested in acquiring some established outfielders with big sticks - Justin Upton and Carlos Quentin - to play alongside potential NL MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen. This money train is expected to continue rolling throughout the second half, especially with Pittsburgh's remaining opponents owning a .459 winning percentage and 42 of its remaining 81 games to be played within the comfy confines of PNC Park where the Buccos have won 29 of 43 games to date ($1503).

Baltimore Orioles (45-39, $1337): Raise your hand if you pegged the O's to be in second place within the AL East at this point in the second year of the Buck Showalter experiment. If it's up, you're a bold faced liar! Regardless, the Orioles have parlayed an offense that can hit the long ball with a pitching staff that has some nice pieces in the rotation and is anchored by the best bullpen the AL has to offer. Line-up sparkplug Nick Markakis is set to return after the All-Star break which is great news for Adam Jones who was at his best with him hitting in front of him the first two months of the season. Unfortunately, Baltimore possesses one of the toughest second half slates, so the franchise's 15-year playoff drought could possibly remain intact.

Washington Nationals (49-34, $1066): The Nats hit the ground running in April and haven't looked back, as Manager Davey Johnson's squad has the look and feel of a major player with the first half coming to a close. While the offense leaves a bit to be desired, Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse look to be coming into their own, but the Nationals have buttered their bread with a pitching staff that possesses some of the best throwing talent in both the starting rotation and bullpen. The team's 3.21 ERA and 1.20 WHIP are the best overall marks in the league, while the combined efforts of Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Edwin Jackson, and Jordan Zimmerman have been good for 54 quality starts through 67 overall starts - SICK! The Nats have already tallied victories in five of their seven July games with more MLB betting wins certainly on the horizon down the road.

New York Mets (46-40, $1005): Though the Mets closed out the first half of their 2012 campaign dropping yet another series to the Chicago Cubs, Metropolitan fans have to be tickled pink with their club just 4.5-games in back of the Nats heading into the Midsummer Classic. For a team that finished up 2011eight-games under the breakeven point and only ahead of the Marlins in the NL East standings, things look to be headed in the right direction in Flushing. That said, David Wright and his teammates have a long uphill climb to battle in the second half with their scheduled opponents possessing a .498 winning percentage; the highest such mark for any NL playoff contender.

Chicago White Sox (47-38, $778): A tip of the cap must go out to Robin Ventura and his coaching staff for turning what was an underachieving ball club in 2011 into a bona fide World Series contender the following season. Though Adam Dunn is still striking out at an embarrassing frequency, he looks to be on track for another monster home run and RBI season, and the changing of sox from red to white has seemed to revitalize Kevin Youkilis's playing career. Two factors will have MLB bettors clamoring to continue backing Chicago in the second half: The first is their tremendous road record that's seen them win 23 of 39 games for a whopping $1104 return on investment, while the second is that their second half opponents carry a .497 winning percentage into the second half; that mark equates to the worst such mark in the American League.

Money-Burners

Philadelphia Phillies (37-50, -$2462): The Phillies were up against it even before the regular season started with both Ryan Howard and Chase Utley figured to be on the DL for at the very least the first two months of the campaign. Though both of those former All-Stars have recently returned to the everyday line-up, what transpired over the course until they arrived is what has Manager Charlie Manuel's squad in a deep hole. With the defending NL East champs in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in six years, it's of the belief that Philadelphia will be sellers come the trade deadline with a number of players that helped lead it to success these last handful of years on the block.

Colorado Rockies (33-52, -$1560): In picking apart the Rockies from a statistical point of view, you can't help but fall in love with what you see; offensively that is! Manager Jim Tracy's outfit has mashed the ball all season long even though stud SS Troy Tulowitzki has missed a bulk of playing time with a myriad of injuries. Carlos Gonzalez is one of three Rockies sluggers that have amassed double-digit home run tallies, but when you give runs up at a faster pace than you score them, a W/L total reminiscent of what the Rox bring to the table is what you get. It got so bad for this pitching staff that it was shrunk to a four-man rotation, but that's hardly helped with Colorado still possessing the league's absolute worst ERA (5.26) and WHIP (1.58).

Milwaukee Brewers (40-45, -$1297): Wins have been too far and few between for the Brew Crew in the post Prince Fielder era with injuries to the key cogs picked up by upper management to fill the void left by his absence making it that much harder to stockpile wins. As it is, Milwaukee sits in fourth place within the NL Central a hefty eight-games off the pace, and though it sits a game over .500 at home, it's still cost its betting backers nearly $500 as a host. The story hasn't been much better on the road either with Ryan Braun and company coming out victorious in just 18 of their 42 overall games played (-$817).

Houston Astros (33-53, -$1147): You can't help but feel for this Astros franchise that's won a total of just 89 games dating back to the beginning of 2011, and with a switch in leagues scheduled for next season, it's going to get a whole heck of a lot worse for this young squad before it gets better. Having said that, Houston already possesses some nice pieces to the puzzle in Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez, and it also has a number of viable trade bait to help this club get better in the long run. Still, it's going to continue being a struggle for this squad throughout the remainder of this season as long as it continues ranking out in the bottom third of the league in both the pitching and hitting categories.

Chicago Cubs (33-52, -$1145): The Cubs might check in as one of the worst first half bets in the league, but the "Loveable Losers" have started playing with a chip on their shoulder ever since stud 1B Anthony Rizzo was called up from Triple-AAA. Manager Dale Sveum's squad will enter the All-Star break having alternated wins in each of their seven games, and have captured series wins in three of their L/4. Playing away from Wrigley Field is what's really killed this club in 2012 with Starlin Castro and his mates having captured just 14 wins in 46 overall tries ultimately costing MLB bettors upwards of $1090 which equates to 95 percent of their overall money lost! They did however rattle off road wins in four of their L/7, so if Chicago can continue excelling in the visitors role, it should continue eating off more of its overall MLB betting deficit throughout the second half of the season.

MLB Betting Notes

July 9, 2012

The first-half of the 2012 baseball season has been amazing, perhaps one of the best in recent memory. Between pitchers taking control of the plate for the first time in two decades, five no-hitters which included two perfect games, improbable contenders and a couple of rookies playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played, 2012 has been marvelous.
Here’s a look at some of the first half award winners:

National League MVP: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates (.362, 18 HR, 60 RBI) - The vote may have been close a month ago, but with the Pirates recent revival of the Lumber Company, McCutchen has had a lot more ducks on the pond to bring home and his numbers have soared. Right now, the vote isn’t even close. McCutchen has his team in first-place and is in line to win Pittsburgh‘s first MVP since Barry Bonds in 1992, the last season they had a winning record and made the playoffs.

NL Cy Young: R.A Dickey, Mets (12-1, 2.40 ERA, 123 K) - Dickey’s performance this season might be the story of the year and it’s not just because he uses a gimmick pitch like the knuckleball to get people out. He’s actually dominating games like no other knuckleball ever with his hard delivery and somehow manages to have remarkable control over it like never seen before. However, the knuckleball does give him an edge because it’s unique. Gio Gonzalez would get far more consideration for his first-half contributions (12-2, 2.92 ERA) to the Nationals if he threw a knuckleball rather than his knee-bending curveball.

American League MVP: Josh Hamilton, Rangers (.308, 27 HR, 75 RBI) - This was actually a tougher call than statistics might suggest. Hamilton leads the league in several major categories, but it’s hard to ignore a player like the Yankees’ Robinson Cano, who has taken his team to new heights because of his hitting or the dynamics of Mike Trout‘s game and what he‘s meant to the Angels rise. The difference between them all is that Hamilton has been doing it all season. Even though he’s tailed off somewhat as he attempts to quit chewing/dipping, his numbers still dwarf everyone else and his team is first place of the AL West. If the question was ’who is the player I want on my team’ it would be Trout all day long.

AL Cy Young: Jered Weaver, Angels (10-1, 1.96 ERA, 73 K) - He doesn’t have the strikeout numbers like we’ve seen in the past and he spent some time on the disabled list, but he’s evolved into one of the most complete pitchers in the game. Batters are hitting .188 against him this season, the lowest figure in baseball among all pitchers.

Most Money Won: Pirates +1,899 - The Bucs are 11 games over .500 and have the best home record in baseball. Most of the money won on the season came at big plus-money odds, but lately they have been winning as large favorites. They come into the All-Star break having won 10 of their last 12 games and continue to gain the support of bettors who can now trust them. The Orioles (+1,221) and Nationals (+1,019) are right behind the Bucs.

