The Bum's 2014 Major League Baseball playoff schedule - Trends News -Best Bets !

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MLB
Long Sheet

Friday, October 3

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SAN FRANCISCO (89 - 74) at WASHINGTON (96 - 66) - 3:05 PM
JAKE PEAVY (R) vs. STEPHEN STRASBURG (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-2 (+2.7 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
6 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+5.3 Units)

JAKE PEAVY vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
PEAVY is 3-5 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 4.09 and a WHIP of 1.280.
His team's record is 5-6 (-4.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 8-2. (+5.8 units)

STEPHEN STRASBURG vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
STRASBURG is 3-0 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.10 and a WHIP of 1.172.
His team's record is 4-1 (+3.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-1. (+3.0 units)

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ST LOUIS (90 - 72) at LA DODGERS (94 - 68) - 6:35 PM
ADAM WAINWRIGHT (R) vs. CLAYTON KERSHAW (L)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 44-44 (-9.6 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
KERSHAW is 23-4 (+15.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
KERSHAW is 20-3 (+14.5 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less this season. (Team's Record)
KERSHAW is 45-16 (+24.4 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997. (Team's Record)
KERSHAW is 23-4 (+15.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 40-30 (+7.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WAINWRIGHT is 48-23 (+15.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LA DODGERS are 24-30 (-13.6 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 47-46 (-9.4 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
LA DODGERS are 6-13 (-9.7 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 4-3 (+0.2 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.8 Units)

ADAM WAINWRIGHT vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
WAINWRIGHT is 4-6 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 2.83 and a WHIP of 1.101.
His team's record is 6-7 (-1.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-9. (-5.7 units)

CLAYTON KERSHAW vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
KERSHAW is 5-7 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 3.69 and a WHIP of 1.305.
His team's record is 8-9 (-3.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 8-8. (-0.9 units)

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DETROIT (90 - 73) at BALTIMORE (97 - 66) - 12:05 PM
JUSTIN VERLANDER (R) vs. WEI-YIN CHEN (L)
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 90-73 (-4.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
DETROIT is 65-59 (-20.2 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 181-142 (-18.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 29-41 (-20.4 Units) against the money line in road games against left-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
DETROIT is 37-35 (-9.1 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
VERLANDER is 34-35 (-22.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
VERLANDER is 33-34 (-21.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BALTIMORE is 98-66 (+37.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
BALTIMORE is 37-22 (+12.0 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 51-31 (+15.4 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
BALTIMORE is 87-59 (+31.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
BALTIMORE is 76-47 (+33.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
BALTIMORE is 54-42 (+14.4 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
BALTIMORE is 46-27 (+25.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BALTIMORE is 32-15 (+20.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
CHEN is 51-36 (+14.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHEN is 19-8 (+11.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
CHEN is 9-0 (+9.2 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHEN is 17-9 (+9.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BALTIMORE is 16-29 (-20.5 Units) against the money line in home games in day games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 5-2 (+2.4 Units) against BALTIMORE this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.0 Units)

JUSTIN VERLANDER vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
VERLANDER is 9-2 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 3.43 and a WHIP of 1.152.
His team's record is 12-3 (+6.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-8. (-1.4 units)

WEI-YIN CHEN vs. DETROIT since 1997
CHEN is 1-0 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 4.91 and a WHIP of 1.182.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-0. (+2.1 units)

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KANSAS CITY (91 - 73) at LA ANGELS (98 - 65) - 9:35 PM
YORDANO VENTURA (R) vs. MATT SHOEMAKER (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 4-3 (+1.5 Units) against LA ANGELS this season
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.5 Units)

YORDANO VENTURA vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
VENTURA is 0-1 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 4.50 and a WHIP of 1.750.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

MATT SHOEMAKER vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
SHOEMAKER is 0-1 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 10.00 and a WHIP of 2.333.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-2. (-2.3 units)

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MLB

Friday, October 3


Bats, offense highlighting playoffs

Even though we are only three days into the MLB postseason, big bats have come out to sting books. The over is now 3-1 through the first four games in these playoffs.

Games have seen an average of more than 17 hits per game and 11 runs per game so far.

There are four games on the MLB slate Friday.

