Sunday 7/19/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

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[superbeets]

CONCACAF Gold Cup TODAY 21:30

Trinidad

v

Panama

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		23/10	19/10	11/8	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ALL VENUES	RECENT FORM
–-ADHLNWNWAD​ Most recent​	0 - 1 0 - 3 1 - 0 2 - 1	HWHDALHDNDHD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Panama have drawn each of their last three matches 1-1

EXPERT VERDICT: Trinidad & Tobago have qualified impressively for the last eight and they should be boosted by the fact they should have held on to beat Mexico before grabbing a last-gasp 4-4 draw. Panama have struggled to get out of second gear and have yet to win a match. That seems unlikely to change.

RECOMMENDATION: Trinidad & Tobago
1

 

[superbeets]

CONCACAF Gold Cup Mo 20Jul 00:30

Mexico

v

Costa Rica

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT2		8/11	12/5	17/4	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ALL VENUES	RECENT FORM
HLHDNDHWADHD​ Most recent​	2 - 2 1 - 2 0 - 0 1 - 0	NLALADHDHDND​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Mexico have drawn five of their last seven matches

EXPERT VERDICT: These two look difficult to separate and while Mexico thumped Cuba 6-0, they showed their fragility when they conceded four goals against Trinidad & Tobago. Costa Rica have still to hit top gear, but they showed at last year's World Cup they can trouble any side and it could take extra-time to separate them from El Tri.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

WWE Battleground Odds and Betting Predictions for Sunday PPV
by Raphael Esparza



My WWE betting predictions have been profitable (the last two WWE PPVs were not good, going 7-5), but at WrestleMania I cashed 5 out of 8 matches with a plus-money winner on Randy Orton. In my last seven WWE PPV I am 31-12, and if you are going to place some cash on these matches I highly recommend betting them early because these numbers move quickly because of low limits. This is not a WWE prime PPV event, but again, these PPV's can provide some good betting opportunities, and if you can get a good number early you can make some Sunday evening quick cash. Battlegound should also setup some outstanding matches for the next PPV SummerSlam in late August and since SummerSlam is a bigger PPV, oddsmakers take a bit more action.



Here are the odds and my betting predictions - Odds Provided by 5dimes

WWE Tag Team Championship
Prime Time Players -180
The New Day +140
(end of broadcast ruling)


I had the New Day winning at Money in the Bank in June and lost that ticket as the Prime Time Players pulled off the plus-money winner. I would be shocked to see the belts change Sunday night, and if the Prime Time Players lose the belts I see them losing at SummerSlam. Granted, the New Day are fun to watch and play the heel so well I don't see them getting the belts back in St. Louis. Prediction: Prime Time Players, and here is another low moneyline and grab this number now because I wouldn't be shocked to see this number climb around -300.




Triple Threat Match
Ryback wins Triple Threat Match -280
Big Show or The Miz +200



I'm hearing this match might not happen due to a Ryback injury, but if this match does happen Ryback should win with ease. The fans are growing on Ryback, and his mic skills are improving. Again, if this match happens my prediction is easily Ryback.




Roman Reigns -130

Bray Wyatt +110

(end of broadcast ruling)



Roman Reigns dominated Bray Wyatt Monday night at RAW, so looking at Wyatt +125 looks very tempting. If Wyatt was facing anybody else besides Reigns I would say he wins, but I know for a fact that the suits in the back have bigger plans for Reigns. I don't see Reigns losing Sunday night, and this win will give him momentum heading into SummerSlam. This number opened Reigns -160 and quickly money came in on Wyatt, so getting Reigns -130 right now seems like a steal. Prediction again Reigns by Superman punch!



WWE United States Championship

John Cena -120

Kevin Owens -120

(end of broadcast ruling)



I'm really excited to watch this match, and I know this one will be the best match of the night. Cena's run with the United States title shockingly has been fun to watch, but the fun stops Sunday night. Owens stock is rising quickly in the WWE, and not only are his wrestling skills stellar but his mic work is nothing but hilarious. Owens just lost his NXT belt in Japan, but I see him getting the United States title Sunday night. This feud might continue at SummerSlam, and I do see Cena heading into bigger matches towards the end of the year. Prediction for this match is Owens, and the way the money line opened, looks like this match is a toss up.



WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Seth Rollins +120

Brock Lesnar -160
(end of broadcast ruling)



Upset match of the Night! All other websites, blogs, and forums are saying Lesner will be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but I'm leaning the other way. No disrespect to this PPV Battleground, but it's not a big PPV for the WWE. So why would you have a Heavyweight title exchange when you have a huge PPV in August? Brock Lesner will be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at the end of the year, but he will not get his belt back at Battleground. I'm calling out a big interference in this match, and after Seth Rollins takes a ride from multi 'Supplex Cities,' the interference will keep the belt on the waist of Rollins. Predictions again! Rollins will have the belt this Sunday night, but I only see him having the belt for another month.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Drivers to Watch - N. Hampshire

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
5-Hour Energy 301
Sunday, July 19th – 1:30 p.m. EDT
New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Loudon, NH
Odds to Win Race

After a dominant week for the Joe Gibbs racing team in Kentucky, the Sprint Cup Series heads to New Hampshire for the 5-Hour Energy 301; a race first held in 1993 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. There has been a ton of variance with the victors in this event with a new winner each year since 2010 while no one driver has owned the course. Jimmie Johnson (2003, 2010), Kurt Busch (2004, 2008) and Tony Stewart (2000, 2005) are all active drivers who have won more than once when hitting the 1.058-mile oval course made up of asphalt and granite.