Most Money Lost: Phillies -2,510 - Most of the Phillies big losses came early when we still respected Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee as -200 favorites, but the cat’s out of the bag: the Phillies are the most overrated team of 2012. Things were supposed to get better when Chase Utley returned to the lineup, but they’ve lost 10 of their past 11 games since he came back. Ryan Howard also made a return to the lineup, but the Phillies lost their next three. It’s not exactly the kind of endorsement Philly was looking for to make them either buyers instead of sellers at the end of the month, but it’s safe to say their season is finished, something bettors have known since May.

Most Interesting Records: The Braves are seven games over .500, four games out of first-place in the NL East, but on Monday’s they are the worst team in baseball. For some reason, when the first game of a series starts after the weekend, the Braves are 0-11. Just think, if they could just manage to be 5-6 on Monday’s they’d be in first-place.

On the same note, the Pirates are 12-2 on Saturday’s having won five Saturday’s in a row. In both the Pirates and Braves cases, these are all random type of occurrences, but it does shed light on things because of their timing. In the Braves case, they aren’t ready for a series to begin and in the Pirates case, they avoid long losing streaks. Winning the second game of a series is essential to all teams overall success.

Pitchers to watch in the second half: Tim Lincecum, Clayton Kershaw and Stephen Strasburg

Just when we thought Tim Lincecum was really back after a couple of good outings, he implodes in his last two starts. The Giants are now 4-14 in all games that Lincecum started, which makes it even more amazing that their record is a good as it is, only a half-game out of first-place in the NL West.

We’ve become a bit spoiled by the play of Clayton Kershaw over the last two seasons which is why his last month of starts comes as somewhat of a shock. The Dodgers have lost three of his past four starts and he’s been battling a case of plantar fasciitis for two months, a painful foot ailment that lingers for up to a year. For the Dodgers to have any chance at winning the NL West, Kershaw will have to be at his best.

At the beginning of the season the Nationals had mentioned that Stephen Strasburg would be closely monitored on a pitch count because of coming off of Tommy John surgery. The number was set at 160 innings, but at the All-Star break, Strasburg already has 99 innings. How will the Nationals be able to make a serious run to make the playoffs when Strasburg only has 61 innings left to work with? They'll tackle that question when it comes and you can bet the innings limit will be expanded. The bigger question right now with Starsburg is what’s wrong as he‘s lost his past three starts

Around the Horn - Friday

July 12, 2012

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Arizona at Chicago - 2:20 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Kennedy (6-7, 4.26 ERA) 42-43 5-2 away on Fridays
Maholm (6-6, 4.57 ERA) 33-52 6-3 L9 home off win


St. Louis at Cincinnati - 7:10 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Wainwright (7-8, 4.56 ERA) 46-40 OVER 7-0 L7 away Game 1's
Latos (7-2, 4.13 ERA) 47-38 1-4 home on Fridays


Washington at Miami - 7:10 PM EST (Game 1/4)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Zimmermann (5-6, 2.61 ERA) 49-34 OVER 7-3 L10 away Game 1's
Johnson (5-5, 4.06 ERA) 41-44 8-4 at home vs division


N.Y. Mets at Atlanta - 7:35 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Young (2-2, 3.41 ERA) 46-40 3-8 L11 away Game 1's
Hudson (7-4, 3.56 ERA) 46-39 4-9 L13 home Game 1's


Pittsburgh at Milwaukee - 8:10 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
McDonald (9-3, 2.37 ERA) 48-37 OVER 12-1-2 L15 away vs RHP
Greinke (9-3, 3.32 ERA) 40-45 OVER 11-3 home Game 1's


Philadelphia at Colorado - 8:40 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Lee (1-5, 3.98 ERA) 37-50 4-8 away vs LHP
Friedrich (4-6, 5.98 ERA) 33-52 OVER 10-2 L12 home vs LHP


San Diego at Los Angeles - 10:05 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Richard (6-9, 3.91 ERA) 34-53 OVER 11-3 away Game 1's
Kershaw (6-5, 2.91 ERA) 47-40 1-5 L6 home Game 1's


Houston at San Francisco - 10:10 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Lyles (2-5, 5.08 ERA) 33-53 2-9 away vs LHP
Bumgarner (10-5, 3.27 ERA) 46-40 7-1 L8 Game 1's



AMERICAN LEAGUE

Los Angeles at N.Y. Yankees - 7:05 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Wilson (9-5, 2.43 ERA) 48-38 6-0 L6 away Game 1's
Kuroda (8-7, 3.50 ERA) 52-33 10-3 home Game 1's


Detroit at Baltimore - 7:05 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Fister (2-6, 4.75 ERA) 44-42 1-6 away on Fridays
Hammel (8-5, 3.47 ERA) 45-40 1-5 L6 home vs RHP


Cleveland at Toronto - 7:10 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Masterson (5-8, 4.40 ERA) 44-41 9-4 away Game 1's
Romero (8-4, 5.22 ERA) 43-43 6-2 L8 home vs RHP


Boston at Tampa Bay - 7:15 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Morales (1-2, 3.50 ERA) 43-43 3-8 L11 away vs RHP
Hellickson (4-5, 3.41 ERA) 45-41 2-7 L9 home vs LHP


Chicago at Kansas City - 8:15 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Quintana (4-1, 2.04 ERA) 47-38 UNDER 8-2 away vs LHP
Chen (7-8, 5.22 ERA) 37-47 4-8 home Game 1's


Oakland at Minnesota - 8:10 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Griffin (0-0, 1.50 ERA) 43-43 1-7 L8 away vs LHP
Liriano (3-7, 5.08 ERA) 36-49 4-10 home Game 1's


Texas at Seattle - 10:05 PM EST (Game 1/3)
Teams Pitcher Notes Team Record Betcha Didn't Know
Holland (5-4, 5.05 ERA) 52-34 9-4 on Fridays
Millwood (3-6, 3.69 ERA) 36-51 UNDER 7-3 L10 home vs LHP

Trade talk should heat up in second half

July 11, 2012

There was a public outcry when R.A. Dickey did not start the All-Star game, a journeyman for the Chicago White Sox threw a perfect game and the Pittsburgh Pirates of all teams were in first place as the first half of the baseball season drew to a close.

What's next, postseason baseball in the nation's capital? It sure looks that way.

An eventful and unexpected first half that included Dickey knuckling his way to stardom with the Mets, Phil Humber's out-of-nowhere perfecto for the White Sox and the Yankees muzzling former slugger Reggie Jackson after some disparaging comments about Alex Rodriguez is only expected to get more intriguing as the season rounds second and heads for third.

The non-waiver trade deadline is looming at the end of the month, and the Baltimore Orioles and White Sox got ahead of the curve by acquiring Jim Thome and Kevin Youkilis, respectively, to bolster their offenses. Milwaukee's Zack Greinke, Philadelphia's Cole Hamels and Arizona's Justin Upton could be headed elsewhere as the contenders and pretenders separate themselves.

``There's several teams involved in races right now,'' said Detroit manager Jim Leyland, whose Tigers joined the Phillies and Red Sox on the list of big-spending underachievers in the first half of the season. ``There's probably going to be a lot of teams that would like to go out and get somebody. But the more teams that want to get something, the tougher it is to get it.''

And there's even more motivation for deals to be made in the first year of baseball's expanded postseason. The Fall Classic will be a little wilder this time around. A new format kicks in this year that adds an extra wild card team to each league. That means 10 teams will have a chance to get in and go for it all.

The Orioles, who trail the Yankees by seven games in the AL East, haven't been to the postseason since 1997, the Pirates haven't been there since 1992 and the nation's capital hasn't hosted a playoff baseball game since 1933, when Mel Ott homered in Game 5 of the World Series to help the New York Giants beat the Senators for the championship.

That was long before Natitude, long before ``that's a clown question, bro'' and certainly way before the All-Star game decided home-field advantage in the World Series. It's a new day, and if Bryce Harper and the Nationals or Andrew McCutchen and the Pirates somehow Buc the odds and make it to the Series, they'll be hosting the party after the National League beat the AL 8-0.

With so much on the line from here on out, the game in Kansas City could be one of the last nights of baseball without any juice for quite a while.

``We're playing for a lot more here,'' Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. ``We're playing for a city, the goal being to re-bond the city with its ballclub.''

---

HOT RACES: The Yankees hold a seven-game lead over Baltimore in the AL East, but it's still early and every division is up for grabs. Here's a few of the races that are expected to remain tight until the final days.

-NL Central: The Pirates are just one game ahead of the Reds and only 2 1/2 games ahead of the defending champs in St. Louis.

