8-31-14

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CFL Week 10 Betting Preview and Trends
By Mike Pickett

East meets East and West meets West on the CFL betting schedule for Week 10, with the Ottawa RedBlacks and Montreal Alouettes opening up the week at Molson Stadium on Friday night and a pair of holiday Monday matchups rounding out the week's slate.

Sun Aug 31 - Winnipeg at Saskatchewan

Last 10 Meetings: Saskatchewan 8-2 SU, 6-4 ATS | OU 5-5

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are 6-1 SU and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers heading into their Sunday afternoon matchup in Week 10, with the Riders getting past the Blue Bombers 23-17 as a 3-point road favorite in the first meeting of the season between the two teams on August 7. That was the second straight UNDER result for totals bettors in games between the two teams.

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Team to Watch - Utah State
By Bruce Marshall

It was fair to expect some drop-off last year at Utah State (2013 SU 9-5, ATS 9-5) after program reconstruction wizard Gary Andersen left Logan to succeed Bret Bielema at Wisconsin. After all, 11-2 football seasons happened about as often in the Cache Valley as Jay-Z and Beyonce' stop by for a visit. And the Aggies were going to be upgrading their conference affiliation as they joined the Mountain West after a decade-long stint in the disintegrating WAC.

But no one expected the floor to collapse beneath the Utags, either, as there was some continuity between the regimes of 2012 & '13 thanks to new HC Matt Wells, promoted from offensive coordinator. Some of the Andersen staff, and almost all of the terminology, also remained from 2012. And the roster returned 15 starters from a Potato Bowl-winning side.

What no one, including new HC Wells, was expecting was for star QB Chuckie Keeton, who had generated some fringe Heisman Trophy chatter entering last season, to go down with a knee injury in early October, or for USU to start three different QBs during the season. So when the smoke finally cleared and the Utags had pipped favored Boise State to win the Mountain half of the loop and then upset one-time BCS contender Northern Illinois in the Poinsettia Bowl, there was not much discussion about what sort of hands the program was in, post-Andersen. Utag AD Scott Barnes (once upon a time a hoops PF for some of Boyd Grant's better Fresno State teams in the early '80s) was impressed enough with Wells' work to offer his coach a contract extension after the season.

Now, it's time to talk about an encore in 2014. Only this time Wells will have to proceed with less than half as many returning starters (just seven) as he had a year ago. Fortunately for Wells, the electric Keeton is back in the fold. Better yet, just in case Keeton goes down again, Wells has an experienced pilot in reserve in soph Darrell Garretson, who eventually took over the QB chores last season and helped the offense to five single season school records while winning 6 of 7 starts, saving a campaign that was teetering at 3-4 in mid-October.

Which also begs the question how Utah State could nab two such ringers at QB, when other schools west of the Rockies, including several in the higher-profile Pac-12, can't seem to find one capable QB.

But as long as Keeton is fully recovered from his knee injury (which also kept him out of spring drills), he remains the focal point on the attack end. As he should; prior to the knee injury vs. BYU, Chuckie had completed 136 of 198 throws for 1388 YP and 18 TDs, to go along with just two interceptions, after passing for 3373 yards and 27 TDs last and adding another 619 yards and 8 rush TDs during a full season of work in 2012. Just in case Keeton isn't ready, or goes down again, Garretson is available in the bullpen after passing for 1444 yards and 10 TDs in half-a-season's worth of work in 2013.

The offensive returning starter number (three) deceives further when realizing it also doesn't include RB Joe Hill, who was playing with the first string and had gained 252 yards and almost 5 ypc before going down with his own knee injury last September. Hill will be ready in the fall, although Wells and co-o.c.'s Kevin McGiven and Luke Wells are legitimately concerned about Hill's durability, as his 5'11, 190-lb. frame is not designed for heavy-duty work as have been some other recent featured Aggie runners, including muscle-bound Robert Turbin, now a member of the Super Bowl champ Seahawks. Wells also moved some of this better athletes to WR positions in spring, hoping to find a complement for highlight-reel JoJo Nelson, a 5'7, 151-lb. electron who caught 59 passes a year ago and was the only player in the country last season to record multiple TDs via rushing (three), receiving (two), and returns (two punt returns). The kicking game appears in good hands (or feet, we suppose) with sr. PK Nick Diaz, who nailed 17 of 23 FG attempts a year ago.

Where the returning starter angle might cause concern is along the OL, as only one regular (the deceivingly-named LT Kevin Whimpey) returns from 2013. Wells, however, was encouraged with what he saw in spring work. "Our guys are talented," said Wells of his new-look OL. "They're just youthful and inexperienced." Still, MW sources indicate that replacing key C Tyler Larsen (in the Miami Dolphins' camp this summer) could be a tall order.

The real legacy left behind in Logan by Andersen was a defensive monster that was his creation and passed on to new d.c. Todd Orlando a year ago. The Orlando version of the 3-4 "D" posted similar impressive numbers, including top ten national rankings in scoring (7th at 17.1 ppg) and rushing (8th at 107 ypg). The returning starter number (four) for this platoon deceives as well, with several holdovers having rotated in and out of the lineup a year ago.

