Trend sheet 7/26

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Trend Report

1:05 PM
OAKLAND vs. NY YANKEES
Oakland is 1-8 SU in their last 9 games when playing NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Oakland's last 9 games when playing NY Yankees
NY Yankees are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing at home against Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 16 of NY Yankees's last 21 games when playing at home against Oakland

1:07 PM
TAMPA BAY vs. TORONTO
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Toronto's last 9 games when playing Tampa Bay

1:35 PM
BALTIMORE vs. BOSTON
Baltimore is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston
Baltimore is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Boston is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games when playing Baltimore
Boston is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games

1:35 PM
SAN DIEGO vs. WASHINGTON
San Diego is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games on the road
San Diego is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Washington
Washington is 2-14 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against San Diego
Washington is 4-13 SU in its last 17 games

1:35 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. PHILADELPHIA
St. Louis is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Philadelphia is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games

2:05 PM
ATLANTA vs. MILWAUKEE
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Atlanta is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Milwaukee's last 14 games when playing Atlanta
Milwaukee is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games

2:05 PM
NY METS vs. HOUSTON
NY Mets are 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Mets's last 5 games when playing Houston
Houston is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against NY Mets
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games when playing at home against NY Mets

2:10 PM
TEXAS vs. KANSAS CITY
Texas is 9-4 SU in its last 13 games when playing Kansas City
Texas is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Kansas City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Texas
Kansas City is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games

2:20 PM
CINCINNATI vs. CHI CUBS
Cincinnati is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 7 games when playing Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs are 7-2 SU in their last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games

3:10 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. COLORADO
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of San Francisco's last 8 games when playing Colorado
San Francisco is 3-7-1 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Colorado is 16-7-1 SU in its last 24 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado's last 7 games

3:33 PM
MINNESOTA vs. LA ANGELS
Minnesota is 6-11-1 SU in their last 18 games when playing LA Angels
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing LA Angels
LA Angels are 4-0-1 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Angels's last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota

4:10 PM
CLEVELAND vs. SEATTLE
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 6 games when playing Cleveland

4:10 PM
FLORIDA vs. LA DODGERS
Florida is 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Florida's last 10 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing Florida
The total has gone OVER in 11 of LA Dodgers's last 15 games when playing Florida

4:10 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. ARIZONA
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Pittsburgh's last 12 games when playing Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 6 games
Arizona is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home

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

 

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Best MLB bets

Florida Marlins at Los Angeles Dodgers (-125, 9)

The Dodgers aren?t unbeatable at home ? but they sure are close.

Los Angeles is an MLB-best 33-16 in its own back yard this season. The Dodgers are one of the best pitching teams at home in the majors, posting a 3.13 ERA and allowing opponents to hit a meager .232.

Los Angeles also has no problem hitting in California, as the Dodgers are batting .268 BA as a team there, to go with a balanced power attack: 84 doubles, 41 homers and 10 triples.

Meantime, the Marlins are no slouches on the road. The team?s piching staff has a 3.98 road ERA, one of the best marks in the majors.

The Dodgers, however, are just too good at Chavez Ravine.

Pick: Dodgers


Minnesota Twins at Los Angeles Angels (-135, 9.5)

When the Twins and Angles get together you can expect a slugfest.

These two teams have been lighting up the scoreboard when they get together this season. In six of the team?s seven meetings the over has hit, as the clubs average about 12 total runs per game.

The trend is especially odd for Minnesota, which has a 15-32-1 over/under road record. But for the Angels, who have a 27-18-2 over/under home record, it?s just business as usual.

?When we get a runner on, we?ve been capitalizing on it lately,? Angels infielder Chone Figgins told the Associated Press. ?If we get that leadoff hitter on, we usually get that runner from first to third and that keeps us in the ballgame.?

Pick: Over

 

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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers

Streaking

Derek Lowe (Atlanta Braves)

The 12-year veteran had become a staple of the ?Slumping? section as June was easily one of the worst months of his career.

But the 36 year old appears to be preparing for a late playoff push with Atlanta. He has turned in three straight quality starts by keeping the ball down and making opponents hit into his solid defense. And it?s no coincidence he has recorded nearly twice as many groundouts as flyouts the past three games.

Lowe (9-7, 4.26 ERA) was great in his most recent start, allowing just one run in six innings and most importantly walking only one.

?He used that sinker an awful lot. He got groundballs and got some strikeouts, too,? Atlanta manager Bobby Cox told the Associated Press. ?I think he?s back to normal again.?

Brian Moehler (Houston Astros)

No one will confuse the 37 year old with an inning-eating ace. But Moehler?s solid play at the end of the rotation has been a huge reason for the Astros surging back into the playoff race.

Moehler (7-5, 4.92 ERA) has turned in four straight quality starts and hasn?t allowed more than three earned runs since June 9, a span of seven starts. The right-hander hasn?t been dominant ? opponents are batting .288 BA and he has struck out just 56 against 27 walks ? but he has given his team a chance to win during the dog days of summer.

In his most recent outing, a 3-2 win over the division-leading Cardinals, he gave up both runs on six hits over 6 2-3 innings as he struck out five.