-NL West: The Dodgers looked like the class of the league at the start of the season, but injuries to stars Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier have brought them back to the pack. And the Giants, just half a game back, are brimming with confidence after Pablo Sandoval, Melky Cabrera and Matt Cain led the NL to an 8-0 win in the All-Star game.

-AL West: The Rangers may be the best team in baseball, but the Los Angeles Angels have rebounded from a slow start to show that this will be no runaway. The Rangers lead by 4 games in search of their third straight AL crown.

---

TRADE BAIT: Several big names figure to be trading places by the end of the month as teams look for that extra edge to push them into the postseason.

-Felix Hernandez, RHP, Mariners: Seattle has been adamant that it is not considering moving King Felix. But if they ever would, now may be the time. The 26-year-old is 6-5 with a 3.13 ERA and is signed through 2014. He's already topped 1,500 innings pitched in his young career and the Mariners appear nowhere close to contending.

-Francisco Liriano, LHP, Twins: Got off to a horrendous start to the season and was moved to the bullpen. But it's what have you done for me lately, and the lefty who will be a free agent this winter is 3-2 with a 2.74 ERA and .175 opponents' batting average since rejoining the rotation. Last-place Twins need young assets, and Liriano may be best trade chip.

-Cole Hamels, LHP, and Shane Victorino, OF, Phillies: The Phils already moved Charlie Manuel favorite Jim Thome. Now these two mainstays, who are eligible for free agency at the end of the season, could be available for the right price.

-Carlos Quentin, OF, Padres: Any team looking for some proven power should consider Quentin, who topped 20 homers in each of the past four years for the White Sox. In his first season in spacious Petco Park, Quentin has just seven homers and could benefit from a change of scenery.

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KEY INJURIES: These guys better get healthy if their teams expect to have a chance to play into October.

-CC Sabathia, LHP, Yankees: On the disabled list with a strained left groin, the Yankees desperately need their horse back at the top of the rotation. With Andy Pettitte out until late August at the earliest with a fractured left ankle, big No. 52 is more important than ever in New York.

-Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays: Longoria is on the shelf with a torn left hamstring that could keep him out for a while. In the meantime, the Rays will try to stay within shouting distance of the Yankees and the wild card without their leader.

-Kemp, OF, Dodgers: He has emerged as perhaps the best player in the game, a ``five-tool guy'' who has given the Dodgers their swagger. But he's played in just two games since May 14 because of a strained left hamstring, the kind of injury that can linger if it's not taken care of properly.

-Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Nationals: He has shown no ill effects coming off Tommy John surgery, which will make the second half all the more intriguing for the Nationals and their young flamethrower. GM Mike Rizzo has said that the team intends to hold Strasburg to an innings limit and will shut him down once he reaches that point to try to avoid another major arm injury. But if the Nats are in contention for a title, will they be able to hold true to that?

---

Friday betting tips: Greinke on a silly home winning tear

WHO'S HOT

MLB: The Detroit Tigers have the longest current winning streak in the majors at five games. Keep in mind they were favorites for all those games against lowly divisional opposition, K.C. and Minnesota.

CFL: The home team won the past six meetings between the Blue Bombers and Eskimoes. Winnipeg covered in five of those games.

MLB: The Brewers are 23-1 in Zack Greinke’s last 24 home starts. Milwaukee is a -150 fave over Pittsburgh Friday.

WHO'S NOT

MLB: The Texas Rangers. Against Seattle lately, anyway. The Rangers surrendered 31 runs in their past two meetings with the Mariners.

WNBA: The Washington Mystics haven’t won on the road this season (0-7). Oddly, they are 3-4 against the spread. They are 6.5-point dogs at New York Friday.

KEY STAT

909 – The number of yards Winnipeg’s defense has given up through two CFL games so far, worst in the league. They are 1-pt dogs at Edmonton Friday night with the total set at 45 - a relatively low number for three-down football.

GAME OF THE DAY

Braves at Mets (-150, 8.5)

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

Wynn Las Vegas sportsbook director John Avello, who would put the 1992 Dream Team as a 10-point favorite over this year's U.S. Olympic squad: “Everyone likes to throw around the bigger, faster, stronger argument when comparing past and present. All those elements don’t apply to this group (1992). They have the best guards, the best shooters, the best big men. If they played 10 times, (1992) would win eight of them.”

NOTES AND TIPS

Good sign: In a recent Angus Reid poll, Americans supported the legalization of betting on sports in all states. "In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,017 American adults, three-in-five respondents (59%) support allowing people in any U.S. state to bet on sports. Support for this change is highest among men (68%) and respondents aged 18-to-34 (64%)."

If you're into 3-ball betting or daily match betting for PGA golf, you might want to take a look at who has the best scoring average for Round 2 on tour this year heading into Friday's action. Ricky Barnes, who sits in second at the John Deere Classic after shooting 7-under Thursday, ranks 90th in the second round.

Dodgers star center fielder Matt Kemp is expected to make his return to the lineup Friday. He was hitting .355 with 12 HRs and 28 RBIs before he injured his hamstring on May 30.

Fifteen of the 30 teams in MLB are within five games or fewer of their division leads and 19 are .500 or better.

12 mid-- West Virginia @ Gonzaga

2am-- Davidson @ New Mexico

4am-- Houston Baptist @ Hawai'i

6am-- Stony Brook @ Rider

8am-- Northern Illinois @ Valparaiso

10am-- Harvard @ UMass

Noon-- Temple @ Kent State

2pm-- Detroit @ St John's

4pm-- Butler @ Xavier

7pm-- Michigan State vs Kansas, in Atlanta

9:30-- Duke vs Kentucky, also in Atlanta


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


Armadillo: Friday's List: Mid-season grades for American League teams

Orioles-- 45-40, A-. 29-14 in games decided by 1-2 runs, 16-26 otherwise, as Showalter milks every win he can out of surprising team. Doubt pitching will hold up in second half. Get Markakis back from DL Friday.

Red Sox-- 43-43, C-. $32M for Crawford/Lackey, who haven't played and might not all year (Lackey won't). Valentine has alienated everyone east of Worcester, and closer Bailey got hurt and hasn't pitched yet.

White Sox-- 47-38, A+. New manager Ventura is 23-16 on the road, 24-22 at home; Youkilis is hitting .347 with 14 RBI in 13 games since coming over from Boston, providing a spark. Sale has been terrific on mound.

Indians-- 44-41, B. Allowed 29 more runs than they've scored. Detroit is a half-game behind them, despite scoring 6 more runs than they've allowed. 23-14 in games decided by 1-2 runs, but 1-4 in last five.

Tigers-- 44-42. C-. 22-20 at home, 20-20 on road, but did win last five tilts before All-Star break. Hoping to get Victor Martinez back before season is over, which helps offense. Rumored to be after Marco Scutaro for 2B.

Royals-- 37-47, C. Bruce Chen was their Opening Day starting pitcher, so if you expected the Royals to be better, why? Just 14-23 at home. Rumor is they're bringing up big prospect Myers, but he plays RF, doesn't pitch.

Angels-- 48-38, B. Awful start, but once they brought Trout up and traded for reliever Frieri, things clicked in and now they're on roll. If they can get Haren healthy, they have formidable rotation for short playoff series.

Twins-- 36-49, C-. Got their new stadium, paid their stars big money, but team has gotten worse. Like KC, the Opening Day starter was Carl Pavano, not the stuff of championship teams. Liriano has pitched better lately.

Bronx-- 52-33, A. Bullpen has been mostly solid, even with Rivera gone for season. Swisher is knocking in 17.6% of baserunners, which is better %age than any of his much higher-paid teammates. Closer a key in October.

A's-- 43-43, B+. Crisp/Weeks at top of order drives me nuts, since neither one can hit, but Cespedes is a star when healthy and pitching has been very excellent. Inserting Cook at closer took a while, but solidified team.

Mariners-- 36-51, D-. Ichiro is in serious decline, team just can't hit, though they've scored 18 more runs than A's (allowed 49 more runs). Wonder how long before King Felix gets frustrated and asks to be traded?

Rays-- 45-41, B-. Miss Longoria badly; he hasn't played since April 30, so they're 15-8 with him, 30-33 without. It is similar scenario to A's nine years ago; things have to go perfectly for small market team to sustain success.

Rangers-- 52-34, A. Pitchers are banged up, but Hamilton has knocked in an amazing 23.4% of baserunners this year, his walk year. They lead Angels by four games, in race to avoid dreaded one-game Wild Card playoff.