Still, there are some potential areas of concern, including up front, where DE B.J. Larsen is the only returning starter on the line, and the secondary, which graduated four starters. The D-backs still have an upper-class look about them however, with three seniors in the projected starter mix, with FS Brian Suite the most familiar with live action. The strength of the platoon again figures to be an active LB corps featuring a pair of All-MW selections, OLB Kyler Fackwell and ILB Zach Vigil.

For our purposes, especially noteworthy about the Ags has been their pointspread prowess, with both Andersen and Wells, covering 20 of 27 chances the past two seasons. Being hidden in Cache County is apparently preventing the oddsmakers from placing too much of a premium on this notorious overachiever vs. the number.

The 2014 schedule is fairly intriguing, with an opening game at Tennessee, a rare visit to Logan by an ACC school (Wake Forest), and trips to Arkansas State and BYU. The Utags also trek to Colorado State and Boise in MW Mountain showdowns, but miss what figures to be the top three teams (Fresno, Nevada, and San Diego State) from the Western half of the loop. Anything less than another bowl bid would be a major letdown, and a repeat of last fall's Mountain Division title (which the Utags won in 2013, essentially without Keeton) would come as no surprise.

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Week 3 Premier League betting preview: Spurs have found their mojo
By SOCCER AUTHORITY

Resident footy expert Soccer Authority takes a look at the fixture list for the third week of the Premier League season, where Manchester United will look to reverse a dismal start and table-toppers Tottenham Hotspur look to continue its excellent form.

Devil of a start

It’s game week three in the Premier League and there is one thing we can say for sure, ‘United will win’! A bold statement but you only have to think about what the reaction would be if Man United were held or beaten away to Burnley.

Having already lost to Swansea, they drew with Sunderland and were embarrassed by MK Dons in the League Cup. This painful situation for United will force all eyes on Turf Moor this weekend with the old cliché of ‘a must-win game’ serving more purpose than ever before.

There will be goals!

A couple of other games will draw a wide audience hoping to see goals. Champions Manchester City host Stoke and with their recent goal-scoring form and win over Liverpool, you can be sure that City will want to put on another show. Stevan Jovetic will want the goalrush to continue and Aguero will no doubt add more misery to a very lack luster Stoke.

Everton take on Chelsea this week in Goodison Park. Although the Toffees have not put many points on the board, they have played very well in their two previous games. They have an excellent way of opening other teams up and are also very effective on the break. Their defense is their weakness and this can be exploited by Chelsea. Chelsea have enough firepower to cause havoc here and will want to keep up their impressive form.

There will also be goals due in London this week with Liverpool traveling down to take on Tottenham. The Reds will be hurting from their defeat to City last week and will certainly have the ability to put a few goals past Spurs. Nevertheless, Spurs have found their mojo recently and with the home crowd behind them, they could make this a real contest.

Injury watch

- It is looking like Chelsea’s Diego Costa could face a number of weeks on the sideline with a hamstring injury. This is a real shame as the Premier League fans were really enjoying Costa’s link up play with Cesc Fabregas. A blow for Chelsea but they have so much in reserve that they should be able to maintain their form for the next few weeks.

- Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has broken his tibia and has been ruled out for up to three to four months. This could be dangerous for Arsenal. They might be forced to move Alexis Sanchez into a more central role. Manager Arsene Wenger doesn’t have any plans to sign more players.

Swansea to continue their form

Swansea have really proven that they have grown as a Premier League club and they are here to stay! This week they host West Brom and should pick up maximum points on their home patch. Watch out for Wilfried Bony as this could be the perfect opportunity for him to get on the score sheet and show that last season was no fluke.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

EPL Best Bets - Week 3
By Toby Maxtone-Smith


The big game last weekend saw Manchester City put in a menacingly good performance as they dispatched Liverpool 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium. This was City at their rampant, attacking best. Every time they came forward you feared for Liverpool's defence, and the scoreline could have been higher. At present, City and Chelsea look comfortably the front-runners in the title race at this early stage.


The early leaders are, however, Tottenham. They beat QPR 4-0 in a fine display at White Hart Lane. Spurs were awful last season, but scraped sixth place and there is a new found optimism under Mauricio Pochettino. Otherwise there were wins for Chelsea, West Ham and Swansea.


Let's handicap Week 3.


The Banker: Newcastle United to beat Crystal Palace at 67/100


Newcastle have had a slightly underwhelming start to the season - they haven't scored yet and have only one point to their name, but they should get their campaign up and running with a home match against a Crystal Palace side in turmoil. Palace have just re-appointed Neil Warnock as their manager following Tony Pulis's shock departure on the eve of the new season. As much as he is a likeable and charismatic man, Warnock's Premier League record is poor.


If you take away the defensive solidity that Pulis gave them, the Palace side just looks Championship-standard. With off-field issues dominating events in South London, there has been little clear strategy in the transfer market. This disjointedness showed in the 3-1 home defeat to West Ham last weekend.


Newcastle's transfer business looks very good, with Remy Cabella, Siem de Jong and Daryl Janmaat all adding quality at reasonable prices.


The Solid Bet: Sunderland to beat Queens Park Rangers at 37/20


QPR have been pretty awful so far this season. They opened the season with an uninspiring 1-0 home defeat to Hull City, followed by a 4-0 thumping at Tottenham. And on Tuesday the West Londoners were knocked out of the League Cup by League 2 Burton Albion, 1-0. Three games, three defeats, no goals.


