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**Udog** · 05-10-2017, 04:35 AM

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Odds for the Players Championship this weekend in Florida:
7-1—Dustin Johnson
10-1—Rory McIlroy
12-1—Jordan Spieth
15-1—Sergio Garcia
20-1—Day-Rahm-Rose-Fowler-Matsuyama
30-1—Scott-Stenson-Thomas-Koepka-Casey

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings……..

13) Reds’ rookie pitcher Amir Garrett is 3-2, 4.25 in his first six major league starts, but was sent back to AAA by the Reds this week, to “manage his innings” according to the Reds. Teams don’t like younger pitchers to throw 20%+ more innings than they did the year before, they say it leads to injuries.

Here is what it really is: Cincinnati wants to manage Garrett’s service time, so they can keep him an extra year before he becomes arbitration-eligible. They’re pretty sure now that Garrett is a keeper, so they’re going to keep him in AAA for a few weeks, again to control his big league service time.

But here’s the thing; the Reds are in first place- you’d think that would matter to them, and they’d try to drum up some enthusiasm in the community, instead of sending a promising young pitcher down to save a few bucks down the road.

12) At one point last year, the Chicago Cubs were 40-16; as I type this, they’re 17-16 this year, so it isn’t inconceivable that the NL Central could be wide open this season.

11) Miami Marlins are having a hard time with Joe West’s umpiring crew this week; Don Mattingly got tossed the last two nights- last nite, he was told to take a hike in the bottom of the 1st inning, after Adam Wainwright had thrown 11 pitches. Christian Yelich got called out on an awful pitch and he got tossed, too. Marlins have injury issues; which makes Yelich getting tossed early even more damaging.

10) Orioles will be without closer Zach Britton (forearm) until the All-Star break, very bad news for them.

9) I wasn’t aware that starting pitchers work out after they come out of games; Kendall Graveman did his workout Monday night after his seven innings, then took a shower and put uniform gear back on to watch the 11th inning in the dugout as the A’s beat the Angels 3-2.

8) Astros 8, Braves 3—Houston scored five runs before they made an out in this game. Bartolo Colon is struggling badly this season- his ERA is 7.22. Tuesday was 15th anniversary of a game in 2002 when AJ Hinch homered off of Colon—Hinch is the Astros’ manager now.

7) Orioles 5, Nationals 4 (12)– This was 10th time since joining Washington that Max Scherzer carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, the most in the major leagues during that time.

Whatever Buck Showalter makes managing the Orioles, it ain’t enough. He is the best manager in baseball. Look at his pitching staff and explain to me how they’re 22-10.

6) Brewers 11, Red Sox 7—Eric Thames hit his 13th homer here; someone who is playing in Korea this year is going to get a major league look next year, based in part on Thames’ success in Milwaukee this season. Whatever he worked on in his three years in Korea, it sure as hell has worked for him.

5) Senators 4, Rangers 2—Couple of Canadian teams are still alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Ottawa advances to play the Pittsburgh-Washington survivor.

4) Spurs 110, Rockets 107 OT—Hard-fought game between two really good teams; Kawhi Leonard got hurt, which is huge going forward. Houston was only 16-48 on the arc.

3) Rangers-Sabres will freeze their butts off outdoors in Queens next winter on New Years’ Day, as the NHL Winter Classic comes to New York City. These events have been popular; I personally can’t think of a worse way to spend a winter afternoon than being outdoors.

2) Jonathan Simmons once paid $150 to try out for a D-League team; now he’s a key contributor for the Spurs. Is this a great country or what?

1) Former President Jimmy Carter came out this week and said he voted for Bernie Sanders for President; yikes. These are certainly strange times we’re living in.

**Udog** · 05-10-2017, 04:48 AM

Wednesday’s NHL Stanley Cup Betting Preview and Odds

Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals (-170, 5.5)

Series tied 3-3

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (57-24-7-5, 53-35 O/U): The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't thrilled with the path they've traveled to get to Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Washington Capitals, but the road ultimately has been kind at the end of their previous trips. Pittsburgh sports a perfect 5-0 record on the road in its previous Game 7 clashes heading into Wednesday's winner-take-all clash with Washington at the Verizon Center. Evgeni Malkin isn't letting his team's recent fortunes cloud his thinking as Pittsburgh has its third and final chance to record the fourth victory of the series. "We won three games before. It's just one more game," the 30-year-old Russian said on Tuesday, one day after scoring a goal to extend his point streak to five games (three goals, four assists) while increasing his playoff total to a league-best 18 points (five goals, 13 assists). Fellow forward Jake Guentzel extended his franchise record for goals by a rookie in a single postseason with his league-leading ninth on Monday and also tied Jaromir Jagr (1991) for most points (13) by a Penguins rookie in a single postseason.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (62-22-5-5, 42-37 O/U): While the Penguins' 8-7 all-time mark in Game 7s trumps that the Capitals (4-10), the latter boasts a 2-1 mark in series in which it has rallied from a 3-1 series deficit. Washington also boasts the presence of the appropriately nicknamed "Mr. Game 7" Justin Williams, who has recorded seven goals and as many assists and owns a perfect 7-0 mark in Game 7s in his career. Coach Barry Trotz was matter of fact with his response as to why he elected to "demote" Alex Ovechkin to the third line in favor of Andre Burakovsky. "Sometimes you just have to try because if you don't try then you may regret it in the end," the 54-year-old Trotz said on Tuesday, one day after the 22-year-old Burakovsky collected his second straight multi-point performance with a pair of goals in a 5-2 romp. Play-making pivot Nicklas Backstrom recorded his third multi-point effort of the series with a goal and an assist and has a team-leading 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in these playoffs and 24 in 24 playoff games over the past two seasons.