Blue Jays-- 43-43, C. 80% of starting rotation got hurt, but somehow they are still at .500. Who knew Edwin Encanarcion was this good? 5-12 record in one-run games means they could show improvement.

Thursday's List: Mid-season grades for National League teams
D'backs-- 42-43, C+. Score lot of runs at home, but are just 21-19 there. Are 8-13 in 1-run games, so room for improvement there. Injury to Drew hurt, but he is back in lineup now.

Braves-- 46-39, B+. Beachy's injury has exposed fact that Delgado/Teheran aren't quite ready for big leagues yet. Return of Jurrjens is encouraging, and emergence of young SS Simmons has boltstered defense, though he got hurt right before break (pinky).

Cubs-- 33-52, D-. Could be complete fire sale later this month, with LaHair, Dempster, Soriano, Garza likely to hit road. Wee Bears rebuilding around Rizzo/Castro and maybe Samardzija.

Reds-- 47-38, B+. 21-13 in games decided by 3+ runs, a good sign. Batters been walked intentionally 32 times, five more than any other team, sign that Votto could use some protection in lineup.

Rockies-- 33-52, F. Pitching is so horrific they're down to a 4-man rotation, with 75-80-pitch limits; injuries to de la Rosa/Chacin have crippled rotation. Tulowitzki's injury hurts, but not sure what their plan is.

Astros-- 33-53, D. Seem to be holding open tryout for position players, as they prepare for move to AL next year. Their NY-Penn league team is here in Troy; I am told this year's prospects are best they've had in years.

Dodgers-- 47-40, B Everyone said Kemp/Ethier were carrying team, but the degree they fell off map after Kemp's injury was startling. Rumored to be in negotations to buy off some of Cubs' spare parts.

Marlins-- 41-44, D. Where do I start? D is for disaster. Bell has been brutal closing games, starting pitching is shaky, Bonifacio/Stanton are hurt now. Reyes has been healthy but ordinary, same for Ramirez.

Brewers-- 40-45, C-. Departure of Fielder obviously hurt, so dropoff isn't huge surprise, but Axford has been a disappointing closer. Aoki has been a help coming over from Japan, but Weeks is having dismal season.

Mets-- 46-40, B+. 3rd in NL in runs scored. Got way more than expected out of Santana/Dickey in rotation, but now Gee might be done for year, so it becomes a big decision: bring big prospect Harvey up or not?

Phillies-- 37-50, F. Injuries to Utley, Howard, Halladay have contributed to this unmitigated disaster, but they've been awful since Utley came back, so this could be lost season. Will they dump Hamels/Victorino for prospects?

Pirates-- 48-37, A+. Haven't had winning season since '92, so imagine how excited Pirate fans must be, in first place despite an offense with an OB% of .300, lowest in the National League.

Cardinals-- 46-40, B. Tough duty for Matheny, taking over world champs in year Pujols walked away with no big league compensation. Beltran has been a godsend. Cards are 4th in majors, 1st in NL in runs scored.

Padres-- 34-53, D. Still paying for horrendous Adrian Gonzalez trade. Hurt by Cashner's inability to stay healthy, since he seems like a potential ace. Scored 12 less runs than any other teams in baseball.

Giants-- 46-40, C+. Tied with mostly Kemp-less Dodgers with 51 HRs, least in MLB. Contending despite disasterous '12 from Lincecum, who is looking bewildered on mound. Vogelsong has picked up slack.

Nationals-- 49-34, A+. Davey Johnson is enhancing Hall of Fame resume as a manager. Interesting to see if they stick to word and shut Strasburg down when he hits his innings limit. Will they save innings for October?

MLB
Dunkel

Washington at Miami
The Nationals look to build on their 5-2 record in Jordan Zimmermann's last 7 road starts. Washington is the pick (+105) according to Dunkel, which has the Nationals favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: Washington (+105). Here are all of today's picks.

FRIDAY, JULY 13

Game 951-952: Arizona at Chicago Cubs (2:20 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona (Kennedy) 15.514; Cubs (Maholm) 15.783
Dunkel Line: Chicago Cubs by 1/2; 9 1/2
Vegas Line: Arizona (-135); No Run Total
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+115); N/A

Game 953-954: Washington at Miami (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Zimmermann) 15.867; Miami (Johnson) 15.542
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1/2; 6 1/2
Vegas Line: Miami (-125); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (+105); Under

Game 955-956: St. Louis at Cincinnati (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Wainwright) 15.662; Cincinnati (Latos) 16.872
Dunkel Line: Cincinnati by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Cincinnati (-125); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cincinnati (-125); Under

Game 957-958: NY Mets at Atlanta (7:35 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: NY Mets (Young) 15.546; Atlanta (Hudson) 14.807
Dunkel Line: NY Mets by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Atlanta (-155); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Mets (+135); Over

Game 959-960: Pittsburgh at Milwaukee (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (McDonald) 16.061; Milwaukee (Greinke) 14.671
Dunkel Line: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Milwaukee (-160); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Pittsburgh (+140); Under

Game 961-962: Philadelphia at Colorado (8:40 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia (Lee) 13.745; Colorado (Friedrich) 14.917
Dunkel Line: Colorado by 1; 10 1/2
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-155); 10
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (+135); Over

Game 963-964: San Diego at LA Dodgers (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Diego (Richard) 15.199; LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 14.147
Dunkel Line: San Diego by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-185); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Diego (+165); Under

Game 965-966: Houston at San Francisco (10:15 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Houston (Lyles) 13.698; San Francisco (Bumgarner) 14.515
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 8
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-225); 7
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-225); Over

Game 967-968: LA Angels at NY Yankees (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Wilson) 15.801; NY Yankees (Kuroda) 16.916
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-120); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-120); Under

Game 969-970: Cleveland at Toronto (7:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Cleveland (Masterson) 15.753; Toronto (Romero) 15.138
Dunkel Line: Cleveland by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: Toronto (-125); 9 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Cleveland (+105); Over

Game 971-972: Detroit at Baltimore (7:05 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Fister) 16.116; Baltimore (Hammel) 13.997
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 2; 8 1/2
Vegas Line: Baltimore (-115); 9
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-105); Under

Game 973-974: Boston at Tampa Bay (7:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Morales) 14.956; Tampa Bay (Hellickson) 15.476
Dunkel Line: Tampa Bay by 1/2; 9
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-115); 8 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Tampa Bay (-115); Over

Game 975-976: Chicago White Sox at Kansas City (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: White Sox (Quintana) 14.758; Kansas City (Chen) 15.240
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1/2; 10
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A

Game 977-978: Oakland at Minnesota (8:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Griffin) 15.601; Minnesota (Liriano) 14.875
Dunkel Line: Oakland by 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: Minnesota (-135); 8
Dunkel Pick: Oakland (+115); Under

Game 979-980: Texas at Seattle (10:10 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Texas (Holland) 15.867; Seattle (Millwood) 15.028
Dunkel Line: Texas by 1; 7
Vegas Line: Texas (-145); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Texas (-145); Under

MLB
Long Sheet

Friday, July 13

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ARIZONA (42 - 43) at CHICAGO CUBS (33 - 52) - 2:20 PM
IAN KENNEDY (R) vs. PAUL MAHOLM (L)
Top Trends for this game.
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ARIZONA is 139-115 (+20.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 139-115 (+20.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 53-74 (-36.3 Units) against the money line after shutting out their opponent since 1997.
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CHICAGO CUBS are 94-108 (-28.4 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 663-675 (-128.7 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 104-144 (-27.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO CUBS are 897-966 (-164.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
ARIZONA is 3-0 (+3.0 Units) against CHICAGO CUBS this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.9 Units)

IAN KENNEDY vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
KENNEDY is 1-1 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 6.66 and a WHIP of 1.325.
His team's record is 2-2 (+0.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-1. (+1.9 units)

PAUL MAHOLM vs. ARIZONA since 1997
MAHOLM is 0-3 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 5.34 and a WHIP of 1.813.
His team's record is 1-5 (-4.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-3. (-0.3 units)

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WASHINGTON (49 - 34) at MIAMI (41 - 44) - 7:10 PM
JORDAN ZIMMERMANN (R) vs. JOSH JOHNSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 18-37 (-16.7 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 3 seasons.
MIAMI is 308-333 (+49.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.
MIAMI is 37-24 (+15.8 Units) against the money line in July games over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 49-34 (+9.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 12-5 (+10.5 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 52-45 (+18.4 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 126-116 (+15.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 85-74 (+18.0 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 95-88 (+14.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 112-129 (-20.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 38-54 (-26.1 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 76-98 (-23.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 55-77 (-23.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
MIAMI is 18-26 (-10.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
MIAMI is 41-44 (-9.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MIAMI is 53-69 (-28.5 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MIAMI is 3-2 (+1.0 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
3 of 4 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.8 Units)