The most alarming thing about the loss at Tottenham was that they opted for a three-at-the-back formation. All three defenders, Richard Dunne, Steven Caulker and Rio Ferdinand, are very slow players and they were just carved apart by Pochettino's rampant Spurs. Harry Redknapp has never been the best at assembling defences, using the 'score more than the opposition' mantra. However his attack at QPR, the surely-departing Loic Remy aside, looks very ordinary. There is a sluggishness to the team, and even after a two year spell a few years ago, QPR still don't really look ready.


Sunderland were unlucky not to beat Manchester United at the weekend, and were excellent in a 3-0 win at Birmingham City in the League Cup. Their away form was decent under Gus Poyet and, on their day, they are a dangerous team going forward.


The Outsider: Burnley to beat Manchester United at 4/1


Manchester United's post-Ferguson nightmare got even worse on Tuesday as League 1 (English football's third tier) side MK Dons hammered United 4-0. United were a disgrace. It seems unbelievable that just 15 months ago they won their twentieth league title. Even with the additions of Angel Di Maria, Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera, there has still not been anywhere near enough rebuilding at the club. Painfully average players, such as Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Anderson, Nani, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia are still somehow at the club. Van Gaal's 3-5-2 experiment has been a disaster so far, and yet there seems no prospect of him dropping it soon.


Burnley are still pointless, but they have had a tough start and there have been encouraging signs among the losses. They gave Chelsea a good game first up, and troubled the Blues in the wide areas. Right-back Kieran Trippier and striker Danny Ings are their best players, and Turf Moor was something of a fortress last season. The Clarets lost only once there, and that was against league winners Leicester City, without their two best forwards.


The First Goalscorer: Mauro Zarate for West Ham United vs Southampton at 7/1


This match looks one of the hardest to call this weekend, but there is surely some value in Mauro Zarate, West Ham's new Argentinian striker, carrying on his good form from the Irons' 3-1 win over Palace last weekend. Zarate scored a lovely half-volley in that match and already looks like a great acquisition for the East Londoners.


He scored 18 in 28 for Buenos Aires-based Velez Sarsfield last year and knows English football a bit, having had a spell at Birmingham City in 200708. He has the pace to trouble a new-look Saints back-line and is worth a punt at the price.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Oral-B USA 500 Preview
By Micah Roberts

It feels like forever since we’ve had a NASCAR Sprint Cup race on a 1.5-mile track, but the last time was only June 28 at Kentucky which was the fifth of 11 that will run on the season.

Only two races remain before the 10-race Chase starts and while there are some great races going on to see who will be among the final 16 drivers making it, the only thing that matters right now is who is going to win Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

To get back into the mind frame of 1.5-mile racing, let’s check up on how the first five races on them went this season. The scoreboard so far reads: Penske Racing 3, everyone else 2. Brad Keselowski won at Las Vegas and Kentucky while Joey Logano won at Texas. Jeff Gordon won at Kansas and Jimmie Johnson took the checkers at Charlotte. Of those five tracks, Atlanta resembles its sister-track Texas the most.

Those four drivers, each with three wins a piece on the season, have been the big dogs all year. Dale Earnhardt Jr., also with three wins, is in that category as well with three top-5 finishes on the 1.5s this season. Kevin Harvick, with two wins on the season, finished second at both Kansas and Charlotte.

Last season at this time, we knew Joe Gibbs Racing drivers had the edge coming in as they had won four of the five previous 1.5-mile races prior to Atlanta. On race day, Kyle Busch continued that JGR run by winning at Atlanta. Chances are that we will see a similar scenario this week with the Penkse drivers being the two to beat

Last season, Logano finished second in this race. He comes in fresh off his Saturday night win at Bristol and should be primed to get his fourth win of the season this week.

Gordon is a five-time winner at Atlanta, the last coming in 2011. The first Cup start of his career came in 1992 at Atlanta, which ironically was the final race of Richard Petty’s great career. It was kind of like a NASCAR royalty torch being passed on.

In 2001, when Gordon only had three ATL wins, he finished 0.006 second behind rookie Kevin Harvick in the closest margin of victory in track history. That was a tumultuous time in NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt had just passed away and it was Harvick’s third career Cup start and he was taking over Earnhardt’s RCR ride.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. cars driven by Michael Waltrip and Steve Park won the first two Cup races of the season. Harvick won the fourth race at Atlanta and mixed between the odd supernational vibe is Gordon winning at Las Vegas in the third race of the season. Later on, Dale Jr. would win at Daytona in the ultimate tribute to his father. And then a few months later, Gordon would win his fourth and final season championship.

Adding to the lore of that era when Harvick began his career with such a splash is that he has not won at Atlanta since. He’s been ninth or better in six of his last seven Atlanta starts, but surprisingly no wins since 2001. Expect Harvick will be very good this week.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #22 Joey Logano (8/1)
2) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
3) #2 Brad Keselowski (8/1)
4) #4 Kevin Harvick (7/1)
5) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8/1)

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Bettors split between Liverpool-Tottenham
By JUSTIN HARTLING

Though it is early in the Premier League season, Liverpool and Tottenham will go head-to-head in a huge match Sunday. Tottenham, who is currently second in this young season, are 2-0-0 and have yet to allow a single goal against. Liverpool will be looking to get on the right side of things with a 1-0-1 record.

