Old Man Moyer on Mound Again: 

With a 5.72 ERA, 46-year-old Jamie Moyer is a middle-aged man with a middling ERA to match. He's even got a middling record, at 7-6.

Lately, though, the Phillies' results have been anything but mediocre with the southpaw on the mound. Moyer has won his last three starts, allowing six runs in 17.1 innings for a 3.11 ERA, and Philadelphia is 4-1 in his last five outings.

The veteran tossed 6.1 innings of one-run ball against the Mets last Saturday, leading Philly to a 4-1 home victory. So apparently, that Geritol for Men is pretty effective stuff. Will it hold up today against the visiting Reds? We'll go to the numbers to see how this matchup breaks down.

Philadelphia was a dismal 13-22 on its home field heading into a home set with the Mets last weekend. Since then, they've won five of six at Citizens Bank Park, including two of three so far in their four-game series with Cincinnati.

The Phillies have also controlled their rivalry with the Reds lately, going 8-3 in the last 11 meetings overall, taking six of the last eight in Philly. And with Moyer taking the ball, Philadelphia is on additional upswings of 6-2 against the N.L. Central and 24-11 with the lefty as a home chalk.

Cincy, meanwhile, is on losing streaks of 1-5 as an underdog and 6-14 versus winning teams. And although Micah Owings has gone 3-1 in his last four starts, winning two in a row, the Reds are on skids behind the righthander of 1-4 against winning teams and 2-6 on the highway.

Philly has four more games left in its 10-game homestand. If the Phils can keep it rolling, they could be on the brink of a .500 record at home by the time the weekend is up. Hard to believe it could take that long for a team that won the World Series last year -- and is somehow still leading the N.L. East this year -- to finally approach the break-even mark at home.

 Wednesday's Money-Go-Round Report: 

The Yankees just keep rolling along. Wednesday night, they held off the host Twins 4-3, giving the Pinstripes a 12-2 record in their last 14 games.

Better still, New York has won seven in a row on the highway. Plus, the Yanks are on a 21-6 tear against American League Central outfits.

On the flip side, Minnesota is just 15-38 in its last 53 games against the A.L. East.

 Thursday's Quick Hits: 

We'll finish it off today with another batch of baseball trends:

Red Sox hurler Brad Penny, facing the visiting Royals today, has a 2.20 ERA over his last five starts.

The Rockies are 25-7 in their last 32 games, and they've gone 12-3 in their last 15 at Coors Field, as they open a series with the Braves today.

Colorado starter Aaron Cook is 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his last six starts.

The Giants' Tim Lincecum has a 23-inning scoreless streak, and he's 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in eight home outings this season, with the Padres in town today.

The Rays are on a 12-1 tear at Tropicana Field, winning seven in a row there, as they continue their series with the Blue Jays.

Toronto ace Roy Halladay (10-2, 2.79 ERA) is 0-1 with a 4.85 ERA in two starts following a stint on the disabled list.

The White Sox are on a 9-2 upswing, and they've gone 16-6 in their last 22 contests, posting a 3.17 ERA and batting .290, as they complete a home set with the Indians.

The Cardinals' Joel Piniero has a 3.29 ERA in his last eight starts, though poor run support has left him with a 1-6 record in that span. Piniero is also 1-0 with a 3.26 ERA in three career starts against the Brewers, heading into today's contest in Milwaukee.

The Rangers, visiting Seattle, have won seven of their last eight overall, and they are 5-0 against the Mariners this year.

Seattle's Felix Hernandez is 4-0 with a sterling 1.20 ERA in his last eight starts.

• Al DeMarco, General Manager of VegasAdvisors.com and the featured handicapping analyst on SportsNet New York's Daily News Live, is a 25-year veteran of the handicapping industry. Get his daily advice and betting strategies at  VegasAdvisors.com

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