The venue is often dubbed “The Magic Mile” and it allowed Brad Keselowski to come away with the win last year as he did so in 2:58:03 at an average speed of 108.741 MPH. His win was in an extended race due to a green-white-checker finish and is one of 33 in his career. Let’s take a look through the entrants this week and see who stands out as a competitor at this course.

Drivers to Bet

Jimmie Johnson (6/1) - This track is yet another that Johnson has been able to tame in his career, as one of the best drivers in history has three wins with 18 top-10s in his time at the venue with two of those victories coming in this particular event. He’s spent 4,758 laps in the top-10 (79.6%) which ranks second-best amongst the drivers and he is also second in quality passes (626). The 39-year-old is the current Sprint Cup Series leader with yet another spectacular season in which he owns four wins and has done worse than ninth just once over his last six times out. Each week Johnson could take the checkered flag, so feel confident when you go with him.

Denny Hamlin (12/1) - Hamlin has torn up this track in his 18 career visits, getting into the top-10 11 times, the top-five seven times and also has two wins. Those results have aided him in having a tremendous driver rating of 103.2 (third-best) and his average finish of 10.5 is second-best amongst his peers. He flies around this course at an average green flag speed of 125.064 MPH (sixth-fastest) and has been able to compile 570 quality passes (fourth-most). Hamlin has been all over the place in 2015 as he has done worse than 25th four times, but won at both Martinsville and the All-Star Race. He has done great in the past two weeks leading up to New Hampshire, getting a third at both Daytona and Kentucky and has risen into the top-10 of the Sprint Cup standings. Grabbing Hamlin would be going with a hot hand who has had tons of success at this track in the past.

Kyle Larson (20/1) - Larson hasn’t exactly been blowing anyone away this year with his performances, but he looks like he is on the right track with his car running well as evidenced by a fourth-place pole at Sonoma while winning the pole last week in Kentucky. Larson is one of the youngest racers in the circuit and much of his inconsistencies can be attributed to that fact, but he has had no issues in his first two visits to this track. In his limited experience here he has been in the top-five each time and already has 51 quality passes in that time. The youngster should be able to put things together and gain some consistency where he has done a phenomenal job in the past.

Carl Edwards (20/1) - Edwards does not exactly have the upside this week to get the win, but he should give himself the chance as he has been consistent here in the past. Over his 21 career visits, he owns a mere five top-10s, but still has tallied an impressive average finish of 14th. He has one of his 24 career wins this year as he took down Charlotte in late May and currently ranks 10th in the Sprint Cup Series. Edwards will hope to piggy-back off of an impressive showing last week where he ended in fourth, just his second top-10 of the year, and led for a single lap after beginning in 20th. If he can ride the momentum from Kentucky he will place higher than his usual at this track.

Paul Menard (100/1) - Menard is in the midst of his best season since coming to the Sprint Cup Series in 2003 as he sits in 14th with four top-eight finishes. He has come close to getting a second career victory with his first coming at the 2011 Brickyard 400, and although he has been unable to get into the top-10 at this track over his 16 career starts, his improved performances this year should allow him to jump up near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday afternoon.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

New Hampshire 301 Preview
By Micah Roberts

It's safe to say the new down force aero package we saw debut at Kentucky last week was a smashing success. It accomplished everything NASCAR wanted by slowing cars down and creating more passing which combined together was a win-win for all the fans.

Kevin Harvick, who had dominated the down force tracks prior to Kentucky, and finished eighth Saturday -- his worst on those types -- might not agree with the new package being a success, but consider that there were 2,665 green flag passes on Saturday night compared to just 1,147 on the same track last season.

Kyle Busch ended up taking control of the race to win for the second time this season and has eight races to make up gap of 87 points between he and the 30th-place car to become eligible for the Chase. All four of the Joe Gibbs drivers had the new package figured out as they all finished in the top-five.

Unfortunately, we won’t see the new aero package in the 10-race Chase. They’ll give it to us again for Darlington, but that’s it, which means Harvick can go back to running his dominating set-up again on the five 1.5-mile tracks during the Chase. NASCAR will raise the spoilers at Indianapolis and Michigan to create more drag, but the Chase will be decided with the aero package that the season started with which means more Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex, Jr. and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. domination.

This Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 will also be using the regular package and based on what we saw at Phoenix and Richmond, we shouldn’t expect to see too many drivers leading laps. I like to group Phoenix, Richmond and New Hampshire together simply because the crew chiefs do it for their set-ups. Many bring the same chassis’ to each if successful and because all three tracks are flat and range from 1-mile to ¾-mile in distance, we can apply them to each other to make odds and also as a basis for wagering strategies.

Between Phoenix and Richmond it was the Harvick and Kurt Busch show. Only four drivers led a lap at Phoenix with Harvick controlling the race leading 224 laps and winning his fourth straight race there. Busch was one of five drivers to lead a lap at Richmond, but he led 291 of the 400 to win. With the set-up being the same, those are the two drivers to beat this week.

It’s hard to throw away what we saw last week with the Gibbs drivers, and even the Penske duo of Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano running, but that’s got nothing to do with this week and we’ll have to save Kentucky data for Darlington.

Harvick finished third at New Hampshire last fall and won in 2006, which was also the year he swept Phoenix and won at Richmond as well. In 2004, Busch swept New Hampshire and has totaled three wins over 28 career starts. However, he hasn’t had a top-five there since 2010.

Keselowski and Logano were the only drivers other than Harvick and Jamie McMurray to lead laps at both Phoenix and Richmond this season and last season Keselowski won this race at New Hampshire and Logano won it in the fall. Logano won his first career Cup race at New Hampshire in a rain shortened event in 2009. Those two figure to give Harvick and Busch their stiffest competition on Sunday.