With the game looking so tight, bettors have been divided. In spread betting Liverpool is seeing an ever so slight 51 percent backing advantage according to a Spokesperson from Pinnacle Sports. 1X2 betting has seen bettors are taking a slight lean towards Liverpool with the team seeing 37 percent of backing, Tottenham 24 percent and the draw seeing 39 percent.

Total betting is much more one-sided with the over seeing 78 percent.

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Utah State solid ATS vs. SEC competition
Stephen Campbell


The Utah State Aggies have had no problem covering for bettors against SEC competition recently, going 4-1 ATS in their last five games versus the conference.


The Aggies open their season against another SEC school - the Tennessee Volunteers - in Knoxville Sunday. Tennessee is currently a -5.5 fave with an Over/Under of 51.5.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Indians, Royals clash

Cleveland (69-64) at Oakland (74-60)

First pitch: Sunday, 8:05 p.m. ET

Line and Total: Kansas City -160 Cleveland +140, Total: 9

The Cleveland Indians look to inch back into the race for the final Wild Card spot in the American League as the Royals try to continue a bid at winning the AL Central division for the first time since 1985.

Cleveland has not really been able to find their groove this year and still sit four games out of the final Wild Card spot coming into this series. They have been turning it around of late, though, with victories in eight of their last 12 contests while winning or tying each of their last six series. To start the week, they defeated the White Sox over a three-game set, capping it off with a 3-2 win in Thursday’s rubber-match. OF Michael Bourn (.272) was a huge asset in the game, going 3-for-5 with two triples and a run while coming into Friday with a five game hitting streak in which he is 9-for-22 (.409) with three extra-base hits, two RBI and three runs.

Kansas City has taken the league by storm and with a record of 26-9 (.743) since July 22nd, have grabbed a 1.5-game lead over the Tigers coming into the series. They were able to take 2-of-3 against the Twins earlier this week, allowing just two runs over the first couple of games, but failed to get the sweep after a big 11-5 loss in 10 innings on Thursday. OF Alex Gordon (.282) did have a homer in the contest and has four long balls in his last eight games.

Two young guns will be on the bump for this matchup as 24-year old LHP T.J. House (2-3, 4.18 ERA) goes head-to-head with 25-year old LHP Danny Duffy (8-11, 2.47 ERA) of the host Royals. The road has not been kind to the Indians as they are a woeful 29-39 (.426) after Thursday while Kansas City is a solid 35-30 (.538) in front of their fans.

Overall in the past three seasons, the Royals hold a 26-24 edge against their division rivals and have pulled out five victories in six tries against them at home this year. Amazingly, 32 of their 47 games in the past three years have gone over the total; including 8-of-13 in 2014. In their last series, the teams combined for 11 homers in four contests as Kansas City won three times.

T.J. House has been a solid option for the big league club this year as they search for consistent starters. He has never been a top prospect in the minors, but has always showed consistency. In his 14 games (13 starts) with the Indians, House has been unlucky with batters hitting .344 BABIP as he has allowed 1.01 homers per nine innings. His 6.7 K/9 are decent, but he can by no means be considered a strikeout pitcher. Cleveland is 7-3 in House’s last 10 starts, but he has been able to go six plus innings just three times over those outings. He wasn’t able to get out of the fifth inning against the White Sox in his last start (August 26th) as he gave up five runs on seven hits while striking out four batters (1 walk).

He earned a win against the Royals in his only time facing them while allowing three runs on nine hits with three strikeouts (0 walks). DH Billy Butler is the only player on Kansas City who has multiple hits against House (2-for-3) while OF Lorenzo Cain is the only person with an extra-base hit (1-for-3, 1 double). Meanwhile, SS Alcides Escobar was 0-for-3 in the matchup with a strikeout.

Cleveland’s bullpen has been phenomenal and is 30-17 (.638) with a 2.79 ERA (1.18 WHIP) while successfully converting 32-of-48 (67%) saves coming into this series. Cody Allen (1.71 ERA, 18 saves) has been phenomenal in the closers role and has struck out 12.0 batters per nine innings while going 18-for-19 (95%) in his save chances.

Danny Duffy is finally living up to his potential and ranks third in the AL with his 2.47 ERA while putting up a tremendous 1.07 WHIP (6th in AL). The youngster has lost some of his strikeout ability (6.8 K/9 in 2014) as he attempts to harness his control but has seen his walk rate (3.1 BB/9) drop more than two walks per nine since last year. He has been very lucky, though, as batters are hitting an extremely low .231 BABIP on the season, but he has given up a mere 10 homers in 134.2 innings (0.67 HR/9). The Royals have come away victors in six of Duffy’s last seven starts as he has given up one or fewer runs in five of those games.

He’s faced the Indians five times (4 starts) in his career while going 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA (1.38 WHIP) and has had 28 strikeouts in 25.1 IP. OF Michael Brantley (4-for-10, 1 RBI) and 1B Carlos Santana (5-for-13, 1 HR, 2 RBI) have seen the ball well out of Duffy’s hands while 3B Lonnie Chisenhall and OF David Murphy are hitless between them in eight at-bats with four strikeouts.