?I?m more upset with the walks than anything else,? Moehler told the Associated Press. ?I don?t like throwing a lot of pitches out. Too many walks, and strikeouts just come with the territory. To me, a couple of strikeouts and maybe no walks would have been better.?


Slumping

Micah Owings (Cincinnati Reds)

The right-hander has a basic goal on Sunday: try not to pick up an NL-leading 11th loss of the season.

Owings (6-10, 5.33 ERA) has been nothing short of awful his past two starts. He has failed to pitch past the fifth inning in each of those outings, yielding a combined 14 earned runs on 17 hits. To make matters worse, he also has allowed six walks and three homers over that span.

And the Cubs are a team he doesn?t want to face on Sunday. In two starts against them this season, he is 0-2 and has given up a total of 10 hits and seven run in just 10 2-3 innings.

?It was a frustrating night any way you look at it,? Owings told the Associated Press.

John Smoltz (Boston Red Sox)

The future hall of famer has yet to find his form after returning from the disabled list and debuting late last month.

Smoltz (1-3, 6.31 ERA) hasn?t made it past the sixth inning in any of his five starts and has struggled to find his fastball consistently. And while he isn?t walking many batters, the 42 year old is allowing opponents to hit .303 against him.

In Smoltz?s most recent outing, a 6-3 loss to Texas, he gave up all the runs in just 5 2-3 innings on nine hits, including three homers.

?I?m frustrated. I?m pleased with the way I?m throwing the baseball, but the results have been awful. They haven?t matched the effort,? Smoltz told the Associated Press. ?I?ll have a hard time sleeping.?

 

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Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers (-142, 9.5)

A key clash in the tight American League Central takes place under the ESPN lights Sunday night when the Tigers host the White Sox at Comerica Park in Detroit in a battle of division leaders.

Sunday?s game matches Chicago left-hander Clayton Richard (3-3 5.00 ERA) against Detroit right-hander Rick Porcello (9-6 4.40 ERA) in a battle of young arms looking to re-assert themselves.

2-1 Oddity

Heading into this pivotal four-game series, the Tigers were riding high atop the AL Central until a string of 2-1 losses allowed the White Sox an opportunity to close the gap.

Detroit?s 2-1 loss to Seattle Thursday marked its fourth loss in the previous five games - all by the score of 2-1.

"If you score one run a game, you aren't going to win," Tiger manager Jim Leyland told reporters. "I don't care how good your pitching is. You can have three (Sandy) Koufaxes and three (Don) Drysdales, you're still not going to win. Let me make it real simple for you? score one run a game, you lose - 99.9 percent of the time, probably."

Bend it like Beckham

White Sox 3B Gordon Beckham has been a pleasant surprise for manager Ozzie Guillen.

After being a 2008 first-round selection, Beckham has made a quick ascent through the White Sox system to become a starter. Guillen admits he never thought the former Georgia star would make an impact so quickly.

"I never thought this kid was going to play this well this fast. The problems he has at third base, we knew that was going to come because he never played there before. This guy is cold blood. He's not afraid, he's cocky in a good way, and it helps him,? Guillen told reporters.

While Beckham's defense is still a task in progress, (he?s switching from shortstop to third), he was hitting .358 BA with 23 RBIs in his previous 32 games entering this series.

No Halladay here

Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi was overheard on his cell phone earlier this week asking for Dave Dombrowski, his counterpart with the Detroit Tigers.

When asked about the call, Ricciardi responded by saying it was "Not about Roy Halladay. Something else."

Meanwhile the Pale Hose interest in Halladay has also made news. The reality of consummating a trade, however, is slim-to-none.

"To make that work would be a lot of money and a lot of players involved. It's nice to say we need this guy or that guy, but it's not easy (to make trades). I don't think we'll give up half the organization for one guy," Guillen told the press.

Tale of the tape

The 20-year old rookie Porcello recorded his ninth victory this season when he defeated the Mariners 9-7 Tuesday. Porcello coughed up two homers as he allowed five runs on nine hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out four.

He is 11-6 in his 17-team starts with the Tigers with a 1.48 WHIP, including 6-2 at home (all this year). But he?s just 1-2 with a 9.47 ERA in his last three starts. Like his first-year counterpart, Ricky Romero of Toronto, Porcello appears to be hitting a rookie wall.

Chicago?s Richard allowed just four hits over a career-high eight innings in a 3-2 home loss against Tampa Bay Tuesday. He walked two and struck out seven. Richard was 1-2 with a 10.80 ERA in his previous five starts.

The large lefty has won six of his 13 team starts this season with a 1.51 WHIP, but is 0-3 his last three outings with a 7.86 ERA. He is also 1-4 with an 8.43 ERA in July and 0-2 with an 11.25 ERA on Sundays his career team starts.

The bottom line

Neither pitcher brings a lot to like into this fray. Both are unraveling, one a rookie that is not pressure-tested, the other a ?tweener. One is not likely to out pitch the other.

Instead, let?s take advantage of the fact that both teams have been dead unders to this point of the season. Because of the value they bring, and the fact that neither hurler is in impressive form, look for a well-lit scoreboard tonight.