Other drivers that have fared well at New Hampshire over their careers include Johnson and Jeff Gordon who have each won three times. Gordon will be making his 41st career Loudon start and has raced in every Cup race the track has ever had in the Cup series. His last win there came during his magical 1998 season when he won 13 times.

Denny Hamlin has a 10.5 average finish over his 18 career starts that include two wins, the last coming in 2012. This is his type of race track. Just think of a bigger Martinsville, a place that he won at for his only win of the season. The one negative is that he didn’t run well at Phoenix or Richmond this season.

A wild card to watch out for is Kyle Larson who you should be able to get 20-to-1 odds with. In his first two New Hampshire Cup starts last season he finished third and second. He also ran well at Phoenix and Richmond this season. His teammate, McMurray, finished second at Phoenix and fourth at Richmond and could be worth a shot at 25-to-1 odds.

I don’t want to take Harvick and Busch this week even though all the data says they’re going to the drivers to beat, so I’ll roll with Logano. I'm also going to see what I can find on Larson and McMurray in any capacity with props and match-ups and maybe even a stab at odds to win if the price is high enough.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1): #22 Joey Logano (8/1)
2): #4 Kevin Harvick (5/1)
3): #41 Kurt Busch (7/1)
4): #2 Brad Keselowski (10/1)
5): #48 Jimmie Johnson (6/1)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Biffle's big idea: Different aero packages at same track
By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
Distributed by The Sports Xchange

LOUDON, N.H. -- Greg Biffle had a novel idea -- one that is unlikely to be implemented, but interesting nevertheless.

Given NASCAR's willingness to refine its competition package in effort to enhance the quality of racing, though, nothing is totally out of the question.

Whether feasible or not, Biffle posed the following hypothetical during a media session on Friday morning at New Hampshire Motor Speedway prior to Sunday's 5-hour ENERGY 301 (1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

"Do you know what would be perfect at Michigan would be we just run the first half of the race with the high downforce and run the second half of the race with the low downforce and see which half was better."

Last week at Kentucky Speedway, NASCAR introduced a new small-spoiler, low-downforce package that won nearly universal acclaim among drivers and produced one of the most exciting intermediate-track races since last year's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Next week at Indianapolis, and three weeks later at Michigan, NASCAR will try a higher-drag package with a nine-inch-tall spoiler (compared with 3.5 inches used at Kentucky) in an attempt to give cars a better chance to pass on those tracks.

Biffle's idea is to compare the results of both the low-downforce and high-drag packages under the same conditions at the same race track, a concept that's not as impractical as it might sound at first. Changing the key aerodynamic elements of the current Sprint Cup cars is a relatively simple process.

"I think it's definitely a bold idea, and the way these cars are, it gives us that opportunity for having the splitter and the spoiler and being able to adjust those fairly easily to change the package around," Biffle said. "Before, that was difficult to do, because we had a front valance on it, so you could never change the front downforce by changing that pan and the splitter.

"With them being able to change that around from track to track, it makes it fairly easy for the teams to switch out as well, so that's a positive. I like the idea of changing it around."

KYLE BUSCH: GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME

For a race car driver, winning often is enough to take one's mind off pain and discomfort, but even when he's not visiting Victory Lane, Kyle Busch says the residual effects of the crash that sidelined him for 11 weeks is certainly tolerable.

Busch broke his right leg and left foot in a Feb. 21 accident at Daytona International Speedway but has won two of his last three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts after returning to action at Charlotte in May.

"Winning cures all and it seems like last week at Kentucky (his second win), the good runs we had there, my foot has felt a lot better," Busch said Friday before opening Cup practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "(But) I wouldn't attribute it to that. Early on, I probably mentioned at Charlotte that I wasn't dealing with much pain, and I really wasn't. There's times where it flares up and it gets bad, and you have some good days and you have some bad days.

"The more and more we get going here, the more and more good days I seem to have. Just trying to get through the inflammation and stuff like that, that I had in my foot and ankle, and everything has gotten a lot better. To be honest with you, I feel 100 percent behind the wheel of the car, and I can push the brakes real well -- I think we saw that at Sonoma (his first win this year)."

The excitement of leading the race at the road course in wine country masked the discomfort Busch started to feel late in the race.

"I started to feel a little bit of pain with about 25 (laps) to go," he acknowledged, "but then you get the adrenaline to take over and get going when you're having a shot at the win, and you don't feel anything until the next day afterwards, when everything kind of calms back down.

"Last week at Kentucky, everything went real well, real smooth, actually. Got out of the car and walked around for all the media stuff afterwards and didn't really feel any ill effects. It's getting better."

NO PLACE LIKE (CLOSE TO) HOME

OK, it's a stretch.

The state of Massachusetts and roughly 180 highway miles separate Joey Logano's house in Connecticut from New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but if the driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford thinks of the Magic Mile as his home track, so be it.

After all, success and history are on his side.

Two of Logano's nine career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories have come at Loudon, most recently in last September's Chase race at the one-mile flat track.

So Logano returns to New Hampshire for Sunday's 5-Hour Energy 301 as the most recent winner here -- and as the runner-up in last week's event at Kentucky Speedway.

"Any time you come back to a race track that you won at, coming off a weekend that you had a really good run at in Kentucky, the confidence is high in the team," Logano said Friday before opening Cup practice. "I think that's good. That's what momentum is--it's just confidence. This is a race track that I've always loved coming to. I consider it my home race track. We were running second before we got crashed (in last year's July race), and then we came back and won the fall race.