Coming into this series, the Royals’ bullpen is 24-13 (.649) with a 3.50 ERA (1.27 WHIP) and are an amazing 42-for-51 (82%) in saves. They have not done as well at home, though, with a bloated 4.33 ERA (1.38 WHIP). Greg Holland (1.72 ERA, 40 saves) is one of the elite closers in baseball and has blown a meager two saves on the year while striking out 12.6 batters per nine innings.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Phillies, Burnett not coming through for backers
Stephen Campbell

It's been a tough year for the Philadelphia Phillies, but wins have been especially hard to come by with A.J. Burnett on the mound.

The Phils are an ugly 1-7 in Burnett's last eight outings, and he'll get the nod again Sunday when the Phillies face off against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Dillon Gee will start for New York.

The Mets are currently -127 faves with a total of seven.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Under trending in Twins-Orioles recent matchups
Stephen Campbell

When the Baltimore Orioles and the Minnesota Twins have gotten together recently, low totals have been the story. The Under is 4-1 in the last five meetings between the two clubs through Saturday.

They'll renew acquaintances in Maryland Sunday. The O's are presently -170 faves with an O/U of 8.5.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Blue Jays struggling behind Happ
Stephen Campbell

The Toronto Blue Jays have been ice cold with J.A. Happ on the mound, dropping all five of his last starts.

He'll get the ball once again when the Jays host the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre Sunday. Brandon McCarthy counters on the bump for the Yanks.

Sportsbooks currently have the Yankees as -120 road faves with a total of 8.5 for the AL East matchup.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

MLB

National League
Reds-Pirates
Cueto is 0-2, 6.35 in his last two starts.
Liriano is 0-3, 5.09 in his last four starts.

Cincinnati lost their last seven road games.
Pirates won seven of their last nine games.

Over is 5-2 in last seven Cincinnati road games.

Phillies-Mets
Burnett is 1-5, 7.29 in his last six starts.
Gee is 1-2, 4.66 in his last three starts.

Phillies won seven of their last nine games.
Mets lost eight of their last twelve games.

Under is 3-1-1 in last five New York games.

Marlins-Braves
Eovaldi is 0-3, 9.42 in his last three starts.
Wood is 3-0, 1.76 in his last four starts.

Marlins lost five of their last seven games.
Atlanta won five of its last seven home games.

Under is 5-1-2 in last eight Atlanta games.

Cubs-Cardinals
Wood is 1-2, 3.09 in his last four starts.
Lackey is 1-0, 3.15 in his last three starts.

Cubs won nine of their last fourteen games.
St Louis lost five of its last seven games.

Five of last seven St Louis games stayed under the total.

Rockies-Diamondbacks
de la Rosa is 2-1, 3.15 in his last three starts.
Anderson is 0-2, 9.69 in his last three starts.

Rockies lost four of their last five games.
Arizona lost ten of its last thirteen games.

Seven of last eight Colorado games stayed under total.

Dodgers-Padres
Ryu was 4-1, 2.33 in his last six starts before going on DL.
Stults is 3-1, 2.70 in his last five starts.

Dodgers lost three of their last five games.
San Diego won five of its last six games.

Last four San Diego games stayed under total.

Brewers-Giants
Lohse is 1-3, 6.12 in his last five starts.
Bumgarner is 3-1, 1.80 in his last five starts.

Milwaukee lost seven of its last nine games.
Giants won their last five games, allowing nine runs.

Five of last six San Francisco games stayed under total.

American League
Twins-Orioles
Nolasco is 0-3, 6.23 in his last four starts.
Chen is 1-0, 2.79 in his last three starts.

Minnesota lost ten of its last fourteen games.
Orioles won seven of their last eight home games.

Six of last nine Minnesota games went over total.

Bronx-Blue Jays
McCarthy is 1-3, 3.54 in his last four starts; Bronx scored five runs in those four games.
Happ is 0-4, 4.45 in his last five starts.

Bronx won seven of its last ten games.
Blue Jays lost four of their last six games.

Under is 10-4-1 in last fifteen Bronx games.

Red Sox-Rays
Buchholz is 0-3, 6.55 in his last seven starts.
Cobb is 7-0, 1.74 in his last eleven starts.

Red Sox lost ten of their last thirteen games.
Tampa Bay lost nine of its last fourteen games.

Six of last eight Tampa Bay home games stayed under total.

Rangers-Astros
Martinez iz 2-4, 6.61 in his last six starts.
Keuchel is 0-2, 4.18 in his last four starts.

Texas is 7-6 in its last thirteen road games.
Astros lost six of their last ten home games.

Five of last seven Texas games stayed under total.

Tigers-White Sox
Porcello is 2-0, 1.06 in his last couple starts.
Quintana is 0-3, 6.94 in his last four starts.

Detroit won six of its last eight games.
White Sox lost ten of their last twelve games.

Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Porcello starts.

Indians-Royals
House is 2-1, 3.33 in his last five starts.
Duffy is 4-1, 2.91 in his last seven starts.

Cleveland won 13 of its last 18 games.
Royals lost five of their last seven games.

14 of last 17 Cleveland games stayed under total.