JORDAN ZIMMERMANN vs. MIAMI since 1997
ZIMMERMANN is 0-3 when starting against MIAMI with an ERA of 4.81 and a WHIP of 1.158.
His team's record is 1-5 (-4.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-3. (-1.3 units)

JOSH JOHNSON vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
JOHNSON is 8-0 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 3.31 and a WHIP of 1.138.
His team's record is 11-4 (+3.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 10-3. (+6.9 units)

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ST LOUIS (46 - 40) at CINCINNATI (47 - 38) - 7:10 PM
ADAM WAINWRIGHT (R) vs. MAT LATOS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 8-17 (-14.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 4-10 (-10.1 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday this season.
WAINWRIGHT is 6-13 (-12.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 31-18 (+16.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 74-60 (+14.5 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 73-58 (+15.2 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 105-76 (+13.9 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
WAINWRIGHT is 37-15 (+15.5 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997. (Team's Record)
WAINWRIGHT is 23-4 (+19.8 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997. (Team's Record)
WAINWRIGHT is 26-8 (+17.1 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents since 1997. (Team's Record)
CINCINNATI is 57-70 (-23.2 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 4-2 (+1.5 Units) against CINCINNATI this season
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.7 Units)

ADAM WAINWRIGHT vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
WAINWRIGHT is 3-5 when starting against CINCINNATI with an ERA of 4.44 and a WHIP of 1.291.
His team's record is 4-5 (-3.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-4. (-0.4 units)

MAT LATOS vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
LATOS is 1-3 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 11.37 and a WHIP of 2.105.
His team's record is 1-3 (-2.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-3. (-2.7 units)

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NY METS (46 - 40) at ATLANTA (46 - 39) - 7:35 PM
CHRIS YOUNG (R) vs. TIM HUDSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 10-2 (+8.7 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday this season.
ATLANTA is 33-21 (+10.0 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
HUDSON is 140-65 (+35.7 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997. (Team's Record)
HUDSON is 140-65 (+35.7 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
NY METS are 42-38 (+6.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
NY METS are 41-40 (+11.9 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 34-20 (+17.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
NY METS are 30-27 (+12.8 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 46-40 (+9.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY METS are 63-58 (+22.5 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 18-12 (+10.6 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
YOUNG is 7-1 (+8.4 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
ATLANTA is 22-28 (-17.4 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY METS is 4-2 (+2.8 Units) against ATLANTA this season
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.5 Units)

CHRIS YOUNG vs. ATLANTA since 1997
YOUNG is 2-2 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 7.50 and a WHIP of 1.458.
His team's record is 2-3 (-1.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-3. (-1.0 units)

TIM HUDSON vs. NY METS since 1997
HUDSON is 15-9 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 3.46 and a WHIP of 1.240.
His team's record is 16-9 (+5.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 8-17. (-10.3 units)

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PITTSBURGH (48 - 37) at MILWAUKEE (40 - 45) - 8:10 PM
JAMES MCDONALD (R) vs. ZACK GREINKE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 41-95 (-30.9 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 3 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 30-56 (-25.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 27-8 (+14.2 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -150 to -175 over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 84-47 (+23.7 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
GREINKE is 36-14 (+19.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 23-1 (+22.0 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 36-14 (+19.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 24-8 (+14.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 15-1 (+14.0 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 13-2 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
PITTSBURGH is 20-11 (+12.1 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
PITTSBURGH is 48-37 (+18.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
PITTSBURGH is 34-28 (+12.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
PITTSBURGH is 21-10 (+11.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record this season.
PITTSBURGH is 48-37 (+18.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 56-68 (+12.3 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
MCDONALD is 12-5 (+8.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
MCDONALD is 12-5 (+8.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
MILWAUKEE is 40-45 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
MILWAUKEE is 28-33 (-11.0 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
MILWAUKEE is 113-167 (-48.0 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.
MILWAUKEE is 40-45 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 2-1 (+1.4 Units) against MILWAUKEE this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

JAMES MCDONALD vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
MCDONALD is 1-2 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 6.61 and a WHIP of 1.408.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.3 units)

ZACK GREINKE vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
GREINKE is 4-1 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 5.17 and a WHIP of 1.117.
His team's record is 4-1 (+2.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-1. (+3.0 units)

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PHILADELPHIA (37 - 50) at COLORADO (33 - 52) - 8:40 PM
CLIFF LEE (L) vs. CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH (L)
Top Trends for this game.
PHILADELPHIA is 37-47 (-22.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 9-18 (-13.0 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 19-29 (-16.1 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
PHILADELPHIA is 37-50 (-25.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LEE is 4-10 (-10.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
LEE is 4-9 (-9.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
LEE is 2-7 (-9.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)
PHILADELPHIA is 108-89 (+28.5 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Friday since 1997.
COLORADO is 42-61 (-28.2 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 57-66 (-19.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 33-52 (-15.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
COLORADO is 18-25 (-9.9 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
COLORADO is 33-52 (-15.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
COLORADO is 126-150 (-41.2 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHILADELPHIA is 2-1 (+0.2 Units) against COLORADO this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

CLIFF LEE vs. COLORADO since 1997
LEE is 2-0 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 1.16 and a WHIP of 0.900.
His team's record is 3-0 (+3.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-2. (-1.2 units)

CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
No recent starts.

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SAN DIEGO (34 - 53) at LA DODGERS (47 - 40) - 10:10 PM
CLAYTON RICHARD (L) vs. CLAYTON KERSHAW (L)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN DIEGO is 9-24 (-13.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN DIEGO is 105-145 (-25.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 20-35 (-11.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less this season.
SAN DIEGO is 10-29 (-20.2 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 41-65 (-18.8 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 105-145 (-25.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 62-101 (-33.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 28-51 (-21.2 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
RICHARD is 6-19 (-12.0 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LA DODGERS are 26-14 (+11.2 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 28-12 (+15.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 80-57 (+18.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 55-34 (+15.8 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
KERSHAW is 31-12 (+13.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KERSHAW is 27-11 (+14.1 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 7-2 (+5.2 Units) against SAN DIEGO this season
6 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+5.0 Units)

CLAYTON RICHARD vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
RICHARD is 6-1 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 2.62 and a WHIP of 1.149.
His team's record is 7-3 (+4.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-5. (-0.4 units)

CLAYTON KERSHAW vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
KERSHAW is 7-3 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 2.40 and a WHIP of 1.142.
His team's record is 11-4 (+3.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-8. (-1.5 units)

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HOUSTON (33 - 53) at SAN FRANCISCO (46 - 40) - 10:15 PM
JORDAN LYLES (R) vs. MADISON BUMGARNER (L)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 9-32 (-18.5 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field this season.
HOUSTON is 7-24 (-13.8 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss this season.
HOUSTON is 90-160 (-45.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 6-28 (-17.0 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +175 to +200 over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 9-32 (-18.5 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
HOUSTON is 7-27 (-17.9 Units) against the money line in July games over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 10-30 (-16.3 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
LYLES is 5-21 (-14.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LYLES is 5-21 (-14.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 873-726 (+107.6 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997.
HOUSTON is 60-57 (+18.4 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN FRANCISCO is 2-1 (+0.9 Units) against HOUSTON this season
3 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.0 Units)

JORDAN LYLES vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
LYLES is 1-0 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 1.800.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

MADISON BUMGARNER vs. HOUSTON since 1997
BUMGARNER is 2-1 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 3.48 and a WHIP of 1.258.
His team's record is 2-1 (+0.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.2 units)

LA ANGELS (48 - 38) at NY YANKEES (52 - 33) - 7:05 PM
C.J. WILSON (L) vs. HIROKI KURODA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA ANGELS are 102-109 (-28.3 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 3 seasons.
NY YANKEES are 35-18 (+11.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NY YANKEES are 51-26 (+15.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
NY YANKEES are 53-27 (+19.3 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 111-93 (+28.7 Units) against the money line in road games when playing on Friday since 1997.
LA ANGELS are 534-519 (+67.2 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field since 1997.
LA ANGELS are 629-616 (+45.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
LA ANGELS are 645-632 (+65.2 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997.
LA ANGELS are 155-139 (+28.6 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997.
WILSON is 61-32 (+18.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WILSON is 58-29 (+19.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WILSON is 42-19 (+16.2 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
NY YANKEES are 225-183 (-45.5 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday since 1997.
NY YANKEES are 90-80 (-17.1 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 3-3 (+0.1 Units) against NY YANKEES this season
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.3 Units)