"So it's a special place for me considering I started my first Cup race here and watched my first Cup race when I was seven here, so this is just a special place to come to and I've always enjoyed it. It's a tricky place. It took me a long time to understand what it takes to go fast, but lately the last four or five times we've been here we've had some fast cars, so I'm ready to go. I can't wait to get on the track."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

JIM FEIST

(929) Cleveland Indians

Your Bonus Play for Sunday, July 19, 2015 is in the MLB contest between the Indians and Reds in Cincinnati. Cleveland has a winning road record and the Indians are 5-2 in their last 7 road games. Indians righty Carlos Carrasco (10-7) has excellent stuff with a sizzling 122-23 strikeout to walk ratio. He is 6-2 on the road with a 3.29 ERA. The Indians are 4-1 in their last 5 road games vs. a right-handed starter and face Johnny Cueto. Cueto lasted just five innings Sunday, giving up five runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk in an 8-1 loss to the Marlins. The Reds are 2-6 in their last 8 vs. a team with a losing record. Cincy is 7-19 in their last 26 interleague games vs. a right-handed starter. Play the Indians.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

CAPPERS ACCESS

Phillies
Brewers
Red Sox

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

Marlins @ Phillies
Haren is 1-0 3.06 in his last three starts; six of his last seven stayed under.

Hamels is 0-3, 5.35 in his last six starts; over is 4-2-1 in his last seven.

Phillies won last two games with Miami; over is 5-2-2 last nine series games. Marlins are 2-13 in last 15 road games; under is 7-2-1 in their last ten on road. Phillies are 6-15 in last 21 games, 4-8 in last 11 at home; over is 15-4-1 in their last 20 home games.

Dodgers @ Nationals
Greinke is 3-0, 0.00 (35.2 IP) in his last five starts; five of his last six starts stayed under the total.

Scherer is 4-2, 2.08 in his last six starts; under is 8-2-1 in his last eleven.

Dodgers lost four of last seven games with Washington; under is 7-4 in last 11 series games. LA is 13-6 in its last 19 games, 7-2 in last nine on road,. Under is 12-3 in their last 15 road games. Nats won nine of last twelve home games; ten of their last twelve home games stayed under.

Cubs @ Braves
Arrieta is 4-0, 1.14 in his last five starts; under is 6-2-1 in his last nine starts at Wrigley Field.

Braves lost eight of last nine Miller starts (0-3, 4.58 in last six); four of his last five stayed under.

Cubs lost seven of last nine games with Atlanta; three of last five went over the total. Chicago lost four of last six games; under is 7-2-1 in their last ten on road. Braves won eight of last 11 home games; ten of their last thirteen home games stayed under.

Pirates @ Brewers
Locke is 1-2, 3.68 in his last four starts; five of his last six stayed under.

Jungmann is 2-0, 1.61 in his last four starts; under is 4-2-1 in his starts.

Pirates won five of last nine games with Brewers; four of last five games went under the total. Pittsburgh won 10 of last 16 road games, with five of last six going over total. Milwaukee is 7-8 in its last 15 home games; under is 7-3-1 in their last eleven home games.

Mets @ Cardinals
Niese is 2-1, 1.66 in his last three starts; four of his last five went under.

Cooney is 0-0, 4.82 in his four starts, three of which went over.

Mets lost four of last five games with St Louis (under 8-3-1 in last 12). NY is 5-4 in its last nine road games; 12 of their last 16 road games stayed under. St Louis is 7-9 in its last 16 games; under is 6-3 in their last nine home games.

Giants @ Diamondbacks
Bumgarner is 2-3, 3.29 in his last six starts; his last three went over.

Corbin is 1-1, 5.40 in his two starts (over 1-1).

Giants won eight of last nine games with Arizona; five of last seven went under total. SF lost eight of last ten road games; over is 22-7 in their last 29 road games. D'backs lost their last five games.

Rockies @ Padres
Kendrick is 1-3, 5.40 in his last six starts; over is 11-7 in his starts.

Cashner is 1-1, 3.05 in his last three starts; over is 7-1-1 in his last nine.

Colorado lost eight of last ten games with San Diego; four of last seven series games stayed under. Rockies lost nine of last 11 road games- five of their last seven games stayed under. San Diego lost six of last ten home games; over is 13-5-1 in their last 19 at home.

American League
Royals @ White Sox
Duffy is 1-0, 1.46 in his last two starts; four of his last five stayed under.

Sale is 2-0, 1.50 in his last three starts; under is 9-1-1 in his last 11.

Royals won nine of last 13 games with Chicago; under is 5-1-1 in last seven series games. KC is 12-7 in last 19 road games, but lost four of last six. White Sox won eight of last 12 home games; under is 15-3 in their last 18 at home.

Mariners @ Bronx
Hernandez is 2-2, 1.56 in his last five starts; under is 9-3-1 in his last 12.

Sabathia is 1-1, 6.04 in his last five starts; seven of his last nine went over.

Seattle lost seven of last eight games with Bronx; road team won 11 of last 12 series tilts- under is 5-3 in last eight. Mariners lost three of last five games; under is 9-2 in Seattle's last 11 road games. Bronx won eight of last 12 games; over is 11-4 in their last 15 home games.

Rays @ Blue Jays
Archer is 0-2, 6.75 in his last three starts; over is 5-0-1 in his last six.

Estrada is 1-2, 5.65 in his last three starts; four of his last five stayed under.

Tampa Bay won six of last nine games with Toronto; under is 5-1-1 in last seven series games. Rays lost eight of last ten road games. Over is 11-5-1 in their last 17 games. Blue Jays are 7-12 in last 19 games; under is 10-4 in their last fourteen home games.