A's-Angels
Kazmir is 2-3, 6.28 in his last five starts.
Shoemaker is 5-1, 1.64 in his last six starts.

Oakland lost 11 of its last 14 road games.
Angels won 14 of their last 18 games.

Under is 13-4 in last seventeen Angel games.

Interleague games
Nationals-Mariners
Roark is 1-1, 2.10 in his last four starts.
Iwakuma is 3-0, 2.25 in his last four starts.

Nationals won 14 of their last 18 games.
Seattle lost four of its last five home games.

Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Washington games.

Teams' record when this starting pitcher starts:
-- Burnett 11-17; Gee 7-10
-- Cueto 17-11; Liriano 10-13
-- Wood 14-13; Lackey 12-9/4-1
-- Lohse 17-9; Bumgarner 16-12
-- Ryu 14-9; Stults 10-16
-- de la Rosa 15-11; Anderson 9-8
-- Eovaldi 10-17; Wood 8-11

-- McCarthy 4-14/6-3; Happ 10-10
-- Nolasco 10-15; Chen 16-9
-- Buchholz 8-14; Cobb 10-11
-- House 8-5; Duffy 11-10
-- Porcello 16-9; Quintana 9-18 (0-5 last 5)
-- Martinez 6-12; Keuchel 13-12
-- Kazmir 18-8; Shoemaker 12-4

-- Roark 15-11; Iwakuma 14-8

Pitchers allowing runs in first inning:
-- Burnett 9-28; Gee 4-17
-- Cueto 6-28 (4 of last 6); Liriano 7-23
-- Wood 7-27; Lackey 6-26
-- Lohse 10-26; Bumgarner 7-28
-- Ryu 2-23; Stults 10-26
-- de la Rosa 9-26; Anderson 4-16
-- Eovaldi 11-28; Wood 6-19

-- McCarthy 6-27; Happ 3-20
-- Nolasco 10-25; Chen 9-25 (3 of last 4)
-- Buchholz 8-22; Cobb 4-21
-- House 5-13; Duffy 4-21
-- Porcello 9-25; Quintana 6-27
-- Martinez 7-18; Keuchel 6-25
-- Kazmir 4-26; Shoemaker 1-16

-- Roark 4-26; Iwakuma 5-22

Umpires
-- Chi-StL-- Over is 14-1-1 in last sixteen Morales games.
-- Cin-Pitt-- Last ten Reynolds games stayed under.
-- Mia-Atl-- Four of last five HGibson games went over.
-- Phil-NY-- Favorites won last seven Kulpa games.
-- Col-Az-- Under is 10-4-1 in Marquez games this season.
-- LA-SD-- Seven of last ten Fagan games went over total.
-- Mil-SF-- Nine of last twelve Hamari games went over.

-- NY-Tor-- Favorites won last five Fairchild games.
-- Det-Chi-- Seven of last ten Diaz games went over.
-- Min-Balt-- Last six Muchlinski games stayed under.
-- Bos-TB-- Over is 6-3-1 in last ten Estabrook games.
-- Cle-KC-- Over is 6-1-1 in last eight Emmel games.
-- Tex-Hst-- Under is 12-3-1 in Randazzo games this year.
-- A's-LA-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five Davis games.

-- Wsh-Sea-- Home side won last five Joyce games.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Purelock


top play mlb underdog CINCINNATI REDS

BAYLOR

[Can'tPickAWinner]

STATSYSTEMS SPORTS MLB REPORT

***** Sunday, 8/31/14 MLB Information *****
(ALL RESULTS VS. ML) - Against The Money-Line - and most recent, unless noted otherwise. Each and every day during the 2014 Major League Baseball season we will analyze all of your daily baseball action, featuring on hot and cold pitchers, hot and cold teams, over/unders and home plate umpire trends. We will also highlight some of our Highly-Rated (Situational & Match-up) Power Trends, along with some of our Situational Analysis (Betting Systems) that pertain to some of that days match-ups.
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MLB Betting News and Notes - Week #22
•Manny Ramirez's Iowa Cubs Tenure Is Over: Manny Ramirez left Des Moines as surprisingly as he came. The controversial slugger's tenure as a player-coach with the Iowa Cubs has come to an end, manager Marty Pevey said before Friday's game at Principal Park. Pevey said that Ramirez, who was placed on the disabled list Aug. 23 with a knee injury, went to Arizona to get an MRI. Pevey added that Ramirez's trip out of town has ended his season with Iowa. The Cubs began Friday with just four regular-season games remaining. "He's been awesome," Pevey said. "Done a great job. Been great in the clubhouse and he's been such a good teammate."

Ramirez, 42, was a dynamic figure on and off the field as one of baseball's most successful right-handed hitters of all time. He tallied a .312 batting average and connected on 555 home runs during parts of 19 big-league seasons. But those accomplishments were overshadowed by Ramirez's wacky behavior and run-ins with Major League Baseball's rules police. Ramirez was suspended twice for violating MLB's drug policy. In May, the Chicago Cubs shocked the baseball world when they announced that they had signed Ramirez to be a player-coach. His job was to help tutor some of Iowa's young prospects.