C.J. WILSON vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
WILSON is 1-2 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 4.46 and a WHIP of 1.562.
His team's record is 3-4 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-3. (+0.4 units)

HIROKI KURODA vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
KURODA is 2-2 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 1.71 and a WHIP of 0.912.
His team's record is 2-2 (-0.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-4. (-4.1 units)

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CLEVELAND (44 - 41) at TORONTO (43 - 43) - 7:05 PM
JUSTIN MASTERSON (R) vs. RICKY ROMERO (L)
Top Trends for this game.
TORONTO is 157-112 (+28.3 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 since 1997.
TORONTO is 316-224 (+55.7 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 since 1997.
TORONTO is 41-23 (+21.6 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 23-17 (+7.2 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
CLEVELAND is 127-123 (+8.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 29-21 (+9.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 2-1 (+1.0 Units) against CLEVELAND this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.9 Units)

JUSTIN MASTERSON vs. TORONTO since 1997
MASTERSON is 1-1 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 4.16 and a WHIP of 1.200.
His team's record is 1-2 (-0.9 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.2 units)

RICKY ROMERO vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
ROMERO is 2-1 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 5.79 and a WHIP of 1.629.
His team's record is 3-1 (+1.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-1. (+2.0 units)

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DETROIT (44 - 42) at BALTIMORE (45 - 40) - 7:05 PM
DOUG FISTER (R) vs. JASON HAMMEL (R)
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 41-41 (-14.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
DETROIT is 20-27 (-14.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
DETROIT is 18-25 (-14.9 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
DETROIT is 44-42 (-12.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
FISTER is 8-25 (-14.7 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
FISTER is 25-43 (-19.2 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
FISTER is 0-6 (-7.6 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)
BALTIMORE is 42-34 (+13.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
BALTIMORE is 29-22 (+13.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BALTIMORE is 45-40 (+12.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
HAMMEL is 25-16 (+11.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
BALTIMORE is 286-362 (-99.1 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

DOUG FISTER vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
FISTER is 2-1 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 4.68 and a WHIP of 1.400.
His team's record is 2-2 (-0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-0. (+3.0 units)

JASON HAMMEL vs. DETROIT since 1997
HAMMEL is 2-0 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 6.61 and a WHIP of 1.960.
His team's record is 2-1 (+1.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-1. (+0.9 units)

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BOSTON (43 - 43) at TAMPA BAY (45 - 41) - 7:10 PM
FRANKLIN MORALES (L) vs. JEREMY HELLICKSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 25-33 (-15.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
BOSTON is 59-60 (-23.4 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 135-115 (-21.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BOSTON is 52-53 (-18.2 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 455-546 (+26.8 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997.
BOSTON is 38-19 (+19.5 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 5-4 (+0.5 Units) against TAMPA BAY this season
5 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.5 Units)

FRANKLIN MORALES vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
No recent starts.

JEREMY HELLICKSON vs. BOSTON since 1997
HELLICKSON is 3-1 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 3.80 and a WHIP of 1.336.
His team's record is 5-2 (+3.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-4. (-1.6 units)

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CHI WHITE SOX (47 - 38) at KANSAS CITY (37 - 47) - 8:10 PM
JOSE QUINTANA (L) vs. BRUCE CHEN (L)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 2-1 (+1.6 Units) against CHI WHITE SOX this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.8 Units)

JOSE QUINTANA vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
No recent starts.

BRUCE CHEN vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
CHEN is 3-4 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 1.034.
His team's record is 5-5 (+0.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-6. (-2.6 units)

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OAKLAND (43 - 43) at MINNESOTA (36 - 49) - 8:10 PM
A.J. GRIFFIN (R) vs. FRANCISCO LIRIANO (L)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 53-90 (-26.6 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 3 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 38-14 (+19.3 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -125 to -150 over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 41-42 (+5.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
OAKLAND is 43-43 (+7.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
MINNESOTA is 55-93 (-24.8 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 99-149 (-28.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 43-74 (-24.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 50-74 (-24.4 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 50-74 (-24.4 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 26-46 (-19.5 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 66-112 (-31.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 3-0 (+3.0 Units) against OAKLAND this season
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.0 Units)

A.J. GRIFFIN vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
No recent starts.

FRANCISCO LIRIANO vs. OAKLAND since 1997
LIRIANO is 3-3 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 4.38 and a WHIP of 1.338.
His team's record is 5-5 (-1.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-5. (-0.7 units)

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

TEXAS (52 - 34) at SEATTLE (36 - 51) - 10:10 PM
DEREK HOLLAND (L) vs. KEVIN MILLWOOD (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS is 118-71 (+18.7 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 115-69 (+22.0 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 50-25 (+20.2 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 22-5 (+14.0 Units) against the money line as a road favorite of -150 to -175 over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 52-92 (-32.2 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 16-25 (-11.2 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
SEATTLE is 21-46 (-20.7 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 92-153 (-51.4 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 13-36 (-19.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 103-147 (-31.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 16-25 (-11.2 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
SEATTLE is 8-25 (-17.0 Units) against the money line in July games over the last 2 seasons.
MILLWOOD is 83-91 (-28.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 5-5 (+3.1 Units) against TEXAS this season
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.3 Units, Under=-0.7 Units)

DEREK HOLLAND vs. SEATTLE since 1997
HOLLAND is 5-2 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 4.35 and a WHIP of 1.208.
His team's record is 5-3 (-0.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-5. (-2.2 units)

KEVIN MILLWOOD vs. TEXAS since 1997
MILLWOOD is 1-2 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 3.16 and a WHIP of 1.054.
His team's record is 3-3 (+0.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-4. (-2.3 units)

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, July 13

Series won-lost records are now below the daily writeup.......

Hot pitchers
-- Maholm is 2-0, 0.63 in his last two starts, allowing one run in 14.1 IP.
-- Johnson is 2-2, 2.79 in his last six starts. Zimmerman is 2-1, 2.00 in his last four starts.
-- Latos is 2-0, 0.72 in last three starts; Reds won his last five home starts.
-- Hudson is 3-1, 3.46 in his last four outings.
-- McDonald is 4-1, 2.34 in his last five starts. Pirates won five of his last six road starts.
-- Bumgarner is 3-1, 3.53 in his last five starts; Giants are 6-1 in his starts at home.

-- Wilson is 5-1, 2.09 in his last nine starts. Kuroda is 5-1, 2.80 in his last eight starts.
-- Quintana is 3-0, 2.04 in his last five starts.
-- Griffin is 0-0, 2.00 in his first three starts. Liriano is 2-0, 2.81 in his last four starts.
-- Millwood has a 0.93 RA in his last two starts.

Cold pitchers
-- Kennedy is 1-2, 5.75 in his last five starts.
-- Wainwright is 2-2, 3.66 in his last five starts.
-- Young is 1-2, 3.76 in his last four starts.
-- Greinke is 0-1, 9.00 in his last three starts; tonight he becomes first pitcher since 1917 to start three of his team's games in a row.
-- Lee is 1-2, 6.06 in his last five starts, but won his last start, his first win of the year. Friedrich is 0-5, 8.48 in his last six starts.
-- Kershaw is 1-2, 4.45 in his last five starts. Richard is 2-2, 4.45 in his last four starts.
-- Lyles is 1-4, 5.94 in his last six starts; Astros are 0-6 in his road starts.

-- Masterson is 1-2, 7.27 in his last three starts. Romero is 0-3, 11.40 in his last three starts.
-- Fister is 1-3, 10.18 in his last four starts. Hammel is 0-3, 8.10 in his last three starts.
-- Morales is 1-1, 4.64 in his last four starts. Hellickson is 0-5, 5.17 in his last seven starts.
-- Chen is 0-2, 11.57 in his last couple starts.
-- Holland is 1-1, 9.69 in his last three starts.

Hot Teams
-- Cubs won five of their last six home games.
-- Washington won eight of last 12 games. Marlins won their last four home games.
-- St Louis won six of its last eight games. Reds won six of their last nine home games.
-- Braves won five of their last six games. Mets won seven of their last ten games on foreign soil.
-- Pirates won ten of their last twelve games. Milwaukee is 10-5 in its last 15 home games.