Orioles @ Tigers
Gonzalez is 2-3, 5.74 in his last six starts; his last four all went over.

Detroit lost all five Verlander starts (0-2, 5.64); all five went over

Baltimore won four of last five games with Detroit; four of last six series games went over total. Orioles lost 11 of last 15 games; under is 8-4-1 in last 13 road games. Tigers lost four of last five games; over is 22-3 in their last 25 games, 10-1 in last eleven at home.

Rangers @ Astros
Gallardo is 4-2, 1.58 in his last ten starts; 10 of his last 12 went under.

Keuchel is 3-1, 1.80 in his last four starts; eight of his last 11 stayed under.

Texas won eight of last 11 games with Houston; nine of last 12 in series stayed under total. Rangers lost 17 of last 22 games; under is 9-3-1 in last 13 road games. Astros won nine of last 12 home games; six of their last nine games stayed under the total.

Twins @ A's
Milone wasn't happy when A's sent him to AAA LY before trading him to the Twins; doubtless this is special game for him- he is 3-0, 1.62 in his last six starts (under 4-1-1).

Chavez is 0-3, 5.82 in his last three starts; over is 5-0-1 in his last six starts.

Minnesota won five of last six games with Oakland; five of last eight series games went over total. Twins are 6-10 in last 16 road games, with last six all staying under total. A's are 6-9 in last 15 home games; under is 10-1-2 in their last thirteen home games.

Red Sox @ Angels
Rodriguez is 2-0, 2.08 in his last three starts; four of his last six went over.

Santiago is 2-0, 1.00 in his last four starts; under is 8-4 in his last 12.

Boston lost seven of last nine games with the Angels; seven of last ten games stayed under total. Red Sox didn't score the last two nights. Halos are 16-7 in last 23 home games, with last nine all staying under total. 5:00 game means shadows if it is a sunny day in Anaheim.

Interleague
Indians @ Reds
Carrasco is 2-1, 3.25 in his last four starts; eight of his last ten went over.

Cueto is 3-2, 2.85 in his last seven starts; three of his last four went under.

Cleveland won four of last five games with Cincinnati; four of last six series tilts stayed under total. Indians won six of last nine road games; six of those nine went over. Reds lost five of last seven home games.

Win-loss records this year for team with this starting pitcher:
Mia-Phil-- Haren 10-8; Hamels 8-10
LA-Wsh-- Greinke 12-6; Scherzer 11-7
Chi-Atl-- Arrieta 11-7; Miller 9-9
Pitt-Mil-- Locke 9-8; Jungmann 5-2
NY-StL-- Niese 6-11; Cooney 1-3
SF-Az-- Bumgarner 10-8; Corbin 1-1
Col-SD-- Kendrick 5-13; Cashner 6-12

Sea-NYY-- Hernandez 12-6; Sabathia 7-10
TB-Tor-- Archer 11-8; Estrada 6-7
Balt-Det-- Gonzalez 9-7; Verlander 0-5
KC-Chi-- Duffy 7-5; Sale 11-6
Tex-Hst-- Gallardo 9-10; Keuchel 13-6
Minn-A's-- Milone 7-4; Chavez 4-11
Bos-LAA-- Rodriguez 6-3; Santiago 10-7

Clev-Cin-- Carrasco 10-8; Cueto 10-7

Times this starting pitcher allowed a run in first inning:
Mia-Phil-- Haren 2-18; Hamels 6-18
LA-Wsh-- Greinke 5-18; Scherzer 3-18
Chi-Atl-- Arrieta 4-18; Miller 3-18
Pitt-Mil-- Locke 4-17; Jungmann 0-7
NY-StL-- Niese 6-17; Cooney 0-4
SF-Az-- Bumgarner 4-18; Corbin 0-2
Col-SD-- Kendrick 11-18; Cashner 6-18

Sea-NYY-- Hernandez 4-18; Sabathia 5-17
TB-Tor-- Archer 5-19; Estrada 2-13
Balt-Det-- Gonzalez 3-16; Verlander 2-5
KC-Chi-- Duffy 2-12; Sale 5-17
Tex-Hst-- Gallardo 6-19; Keuchel 3-19
Minn-A's-- Milone 2-11; Chavez 3-15
Bos-LAA-- Rodriguez 1-9; Santiago 4-17

Clev-Cin-- Carrasco 9-18; Cueto 5-17

Umpires
LA-Wsh-- Over is 4-2-1 in last seven Miller games (visitor 6-1).
Mia-Phil-- Under is 11-2-1 in last fourteen Tumpane games.
Pitt-Mil-- Five of last seven Hamari games stayed under.
Chi-Atl-- Six of last seven Timmons games went over.
NY-StL-- Seven of last eight Gibson games stayed under.
SF-Az-- Under is 7-2-1 in last ten Nauert games.
Col-SD-- Underdogs won 13 of last 19 West games.

Sea-NY-- Six of last nine Cooper games stayed under.
TB-Tor-- Four of six May games stayed under total.
KC-Chi-- Five of last seven Fletcher games stayed under.
Balt-Det-- Six of last nine Gonzalez games stayed under.
Tex-Hst-- Five of last seven Little games stayed under.
Minn-A's-- Favorites won 12 of last 14 Morales games.
Bos-LA-- Under is 6-3-1 in last ten Rackley games.

Clev-Cin-- Torres-- I've got nothing on this young umpire; looks like it is his first-ever MLB game behind the plate. .

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

British Open Odds - 3rd Round

The second round of the 144th British Open was called for darkness on Friday after the tournament was delayed by rain early in the morning.