Ramirez made his long-awaited debut in Des Moines in June. With Ramirez playing behind most of the youngsters, fans saw only a glimpse of the slugger. He appeared in just 24 games, hitting .222 with two doubles and three home runs. Ramirez was a hit with fans, often generating loud ovations during his at-bats and catching ceremonial first pitches before the game. Pevey said Ramirez has plans to play winter ball. But outside of that, his future remains in question. "I'm sure it'll be how his body responds," Pevey said. "And the other thing is, can he find a job because I'm sure he doesn't want to play in triple-A again because the (Pacific Coast League) travel has just killed him."

•Yankees Tanaka Heading Back To New York With Soreness: Not saying this was inevitable, but it's certainly hard to be stunned by the news coming out of Toronto on Friday. After yesterday's 49-pitch simulated game, New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is experiencing some "general soreness" in his right arm and will fly back to New York. The Yankees said there is no doctor's appointment scheduled, and Tanaka said he's going back to New York to do some strengthening exercises in hopes of still returning this season. He said there's no real pain, mostly just soreness in the forearm and, really, throughout the arm.

•White Sox To Target Victor Martinez This Winter: The White Sox after the current season will bid farewell to the retiring Paul Konerko and outgoing free agent Adam Dunn. As such, they figure to have a vacancy at DH. One possible target to fill that role? As one source tells Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago, Victor Martinez, presently of the division-rival Tigers, may be of serious interest to the Sox. Martinez is indeed a seasoned and established bat. In this, his age-35 season he's batting a stellar .328/.395/.553 (158 OPS+) in 522 plate appearances, and he has 26 homers and 54 walks against just 38 strikeouts.

For his career, V-Mart owns an OPS+ of 124 across parts of 12 big-league seasons. Obviously, though, sudden decline is possible with a player of Martinez's age. He's wrapping up a four-year, $50-million deal with the Tigers. It's left to question whether the White Sox can contend in 2015 (this would be a contender's type of move, to be sure), but there's something to be said for plucking a frontline bat from one of the teams ahead of you in the standings. As with all things offseason put forth in the month of August, consider this to be: developing!

Around The League
--Toronto lefty J.A. Happ looks to reverse an ugly trend Sunday afternoon as the Blue Jays finish up a weekend set with the New York Yankees. The Blue Jays have lost each of Happ's last five assignments, though they haven't done him any favors - they've scored a total of nine runs in those games, resulting in a 1-4 Over/Under mark.

--Athletics right-hand starter Jeff Samardzija has done a "total" reversal since joining Oakland near the trade deadline. Samardzija is 7-3 Over/Under in 10 appearances with the A's going into Saturday's showdown with the host Angels; the 29-year-old was 7-10 Over/Under in 17 outings with the Cubs to open the season.

--Houston left-hander Dallas Keuchel puts a five-game Under streak on the line (2:10 PM EST) Sunday afternoon as the Astros entertain the rival Texas Rangers. Keuchel has allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts overall, contributing to a 1-7 Over/Umark mark in that span.

--Right-handed starting pitcher Clay Buchholz versus third baseman Evan Longoria will be a matchup to monitor (1:40 PM EST) Sunday afternoon when Buchholz's Red Sox tangle with Longoria's Rays. Longoria is just 7-for-34 lifetime against Buchholz, with one RBI along with 13 strikeouts.

--The New York Mets have placed second baseman Daniel Murphy on the 15-day disabled list with a right calf strain. New York has struggled in Murphy's absence so far in 2014, going 1-5 straight-up, 2-3-1 Over/Under and -359 units with him out of the lineup.

--The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled infielder Brent Morel from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned left-handed pitcher Jeff Locke to one of their minor league affiliates. Morel was expected to be available when the Pirates and Cincinnati Reds play Saturday. Morel was hitting .273 with four homers and 52 RBIs at Indianapolis. He appeared in 12 games earlier this season with Pirates and hit .143. Injuries to OF Travis Snider and 3B Pedro Alvarez forced the Pirates to shore up their bench.

--New York center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was not in the Yankees lineup on Saturday because of a sprained ankle. Left fielder Brett Gardner moved to center while INF Martin Prado got the start in left. Ellsbury, who injured the ankle sliding into home in the ninth inning on Friday, hit a two-run home run in a five-run seventh of the 6-3 New York win. It was the first home run left-hander Aaron Loup had allowed to a left-handed hitter in his career, which spanned a total of 233 at-bats.

--Before the start of the first game of a split doubleheader Saturday, the Chicago White Sox made three roster moves. They purchased the contract of right hander Chris Bassitt from Double-A Birmingham to start the second game. The White Sox optioned right hander Scott Carroll to Triple-A Charlotte and recalled LHP Eric Surkamp from Triple-A to be the 26th man on the roster for the doubleheader. Manager Robin Ventura said Carroll would be recalled soon and probably would remain in the rotation.

--Masahiro Tanaka heading back to New York with arm soreness. Not saying this was inevitable, but it's certainly hard to be stunned by the news coming out of Toronto on Friday. After yesterday's 49-pitch simulated game, New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka is experiencing some "general soreness" in his right arm and will fly back to New York. The Yankees said there is no doctor's appointment scheduled, and Tanaka said he's going back to New York to do some strengthening exercises in hopes of still returning this season. He said there's no real pain, mostly just soreness in the forearm and, really, throughout the arm.
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Betting Notes - Sunday

National League
•Phillies-Mets - 1:10 PM
--Burnett is 1-5, 7.29 in his last six starts.
--Gee is 1-2, 4.66 in his last three starts.