LINE HISTORY: The Capital opened as -165 home favorites in this Game 7 clash and they were quickly bet up to -170. The total hit the board at 5.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Penguins - D T. Daley (Questionable, lower body), G M. Murray (Out Indefinitely, lower body), D K. Letang (Out For Season, neck).

Capitals - No injuries to report.

TRENDS:

* Penguins are 5-0 all-time in Game 7 road games.
* Capitals are 10-3 in their last 13 vs. Metropolitan.
* Over is 4-1 in Penguins last 5 road games.
* Under is 8-2 in Capitals last 10 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
* Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Washington.

Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks (-125, 5.5)

Series tied 3-3

ABOUT THE OILERS (54-28-7-5, 39-46 O/U): Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl recorded a hat trick to highlight his five-point performance in Game 6 and increased his point total to 16 (six goals, 10 assists) in his last 12 games after being held off the scoresheet in his first four playoff tilts. The Oilers own a 6-3 all-time record in Game 7s, although they will play in their first since a 3-1 loss to Carolina in the 2006 Stanley Cup final. Draisaitl's five-point performance was just one better than that of Mark Letestu, who scored two goals and set up two others to increase his point total to 11 (five goals, six assists) in 12 postseason games. Captain Connor McDavid also has five tallies in the playoffs, but surprisingly saw his goal-scoring streak come to a halt in the lopsided victory on Sunday - not that the 20-year-old cares. "It's always a different story. It doesn't matter how we won Game 6, it just matters we won," McDavid said on Tuesday.

ABOUT THE DUCKS (53-26-10-3, 34-38 O/U): The Anaheim Ducks are no strangers to competing in Game 7s, it's just the results haven't been too friendly. With Game 7 losses in each of the last four years and a 2-6 overall mark in the series deciding contest, the Ducks look to alter their fortunes on Wednesday when they play the finale of their Western Conference semifinal set against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. Rickard Rakell scored a goal for the fourth consecutive contest and Corey Perry notched an assist to extend his point streak (one goal, four assists) to three games on Sunday. Injuries remain the primary concern for Anaheim, as Patrick Eaves (foot) was seen with crutches on Tuesday to all but officially rule him out for the fourth straight contest. Kevin Bieksa, who has been sidelined since the series opener, skated prior to practice and is generously listed as day-to-day while fellow defensemen Shea Theodore and Brandon Montour have received significant ice time in his absence.

LINE HISTORY: The Ducks opened as -135 home favorites for Game 7 and the public was all over the Oilers, dropping the moneyline to -125. The total opened at 5.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Oilers - D Andrej Sekera (Out Indefinitely, lower body), D Andrew Ference (Out For Season, hip), RW Tyler Pitlick (Out For Season, knee), D O. Klefbom (Probable, upper body).

Ducks - RW Patrick Eaves (Doubtful, lower body), RW Ondrej Kase (Questionable, upper body), D Clayton Stoner (Out Indefinitely, abdominal), D Kevin Bieksa (Questionable, lower body), D Simon Despres (Out Indefinitely, concussion), RW L. Shaw (Doubtful, lower body).

TRENDS:

* Oilers are 7-1 in their last 8 after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game.
* Ducks are 11-2 in their last 13 after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game.
* Over is 4-0 in Oilers last 4 overall.
* Under is 5-0 in Ducks last 5 after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game.
* Oilers are 4-10 in the last 14 meetings in Anaheim.

**Udog** · 05-10-2017, 04:52 AM

NHL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, May 10

Visitors won four of six Washington-Pittsburgh games; over is 6-3 in last nine games between these rivals. Penguins are 2-3 in last five games in this building. Washington won three of last four games after losing Games 1-2 at home; they’re just 3-4 in last seven home games overall. Pittsburgh is just 6-7 in its last 13 road games overall, 3-2 in playoffs. Caps are 5-21 on power play in series (they had two power play goals in Game 6), Penguins are 3-15. Washington is +67 in shots on goal in series.