More than 40 golfers will have to complete their second round early on Saturday before beginning third round play later that day if they make the cut.

One of those golfers will be leader Dustin Johnson, who is 10-under after 13 holes played in the second round.

Johnson was in the lead after Thursday's action at 7-under and was made the 11/4 betting favorite heading into Friday.

After partially completing Friday's round, Johnson is now a healthy 3/2 favorite to win the Open Championship.

Prior to the tournament, Johnson was listed as high as a 12/1 betting choice.

Right behind Johnson is England's Danny Willett, who is in the clubhouse already at 9-under. Despite the great start, oddsmakers at the offshore outfit have Willett listed at a 16/1 betting choice. The pre-tournament odds on Williett were as high as 125/1.

Golfers that could threaten Johnson are Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth at 7/1 odds while Jason Day is 8/1.

Bettors can wager LIVE throughout the event this entire weekend.

Tee times for Saturday are expected to begin at 2:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. BST) for golfers who need to complete the second round.

The cut is expected to be even par.

Latest odds to win 2015 Open Championship

Dustin Johnson 3/2
Adam Scott 7/1
Jordan Spieth 7/1
Jason Day 8/1
Louis Oosthuizen 25/2
Danny Willett 16/1
Zach Johnson 18/1
Justin Rose 25/1
Luke Donald 25/1
Hideki Matsuyama 28/1
Charl Schwartzel 30/1
Marc Warren 30/1
Paul Lawrie 35/1
Robert Streb 55/1
Retief Goosen 80/1
Branden Grace 100/1
Geoff Ogilvy 100/1
Jimmy Walker 100/1
Martin Kaymer 100/1
Paul Casey 100/1
Phil Mickelson 100/1
Sergio Garcia 100/1
Steven Bowditch 100/1
Patrick Reed 150/1
Anirban Lahiri 200/1
Russell Henley 200/1
Paul Dunne 300/1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Vegas pegs Dustin Johnson as the favorite ahead of Sunday at The Open
By STEPHEN CAMPBELL

Thanks to a wild day of Scottish weather, second-round play at The Open was suspended Friday. Heading into Saturday it's American Dustin Johnson who has the clubhouse lead at -10. "DJ" holds a one stroke lead over Englishman Danny Willett through 13 holes at St. Andrews and has been tabbed as a 7/4 favorite to hoist the Claret Jug at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.

Here's a look at the book's full list of odds:

DUSTIN JOHNSON 7/4
ADAM SCOTT 6/1
JASON DAY 8/1
JORDAN SPIETH 8/1
LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN 12/1
DANNY WILLETT 15/1
ZACH JOHNSON 20/1
JUSTIN ROSE 25/1
LUKE DONALD 25/1
MARC WARREN 30/1
PAUL LAWRIE 30/1
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA 30/1
CHARL SCHWARTZEL 30/1
ROBERT STREB 50/1
RETIEF GOOSEN 80/1
JIMMY WALKER 100/1
MARTIN KAYMER 100/1
PAUL CASEY 100/1
BRANDEN GRACE 100/1
SERGIO GARCIA 100/1
GEOFF OGILVY 100/1
STEVEN BOWDITCH 100/1
PHIL MICKELSON 125/1
PATRICK REED 150/1
RUSSELL HENLEY 200/1
ANIRBAN LAHIRI 200/1
PAUL DUNNE 300/1
FIELD (all others) 50/1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Second round suspended after rain delay at St. Andrews
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

The sun finally peeked out at the Open Championship on Friday after a three-hour, 14-minute delay caused by heavy rain that turned areas of the Old Course into small ponds.

The rains drenched the course at St. Andrews, Scotland, in the early hours Friday morning, filling up most of the 112 bunkers with water quickly.

Play was halted 14 minutes after the first group teed off at 6:32 a.m. local time. Play resumed at 10 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET), which set the tee times back and guaranteed many of the afternoon players would not finish their rounds until Saturday morning.

Royal & Ancient Golf Club president Peter Dawson was asked whether altering tee times to a multiple-tee start (No. 1 and No. 10) on Saturday was an option.

"The prospect of changing it during competition and doing a two-tee start is not something we are going to do," Dawson said.

The two-tee start occurred last year at the Royal Liverpool course due to inclement weather, but Dawson told the BBC that the design integrity of the St. Andrews course was a factor in the decision not to do it again.

"The order you play the holes on a links course is very important," he said.

After completion of the second round Saturday, play for the third round will begin but might not finish until Sunday, Dawson said.

"Our target is to finish on Sunday," Dawson said. "We do have the ability to go into Monday, but we certainly hope not to."

Thursday's first-round leader Dustin Johnson began Friday's play at 5:48 p.m. local time (12:48 p.m. ET) alongside Jordan Spieth, who is bidding to claim a third consecutive major victory. Johnson and Spieth finished 13 holes before play was suspended because of darkness with Johnson still atop the leaderboard at 10 under.

"We needed to play (late)," Johnson said. "The more we get done, the easier it is for the return. I feel great. ... I'll go and get a good night's rest and get back out here tomorrow."

Spieth walked off the course at 5-under and will complete the second round early Saturday morning along with 41 others.

Tiger Woods, who shot his worst round (76) on the Old Course as a professional in the first round, was at 5 over through 11 holes and in danger of missing the cut. He also will finish the round on Saturday morning.

The Open tweeted out a photo during the delay, showing a duck standing in a pool of water on the soggy course:

"Lovely morning on the Old Course ... if you're a duck."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Johnson leads as Open heads for Monday finish
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- With winds exceeding 40 mph, Dustin Johnson held a one-stroke lead after a stop-and-start second round at the 144th Open Championship on Saturday, forcing the finish to Monday.