-- Bronx is 10-3 in home series openers. Angels won 12 of last 18 games.
-- Indians won seven of their last eleven games.
-- Detroit won its last five games overall; they won six of last nine on road.
-- White Sox won nine of their last twelve games.
-- A's won six of their last seven games.

Cold Teams
-- Arizona lost six of its last eight road games.
-- Philadelphia lost 10 of its last 11 games. Rockies lost ten of their last thirteen home games.
-- Dodgers lost 15 of their last 20 games. San Diego lost nine of its last 12 home games.
-- San Francisco lost seven of its last nine games. Astros lost their last ten games on foreign soil.

-- Orioles lost five of their last six home games.
-- Blue Jays are 3-5 in their last eight games.
-- Red Sox lost six of their last seven games. Tampa Bay is 5-9 in its last 14 games, 5-8 in last thirteen at home.
-- Royals lost eight of last ten games, but won three in row at home.
-- Twins lost four of their last five games.
-- Mariners lost four of their last five games. Texas lost its last three games on the road.

Totals
-- Eight of last ten Cub games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Miami home games.
-- Seven of last nine Cincinnati home games stayed under.
-- Over is 6-3-1 in Atlanta's last ten home games.
-- Over is 22-5 in last 27 games at Miller Park.
-- Five of last six games at Coors Field went over the total.
-- Five of last six games at Petco Park stayed under total.
-- 15 of last 20 Houston road games went over the total.

-- Eight of Angels' last nine road games went over total.
-- Under is 10-4-2 in Cleveland's last sixteen road games.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six games at Camden Yards.
-- Under is 12-2 in Boston's last fourteen road games.
-- Six of White Sox' last eight road games stayed under.
-- Under is 8-3 in Minnesota's last eleven home games.
-- Under is 9-2 in last eleven games at Safeco Field.

2012 baseball series records

thru 7/12
Home Away Total
Arizona 7-7 4-8-2 11-15-2
Atlanta 5-5-4 9-4-1 14-9-5
Cubs 6-7 2-9-4 8-16-4
Cincinnati 7-5-1 7-5-3 14-10-4
Colorado 6-6-2 2-11-1 8-17-3
Houston 6-8-1 1-12 7-20-1
Dodgers 9-4-1 5-8-1 14-12-2
Miami 6-6-2 5-7-2 11-13-4
Milwaukee 7-6-1 4-9-1 11-15-2
Mets 7-7-1 6-7 13-14-1
Philadelphia 4-8-2 6-7-1 10-15-3
Pittsburgh 11-3 5-5-4 16-8-4
St Louis 7-6-1 7-6-1 14-12-2
San Diego 4-8-2 3-9-2 7-17-4
San Francisco 9-2-3 6-7-1 15-9-4
Washington 7-4-3 9-4-1 16-8-4
Baltimore 7-6-1 9-5 16-11-1
Boston 7-8 7-4-2 14-12-2
White Sox 8-7-1 5-5-3 13-12-4
Cleveland 6-7-2 8-5 14-12-2
Detroit 7-5-2 5-7-2 12-12-4
Kansas City 4-7-1 8-5-3 12-12-4
Angels 8-3-3 6-7-1 14-10-4
Minnesota 4-8-2 5-7-2 9-15-4
Bronx 8-3-2 8-5-2 16-8-4
A's 7-5-2 5-7-3 12-12-5
Seattle 5-7-1 5-10-1 10-17-2
Tampa Bay 7-5-2 6-7-1 13-12-3
Texas 11-3-1 7-6 18-9-1
Toronto 7-5-2 4-7-3 11-12-5

MLB

Friday, July 13

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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2:20 PM
ARIZONA vs. CHI CUBS
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Arizona's last 7 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
Arizona is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games when playing at home against Arizona

7:05 PM
DETROIT vs. BALTIMORE
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Detroit's last 5 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baltimore's last 6 games at home

7:05 PM
LA ANGELS vs. NY YANKEES
LA Angels are 12-6 SU in their last 18 games
LA Angels are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Yankees
The total has gone OVER in 6 of NY Yankees's last 8 games when playing at home against LA Angels
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 6 games

7:07 PM
CLEVELAND vs. TORONTO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 8 games at home
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland

7:10 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. CINCINNATI
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 5 games when playing on the road against Cincinnati
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis

7:10 PM
WASHINGTON vs. MIAMI
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Washington's last 12 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 5 games at home
Miami is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games at home

7:10 PM
BOSTON vs. TAMPA BAY
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston's last 5 games on the road
Boston is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing Boston

7:35 PM
NY METS vs. ATLANTA
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets's last 7 games
NY Mets are 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing at home against NY Mets
Atlanta is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

8:10 PM
CHI WHITE SOX vs. KANSAS CITY
Chi White Sox are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Kansas City's last 10 games when playing Chi White Sox
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Kansas City's last 6 games at home

8:10 PM
OAKLAND vs. MINNESOTA
Oakland is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Oakland is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Minnesota's last 14 games when playing at home against Oakland
Minnesota is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Oakland

8:10 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. MILWAUKEE
Pittsburgh is 5-17 SU in its last 22 games when playing Milwaukee
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Milwaukee is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 6 games when playing Pittsburgh

8:40 PM
PHILADELPHIA vs. COLORADO
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Philadelphia's last 13 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Philadelphia is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Colorado
Colorado is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Colorado's last 13 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

10:10 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. LA DODGERS
San Diego is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
San Diego is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 7 games when playing San Diego
LA Dodgers are 5-15 SU in their last 20 games

10:10 PM
TEXAS vs. SEATTLE
Texas is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Texas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Seattle
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Seattle's last 11 games at home
Seattle is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games when playing Texas

10:15 PM
HOUSTON vs. SAN FRANCISCO
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing San Francisco
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Francisco
San Francisco is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Francisco's last 6 games

MLB

Friday, July 13

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Friday's streaking and slumping starting pitchers
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Streaking

James McDonald, Pittsburgh Pirates (9-3, 2.37 ERA)

McDonald has won each of his last four outings and put out one of his best showings of the season last weekend against the Giants. He gave up just one run over seven innings while striking out 10 and walking none. McDonald now has three games with double-digit strikeouts already and has 100 punch-outs in 110 innings.

Mat Latos, Cincinnati Reds (7-2, 4.13 ERA)

Latos did everything he could to get a win against his former team, but his offense let him down. He allowed only four hits while throwing seven shutout innings in a 2-1 loss at San Diego. Latos has now yielded just two earned runs over his last three starts, which included two complete games, 28 strikeouts and only four walks.

Slumping

Jason Hammel, Baltimore Orioles (8-5, 3.47 ERA)

Hammel has lost each of his last three trips to the hill. Location has been one of his main issues lately. In his last 16 2/3 innings he has allowed 15 runs and issued nine walks. The three losses have bumped him down to eighth in the MLB money starter standings, but he’s still earned his supporters 6.83 units to date.

Ricky Romero, Toronto Blue Jays (8-4, 5.22 ERA)

Romero was much better in his last start, but still picked up his third straight loss. He gave up just two runs on four hits over six innings in a 2-0 loss to the White Sox. However, he did walk three more batters, upping his total to 58 walks in 110 1/3 innings. Before that outing Romero yielded 16 combined runs in two starts.

MLB

Friday, July 13

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MLB betting: Scouting the toughest second-half schedules
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You could be sitting around a crystal ball with Aladdin and still have no idea what lies ahead in the second half of the MLB season.

Nobody predicted that the Baltimore Orioles would be hanging around in the AL East this deep in the season and everybody left the St. Louis Cardinals for dead before they put together an incredible run to win the title last season.

There’s a lot to factor in when you’re trying to determine which teams have the toughest schedules. For example, if you go strictly by the numbers and look at remaining opponents’ current winning percentage, we could just list the entire AL East.

It’s easily the most competitive division in baseball, but what’s the fun in that? These are the three teams that face the toughest road in the second half.

All stats compiled before Thursday’s action.

Baltimore Orioles: 44-37, +13.70 units

The winning percentage of Baltimore’s remaining opponents (.515) is actually a touch lower than that of the Tampa Bay Rays (.522), but we need to take a look at the O’s considering they rank second in MLB money standings. Plus, their strength of schedule in games played to date (.524) tops the bigs.

The Orioles sit in second place in the division at five games back of the Yanks and don’t catch any breaks for the rest of the season. They have 42 road games compared to 39 home dates and finish the year with 12 of their last 18 games on the highway. It’s going to be vtough, but it’s worth noting the O’s have earned almost 12 of their units to date on the road.