Visitors won four of six Edmonton-Anaheim games in this series, but home side won last two; five of the six games have gone over the total. Two of Ducks’ three series wins came in OT- they were down 3-0 at home with 3:30 left in Game 5 at home, but rallied to win, which is why they’re still playing. Oilers won four of last six road games; over is 7-2 in their last nine games. Ducks are 3-2 at home in playoffs. Anaheim is 4-26 on power play in series (0-15 in last four games), Edmonton 7-25 (4-13 in last three games).

Second round NHL series
NY Rangers (-$150) vs Ottawa (+$130)
Ottawa 2-1
Ottawa 6-5 OT
NYR 4-1
NYR 4-1
Ottawa 5-4 OT
Ottawa 4-2
Senators win series, 4-2

Pittsburgh (+$110) vs Washington (-$130)
Penguins 3-2
Penguins 6-2
Wash 3-2 OT
Penguins 3-2
Wash 4-2
Wash 5-2

St Louis (+$110) vs Nashville (-$130)
Nashville 4-3
St Louis 2-1
Nashville 3-1
Nashville 2-1
St Louis 2-1
Nashville 3-1
Predators win series, 4-2

Anaheim (-$135) vs Edmonton (+$115)
Edmonton 5-3
Edmonton 3-2
Anaheim 6-3
Anaheim 4-3 OT
Anaheim 4-3 2OT
Edmonton 7-1

Home: 11-12 (31-34)
Over: 11-10-2 (24-31-10)

NHL

Wednesday, May 10

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Trend Report
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7:30 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 9 games when playing Washington
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 10 games at home

10:00 PM
EDMONTON vs. ANAHEIM
Edmonton is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
Edmonton is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Anaheim is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Anaheim's last 6 games when playing Edmonton

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**Udog** · 05-10-2017, 08:45 AM

NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, May 10

Edmonton @ Anaheim

Game 9-10
May 10, 2017 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Edmonton
11.089
Anaheim
12.622
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Anaheim
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Anaheim
-120
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Anaheim
(-120); Over

Pittsburgh @ Washington

Game 7-8
May 10, 2017 @ 7:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Pittsburgh
10.534
Washington
12.020
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
-180
5 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-180); Over

NHL
Long Sheet

Wednesday, May 10

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PITTSBURGH (57-24-0-12, 126 pts.) at WASHINGTON (62-23-0-9, 133 pts.) - 5/10/2017, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 30-40 ATS (-21.4 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5.5 over the last 3 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 62-32 ATS (+27.1 Units) in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 41-18 ATS (+4.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
WASHINGTON is 29-10 ATS (+11.7 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
WASHINGTON is 28-14 ATS (+2.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PITTSBURGH is 121-78 ATS (+5.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 78-46 ATS (+11.2 Units) second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 27-14 ATS (+7.5 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
PITTSBURGH is 52-29 ATS (+9.6 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 14-6 ATS (+20.7 Units) in road games when tied in a playoff series since 1996.
PITTSBURGH is 36-15 ATS (+14.4 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 30-11 ATS (+13.4 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 13-12 (+1.2 Units) against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PITTSBURGH is 13-12-0 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
11 of 21 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+0.6 Units)

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EDMONTON (54-29-0-11, 119 pts.) at ANAHEIM (53-26-0-13, 119 pts.) - 5/10/2017, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
ANAHEIM is 53-39 ATS (+11.1 Units) in all games this season.
ANAHEIM is 35-19 ATS (+5.0 Units) second half of the season this season.
ANAHEIM is 17-4 ATS (+10.2 Units) in home games when playing with 2 days rest over the last 2 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 25-14 ATS (+7.5 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
ANAHEIM is 18-6 ATS (+8.5 Units) in home games after a division game this season.
ANAHEIM is 245-184 ATS (+42.6 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
ANAHEIM is 15-4 ATS (+10.2 Units) after allowing 4 goals or more this season.
ANAHEIM is 12-3 ATS (+8.2 Units) after a loss by 2 goals or more in their previous game this season.
ANAHEIM is 25-7 ATS (+13.7 Units) in home games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game over the last 3 seasons.
ANAHEIM is 28-18 ATS (+5.0 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ANAHEIM is 18-10 ATS (+7.1 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
EDMONTON is 54-40 ATS (+3.4 Units) in all games this season.
EDMONTON is 35-21 ATS (+7.4 Units) second half of the season this season.
EDMONTON is 27-14 ATS (+7.8 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
EDMONTON is 21-8 ATS (+10.0 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
EDMONTON is 20-8 ATS (+9.6 Units) after scoring 4 goals or more in their previous game this season.
EDMONTON is 10-4 ATS (+14.7 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ANAHEIM is 13-7 (+4.3 Units) against the spread versus EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
ANAHEIM is 13-7-0 straight up against EDMONTON over the last 3 seasons
10 of 17 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+2.5 Units)

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Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 5/10

Wednesday's NHL Trends and Indexes - 5/10

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