The third round was pushed to Sunday and means the oldest championship in the world will have a Monday finish for the first time since Seve Ballesteros of Spain won at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1998.

The R&A, which conducts the tournament, allowed the second round to finally resume at 6 p.m. local time Saturday at the Old Course after a delay of nearly 10 1/2 hours because of the fierce winds.

Johnson holed a four-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole -- his fifth birdie in round two -- and shot a 3-under 69 to take a one-stroke lead over Danny Willett of England.

Saturday's play restarted at 7 a.m. local time, only to be halted just 32 minutes later.

"The wind affected every aspect of the game," said Johnson, who posted the 69 to back up his opening 65. "It was difficult to drive because of the crosswind and difficult to judge the distance to get the ball close to the hole, and putting was very difficult. Everything was a challenge.

"We were sitting around a lot, but I'm staying close at the Old Course Hotel and didn't have to spend a lot of time in the clubhouse. I got in a couple of workouts and spent the rest of the time in my room.

"It was their call to start in the morning, but I didn't understand why they stopped us because the conditions were the same as they were when we started."

Thirty-nine players still had to complete the second round when the day started, including Johnson and the winner of the last two majors, Jordan Spieth.

Play was suspended in the second round late Friday after torrential rains halted play on the Old Course, delaying the entire day by more than three hours.

Johnson had the lead at the first restart Saturday but took four shots from just off the green to get down for a bogey on the par-5 14th hole. He made par on the par-4 15th before play was suspended.

Willett, a two-time winner on the European Tour, didn't hit a shot on Saturday after recording a 69 on Friday after the rain delay.

Spieth, playing in the same group with Johnson, took three putts on the 14th hole to make par and had another par on the 15th. After play resumed, he bogeyed the 17th and birdied the 18th to shoot a 72 and is five strokes back at 5-under after two rounds.

"We should have never started in the first place," Spieth said after he walked off the 15th green when played was suspended.

Spieth is within reach of history heading into Sunday's third round.

"I still believe I can win this tournament," Spieth said. "I need a really solid round tomorrow, though, because Dustin is not letting up."

The green on the 11th hole in the morning proved to be unplayable as players would replace their ball after marking it, but the ball wouldn't remain still.

"Balls were not moving on the greens and while the conditions were extremely difficult, we considered the golf course to be playable," the R&A said in a statement. "Gusts of wind increased in speed 10-15 percent after play resumed. This could not be foreseen at the time that play was restarted and made a material difference to the playability of the golf course."

Paul Lawrie of Scotland, who won the 1999 Open at Carnoustie in a playoff after Jean Van De Velde of France self-destructed on the 72nd hole, also was caught in the late finish and posted a 70 that left him two strokes back in third.

Adam Scott of Australia, the 2013 Masters champion, shot 67 and was three strokes behind in a tie for fifth with Marc Warren (69) of Scotland, Zach Johnson (71), Robert Streb (71), Jason Day (71) of Australia and Louis Oosthuizen (70) of South Africa, who won the Open in 2010 at St. Andrews.

Amateur Paul Dunne of Ireland shot a second 69 and was four shots back in a tie for 10th with Luke Donald (70) of England, Retief Goosen (72) of South Africa and Hideki Matsyama (66) of Japan.

Phil Mickelson shot 72 and was tied for 38th, while Tiger Woods, who has won the Open Championship twice at St. Andrews, missed the cut.

NOTES: Tiger Woods shot a 3-over 75 in the finish of his second round, and with his Thursday round of 76 had a 151, seven shots over the cut line of even par 144. "I think I only made three birdies in two days," he said. "The golf course wasn't playing that hard." Woods also missed the cut in the U.S. Open, the first time he has missed the cut in consecutive majors since he turned pro ... Jordan Spieth has some work to do in his attempt to be the only golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win the first three majors of the year. He three-putted five holes Saturday, shot even-par 72 and his 36-hole score of 139 is five back of leader Dustin Johnson.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Open in for Monday finish due to high winds
Stephen Campbell

In what's becoming an inconveniencing trend at St. Andrews, second-round play at The British Open has been suspended due to high winds.

Play is set to resume at 4 p.m. local time. As a result, tournament organizers have decided to let round two play out Saturday with rounds three and four on Sunday and Monday.

The rare Monday finish marks the first time that's happened at The Open since 1988 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

Dustin Johnson, who still has three holes left to play in the second-round, is tied with Englishman Danny Willett at the top of the leaderboard at -9. Willett will not play again until Sunday after shooting a 69 in second-round action.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Disappointing start to weekend gets worse for Gordon
By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
Distributed by The Sports Xchange

LOUDON, N.H. -- To say the least, four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon was disappointed with his 23rd-place qualifying effort on Friday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Then came the first Cup practice on Saturday morning, when the weekend really turned sour for the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Halfway through the session in preparation for Sunday's race (1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN), Gordon backed out of his garage stall, waved on by one of his crewmen. Unfortunately, he backed right into the path of the oncoming No. 15 Toyota of Clint Bowyer, who caved in the right rear quarter panel of Gordon's car.

Bowyer had the right of way in a garage area congested with onlookers and pit carts, and the damage to the nose of his Camry was primarily cosmetic. The same couldn't be said of the right rear of Gordon's car, and his crew went to work immediately to repair the quarter panel.

Gordon got his Chevy back on the track in time for the start of Saturday's final practice. Gordon was 22nd fastest in Happy Hour with a lap at 131.017 mph.