Oakland Athletics: 41-42, +7.48

The A’s are in third place in the AL West, 9.5 games back of the Texas Rangers. They’re going to have a tough time cutting into that deficit. Oakland’s remaining opponents’ winning percentage checks in at .520 and the club will face a major grind at the end of the season.

The A’s have a 10-game road trip on the schedule at the end of September with stops in Detroit, New York and Texas. They then go home for a three-game set against the Mariners before getting another kick in the face with the Rangers coming to town for another trio of contests to end the season. Not looking good for A’s supporters.

New York Mets: 42-38, 11.29 units

The Mets’ remaining opponents check in with a .498 winning percentage, which is the highest among any playoff contenders in the National League. They are in a dogfight in the NL East, trailing the division-leading Nationals by 4.5 games.

New York will need to keep it together on a 11-game western road swing that spans from July 26 to Aug. 5. The Mets then finish the season with three games in Atlanta followed by three more in Miami.

MLB

Friday, July 13

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MLB betting: Scouting the easiest second-half schedules
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As the dog days of summer set in, it’s hard for MLB teams to put out their best effort every time they climb out of the dugout. That’s when a soft second-half schedule can really give teams a break.

Evaluating the schedules for the remainder of the season is hardly an exact science. Teams go through streaks and slumps, suffer major injures, and see big name players come and go around the trade deadline.

Still, some teams clearly face an easier road down the stretch than others. By the numbers, American League clubs generally face tougher schedules than that of the teams in the Senior Circuit because the AL is just better than the NL. It’s that simple.

With that in mind, here’s a look at three teams that face some of the easiest schedules in baseball as they try to secure their playoff spots.

Pittsburgh Pirates: 45-36, +17.32 units

The Pirates are running away with the MLB money standings, almost four units ahead of the second-place Baltimore Orioles, and it looks the Bucs could build on their booty. The Pirates’ remaining opponents own just a .459 winning percentage. They have 42 of their 81 remaining games at home, where they have pocketed better than 13 units with a 26-13 record.

The longest stretch they’re away from home is a 10-game set later this month, but they should be able to build some momentum early in that trip, visiting Houston for four games before playing three at Wrigley Field. They finish that swing with three more at Cincinnati and close out the season with six games at home.

San Francisco Giants: 45-37, +6.63 units

The Giants trail the Dodgers by just a half a game and will be looking to make some hay in the second half. Their remaining opponents own a .471 winning percentage.

San Francisco doesn’t spend more than seven straight games on the road for the rest of the year and the club has 10 straight home games before visiting the Padres and Dodgers to finish the season. The Giants will likely hold their own destiny in the pennant race with four series left against the Dodgers – two home, two away.

Chicago White Sox: 44-37, +5.73 units

The AL Central-leading White Sox have the easiest remaining schedule of any team in the American League. Chicago’s remaining opponents own a .497 winning percentage. The White Sox have been dominant on the road so far, going 23-16 as visitors to net more than 11 units.

They’ll need to keep that going and come out of the All-Star break hot with a stretch that sees them play 13 of 16 games on the road beginning July 13. If they ever get their game together at home, they’ll be really dangerous.

MLB

Friday, July 13

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Red Sox at Rays: What bettors need to know
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Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays (-105, 8)

Neither the Tampa Bay Rays nor the Boston Red Sox are where they thought they would be coming out of the All-Star break. If the season were to end today, neither team would make the playoffs. The perennial powers have been plagued by problems with pitching (Boston) and defense (Tampa Bay), as well as several debilitating injuries. The Red Sox plan on having Will Middlebrooks, Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz back this weekend.

Ellsbury, who finished second in the AL MVP vote last season but has been out since April 13 with a shoulder injury, could be the difference for Boston. Former Ray Carl Crawford is also expected back sometime soon. Tampa Bay, which sits in third place in the East, has less promising news on the injury front, as Evan Longoria is not expected back until August. The Gold Glove winner has been missed at the hot corner, where the Rays have committed 22 of their league-high 71 errors.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), SUN (Tampa Bay)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Franklin Morales (1-2, 3.50 ERA) vs. Rays RH Jeremy Hellickson (4-5, 3.41 ERA)

Morales had three straight strong starts when he was moved into the rotation on June 17, posting a 2.00 ERA while striking out 24 batters in 18 innings. The converted reliever had his first big misstep last Saturday, when the New York Yankees tagged him for six runs on six hits - four homers - over 3 1/3 innings. Morales has made 12 relief appearances against Tampa Bay, posting a 1.64 ERA in 11 total innings.

Hellickson has not won since May 16 and is 0-3 over his last three turns. The 25 year old got little support in his last start, suffering a loss despite yielding only two runs in six innings at Detroit. Hellickson has made three starts against Boston already this season, going 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA. Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is 6-for-17 (.353) with a home run off the right-hander.

TRENDS:

* Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
* Rays are 4-1 in Hellicksons last 5 starts vs. Red Sox.
* Under is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings in Tampa Bay.
* Red Sox are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Tampa Bay.

WALK-OFFS:

1. The Red Sox lead the season series, 5-4, and are outscoring the Rays 47-30.

2. Tampa Bay is 5-5 in its last 10 games. The Rays failed to score more than three runs in any of the five losses.

3. Buchholz, who has been on the DL since June 20 after being hospitalized with esophagitis, is scheduled to rejoin the rotation on Saturday.

MLB

Friday, July 13

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MLB betting: Four teams that fight to the finish
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The two sides of the MLB schedule are about as opposite as black and white, hot and cold, Guillen and Maddon.

The games that follow the All-Star break are of a different breed. Factor in the grind of the 162-game schedule, scorching temperatures, a sudden rash of injuries, mass panic of the playoff race, and the second half of the MLB season makes April, May and June look like soft toss.

Some clubs crumble under the pressure, while other rise to the challenge.

It’s no surprise top-tier teams like the Philadelphia Phillies (36.61 units won after the All-Star break since 2007), New York Yankees (21.52 units), and Texas Rangers (13.59 units) have been the best bets after the break. However, wagering on these highly-taxed teams can burn you with one bad week (ie: Boston Red Sox -23.95 units after All-Star break since 2007).

Here are some other clubs, not among the World Series favorites, that have consistently made coin in the second half of the schedule:

Toronto Blue Jays (187-170 for 18.78 units after the All-Star break since 2007)

Depending on the Canadian-US exchange rate, the amount on money made on Toronto after the break can differ. But one thing is for sure, the Jays will pack your bankroll in the late summer months. Toronto has been in the black in all but one season following the break, including a solid 10.68 units down the stretch in 2010. The Blue Jays have been hit hard by injuries to their rotation this season but could make another last-minute push if those arms return in time.

Houston Astros (172-184 for 17.43 units after All-Star break since 2007)

How in the world can a team go below .500 and still make a bundle for bettors? Ah, the wonders of baseball betting. The Astros have been bad for a while, consistently giving them beefed up moneylines, especially when the club has nothing to play for in August and September. In 2008, Houston went a silly 42-24 in the back nine of the schedule, earning 23.91 units. Two years ago, it finished 40-33 after the break for 15.94 units. This year’s version limped into the All-Star hiatus with one win in their last 11 games and dealt star Carlos Lee to the Marlins.

Arizona Diamondbacks (186-169 for 14.93 units after the All-Star break since 2007)

The D-backs won the bulk of those units last summer, with a staggering 45-25 record following the break which stole the National League West crown and earned Arizona backers 18.36 units. The Desert Snakes had a similar finish in 2007, going 43-29 in the second part of the slate for 15.23 units. Arizona finished the first half of the 2012 schedule in style by sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers and are currently five games out of the NL wild card and four back of the Dodgers in the division.

Tampa Bay Rays (194-168 for 11.70 units after the All-Star break since 2007)

Despite winning the American League Pennant in 2008, the Rays remain one of the best under-the-radar clubs in baseball – HT goes to the Yankees and Red Sox for hogging all the headlines in the AL East. Tampa Bay went 42-26 following the break in 2008, bringing in 15.22 units, and was 42-30 in the second half for 10.68 units last summer, sneaking past Boston to snag the AL wild card. The Rays, in classic form, are hanging in the shadows heading into the break. They’re only three out of the wild card and closed the first half with a series win over Cleveland.

Other notables:

Milwaukee Brewers (191-167 for 11.66 units after the All-Star break since 2007)
Cleveland Indians (182-180 for 11.00 units after the All-Star break since 2007)
Chicago Cubs (191-168 for 5.33 units after the All-Star break since 2007)