--Phillies won seven of their last nine games.
--Mets lost eight of their last twelve games.

--Under is 3-1-1 in last five New York games.

•Reds-Pirates - 1:35 PM
--Cueto is 0-2, 6.35 in his last two starts.
--Liriano is 0-3, 5.09 in his last four starts.

--Cincinnati lost their last seven road games.
--Pirates won seven of their last nine games.

--Over is 5-2 in last seven Cincinnati road games.

•Cubs-Cardinals - 2:15 PM
--Wood is 1-2, 3.09 in his last four starts.
--Lackey is 1-0, 3.15 in his last three starts.

--Cubs won nine of their last fourteen games.
--St Louis lost five of its last seven games.

--Five of last seven St Louis games stayed under the total.

•Brewers-Giants - 4:05 PM
--Lohse is 1-3, 6.12 in his last five starts.
--Bumgarner is 3-1, 1.80 in his last five starts.

--Milwaukee lost seven of its last nine games.
--Giants won their last five games, allowing nine runs.

--Five of last six San Francisco games stayed under total.

•Dodgers-Padres - 4:10 PM
--Ryu was 4-1, 2.33 in his last six starts before going on DL.
--Stults is 3-1, 2.70 in his last five starts.

--Dodgers lost three of their last five games.
--San Diego won five of its last six games.

--Last four San Diego games stayed under total.

•Rockies-Diamondbacks - 4:10 PM
--De La Rosa is 2-1, 3.15 in his last three starts.
--Anderson is 0-2, 9.69 in his last three starts.

--Rockies lost four of their last five games.
--Arizona lost ten of its last thirteen games.

--Seven of last eight Colorado games stayed under total.

•Marlins-Braves - 5:10 PM
--Eovaldi is 0-3, 9.42 in his last three starts.
--Wood is 3-0, 1.76 in his last four starts.

--Marlins lost five of their last seven games.
--Atlanta won five of its last seven home games.

--Under is 5-1-2 in last eight Atlanta games.
_______________________________________

American League
•Yankees-Blue Jays - 1:05 PM
--McCarthy is 1-3, 3.54 in his last four starts; Yanks scored five runs in those four games.
--Happ is 0-4, 4.45 in his last five starts.

--New York won seven of its last ten games.
--Blue Jays lost four of their last six games.

--Under is 10-4-1 in last fifteen Yankees games.

•Twins-Orioles - 1:35 PM
--Nolasco is 0-3, 6.23 in his last four starts.
--Chen is 1-0, 2.79 in his last three starts.

--Minnesota lost ten of its last fourteen games.
--Orioles won seven of their last eight home games.

--Six of last nine Minnesota games went over total.

•Red Sox-Rays - 1:40 PM
--Buchholz is 0-3, 6.55 in his last seven starts.
--Cobb is 7-0, 1.74 in his last eleven starts.

--Red Sox lost ten of their last thirteen games.
--Tampa Bay lost nine of its last fourteen games.

--Six of last eight Tampa Bay home games stayed under total.

•Indians-Royals - 8:05 PM
--House is 2-1, 3.33 in his last five starts.
--Duffy is 4-1, 2.91 in his last seven starts.

--Cleveland won 13 of its last 18 games.
--Royals lost five of their last seven games.

--14 of last 17 Cleveland games stayed under total.

•Tigers-White Sox - 2:10 PM
--Porcello is 2-0, 1.06 in his last couple starts.
--Quintana is 0-3, 6.94 in his last four starts.

--Detroit won six of its last eight games.
--White Sox lost ten of their last twelve games.

--Under is 5-2-1 in last eight Porcello starts.

•Rangers-Astros - 2:10 PM
--Martinez iz 2-4, 6.61 in his last six starts.
--Keuchel is 0-2, 4.18 in his last four starts.

--Texas is 7-6 in its last thirteen road games.
--Astros lost six of their last ten home games.

--Five of last seven Texas games stayed under total.

•Athletics-Angels - 3:35 PM
--Kazmir is 2-3, 6.28 in his last five starts.
--Shoemaker is 5-1, 1.64 in his last six starts.

--Oakland lost 11 of its last 14 road games.
--Angels won 14 of their last 18 games.

--Under is 13-4 in last seventeen Angel games.

Interleague
•Nationals-Mariners - 4:10 PM
--Roark is 1-1, 2.10 in his last four starts.
--Iwakuma is 3-0, 2.25 in his last four starts.

--Nationals won 14 of their last 18 games.
--Seattle lost four of its last five home games.

--Over is 5-2-1 in last eight Washington games.

•Incredible Stat of the Day
Colorado Rockies Jorge De La Rosa is 20-6 in his team starts against the money line (76.9%) versus teams averaging 2.75 or less extra base hits per game over the last two seasons. The left-hander has also logged an impressive 13-2 ledger in day games during the same time frame. De La Rosa will try to lead the Rockies to their first back-to-back road wins since a three-game sweep of San Francisco from June 13-15. Their 2-0 victory Saturday was just their fifth in the last 32 road games.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Arthur Ralph Sports

Free play Sun:Royals w/ Duffy -160