"We're gaining on it," Gordon said. "I don't want to say it can't get worse, but I know it can, so I'm not going to say that. But, hopefully, this will all pay off for us tomorrow (in Sunday's 5-Hour Energy 301)."

SUAREZ STAYING FOCUSED ON XFINITY SERIES

As the NASCAR Xfinity Series season has progressed, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Daniel Suarez has become a fixture near the front of the field almost every weekend.

Inevitably, his strong performance (three top-seven finishes in the last six races) has raised questions about possible participation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next year. But Suarez would prefer to concentrate on the matters at hand.

"To be honest, I feel like I'm getting comfortable right now where we are right now in the NASCAR Xfinity Series," he said Saturday morning before qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "My focus and my goal is in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and I feel like I'm getting comfortable in this, and I think we're getting better on this.

"The big focus right now is in the NASCAR Xfinity Series -- some stuff in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as well -- but I really feel like we shouldn't think about something else right now because we can lose some focus. We have to keep working on what we're doing right now and try to be more competitive, try to win some races and then the opportunities will come."

POLE WINNER EDWARDS IS FAST IN RACE TRIM, TOO

New Hampshire pole winner Carl Edwards didn't miss a beat when his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team returned the car to race trim for Saturday's two practice sessions.

Edwards was third fastest behind Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson in the morning session. During Happy Hour, Edwards posted the top speed of the day, 133.110 mph, beating Harvick (132.397 mph) and Ryan Blaney (132.213 mph) for the top spot on the speed chart.

Kyle Busch, last week's winner at Kentucky Speedway, brought sustained momentum to New Hampshire. Busch posted the fourth-fastest speed in both Sprint Cup practice sessions.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by Chatsworth Consortium at Century Downs

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 6 - Post: 3:40 - 1 mile. PACE - Class Rating: 71 - Purse:$8600 - NW 6 RACES OR 44,000 LIFETIME


CONSORTIUM CHOICES


Chatsworth Consortium

# 2 TAJMEALLOVER 4/1


# 6 MOTHERS MELODY 3/1


# 1 G TS LADY JJ 6/1


TAJMEALLOVER looks to be our best wagering option in this competition. Overall markings appear very good. Can't throw out at this point. This outing could very well be controlled by this mare. One look at the avgerage speed rating will prove that. Certainly should be given a look based on the very nice speed rating earned in the most recent contest. MOTHERS MELODY - She's competing in fine form, recording formidable TrackMaster SRs. An excellent choice. It's sometimes tricky to consider on class alone, but this mare has among the finest class statistics of the group of animals. G TS LADY JJ - Century Downs has been playing to this harness racer's running style, we're looking for a very strong effort. Excellent win percent combined with recent good performances. We think she can handle this group.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by Chatsworth Consortium at Tioga Downs

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 11 - Post: 4:50 - 1 mile. PACE - Class Rating: 78 - Purse:$3700 - N/W $1,201


CONSORTIUM CHOICES


Chatsworth Consortium

# 3 FLYING COWBOY 5/2


# 4 PRINCE MARATHON 4/1


# 1 WILLY MUCHA 6/1


FLYING COWBOY sure does look ready to score. He has been doing work very well and the TrackMaster Speed Ratings are among the most favorable in the group. Good for a win bet just off the amazing prior class stats. Have to like this harness racer. Many harness players will recognize the exemplary speed fig in the last competition. Stacks up against any horse in this group of horses. PRINCE MARATHON - Have to love a entrant coming out of the Tioga Downs 4 post. The win stat is exemplary, way above normal. Many harness players will recognize the excellent TrackMaster SR in the last contest. Stacks up against any horse in this field of starters. WILLY MUCHA - He has very good class figures, averaging 83. Worth considering for a bet in this event.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by The Walker Group at Gillespie Cnty Fair

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 12 - Claiming - 870y on the Dirt. Purse: $3800 Class Rating: 49

QUARTER HORSE 870Y, FOR THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD WHICH HAVE NEVER WON TWO RACES. THREE YEAR OLDS, 123 LBS.; OLDER, 126 LBS. CLAIMING PRICE $4,000


RECOMMENDED CHOICES

The Walker Group Picks

# 3 HADTOBEHASTY 2/1


# 7 FOOSE ON THE LOOSE 6/1


# 6 LUCKBYJIMMINY (T) 5/2


HADTOBEHASTY is my choice. Is a solid contender - given the 55 Equibase speed fig from his most recent race. This pony has a terrific win percent in longer quarter horses. FOOSE ON THE LOOSE - Must be given consideration given the class of races run recently. LUCKBYJIMMINY (T) - Make a note that this horse runs with second time Lasix today.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Handicapped by The Walker Group at Gulfstream

Always check program numbers.
Odds shown are morning line odds.


Race 6 - Maiden Claiming - 6.5f on the Dirt. Purse: $14000 Class Rating: 68

FOR MAIDENS, THREE YEARS OLD AND UPWARD. THREE YEAR OLDS, 118 LBS.; OLDER, 123 LBS. CLAIMING PRICE $10,000.


RECOMMENDED CHOICES

The Walker Group Picks

# 10 LAURENTINO 3/1


# 9 UMBERTO 8/1


# 8 ROMA'S TIME 4/1


I've got to go with LAURENTINO. Might best this group here, showing decent figures of late. The extreme drop in company can only help out this horse this time out. UMBERTO - Is a definite contender - given the 57 speed figure from his most recent race. Has a strong shot for this race if you like back class. ROMA'S TIME - With a respectable 63 speed fig last time out, will unquestionably be a factor in this contest. Is difficult not to examine based on speed figures which have been respectable - 58 avg - of late.