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MLB
Short Sheet

Friday, October 3

National League Division Series - Best of 5 - Game 1

San Francisco at Washington, 3:05 ET
Peavy: SAN FRANCISCO is 50-38 (+10.7 Units) against the money line after a win
Strasburg: 8-1 OVER (+7.1 Units) as a home favorite of -175 to -250


National League Division Series - Best of 5 - Game 1

St Louis at LA Dodgers, 6:35 ET
Wainwright: 20-11 (+12.2 Units) against the money line as an underdog
Kershaw: LA DODGERS are 15-19 (-10.1 Units) against the money line against NL Central opponents


American League Division Series - Best of 5 - Game 2 - Balt. leads 1-0

Detroit at Baltimore, 12:05 ET
Verlander: 13-6 OVER (+7.2 Units) when the money line is -100 to -150
Chen: BALTIMORE 16-29 in home day games


American Division Series - Best of 5 - Game 2 - KC leads 1-0

Kansas City at LA Angels, 9:35 ET
Ventura: n/a
Shoemaker: n/a

TSR = Team Start Record

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Strasburg gets Game 1 start in NLDS

October 2, 2014



WASHINGTON (AP) - Stephen Strasburg's postseason debut will come in Game 1 of the NL Division Series on Friday when he takes the mound at home for the Nationals against the San Francisco Giants.

The announcement by Washington manager Matt Williams on Thursday was no surprise: Strasburg was the team's opening-day starter and he's been much better at home than away.

In 18 starts at Nationals Park this season, Strasburg went 9-3 with a 2.56 ERA. In 16 road starts, he was 5-8 with a 3.82 ERA. Still, one of the right-hander's worst showings came at home against San Francisco. On Aug. 24, the last time the teams met, Strasburg left after only four innings, having allowed five runs.

Strasburg was held out of the 2012 playoffs by the Nationals to protect his surgically repaired right elbow.

Jordan Zimmermann, who threw a no-hitter in Sunday's regular-season finale, will start Game 2 at Washington on Saturday. Doug Fister will start Game 3 at San Francisco.

Williams would not say who his starter would be if there is a Game 4, although that is expected to be Gio Gonzalez.

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NLDS - Cardinals at Dodgers

October 2, 2014
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National League Division Series - Game 1
St. Louis Cardinals (90-72) at Los Angeles Dodgers (94-68)
First pitch: Friday, 6:35 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line and Total: Los Angeles -195, St. Louis +182, Total: 5.5

Two storied franchises, the Cardinals and Dodgers, open their best-of-5 NLDS with Game 1 in L.A. on Friday night.

St. Louis just barely edged out Pittsburgh for the NL Central title by going 10-5 since Sept. 12, and then clinching the division with a 1-0 victory over Arizona on the last day of the season. With an offense ranked eighth-worst in the league in runs (619), the Cardinals earned most of their victories with solid pitching which had an overall 3.50 ERA. Their hottest hitter coming into the postseason is 1B Matt Adams (.288 BA) who has gone 11-for-34 (.324) with three doubles, 3 RBI and four runs over his past nine contests.

Los Angeles played up to its potential in the 2014 campaign and beat out the Giants for the NL West title over the last series of the year. The team with the league's highest payroll finished the season on a high note with victories in eight of the final 10 games, including winning the final five contests. The offense had the best on-base percentage (.333) in all of baseball this year while scoring 718 runs (6th in majors). OF Matt Kemp (.287 BA) closed out the year in impressive form by going 12-for-30 (.400) with four home runs, 12 RBI and nine runs over his final eight contests. The pitching matchup will be a great one as RHP Adam Wainwright (20-9, 2.38 ERA) faces the best pitcher in baseball, LHP Clayton Kershaw (21-3, 1.77 ERA).

The Cardinals have not played well on the road this year with a 39-42 record (.481) and will be facing a Dodgers team which has gone 45-36 (.556) in front of their fans. Since the beginning of the 2012 campaign, L.A. is 14-11 in this matchup while going a solid 9-5 at home, including taking 3-of-4 games at Chavez Ravine earlier this season.

Bettors should keep an eye on the fact that the Dodgers are only 19-26 (.422) after two or more consecutive wins this season while going 50-27 (.649) after having won six or seven of their previous eight games over the past two seasons.

The Cardinals come into this game with no injuries, while SS Dee Gordon (hip) is listed as day-to-day for the host Dodgers.

Adam Wainwright has won 19 or more games in four of his past five seasons while pitching under a 2.95 ERA, and has thrown at least 198 frames in each of the past five years. His consistency has come from his ability to control the strike zone with a walk rate of 2.0 BB/9 in 2014 while holding batters to a mere 10 homers in his 227 innings (0.40 HR/9). Wainwright finished off the season in spectacular fashion, going 5-0 with a 1.38 ERA while having a 39:5 K/BB ration in five September starts. Despite a 4-6 career record (6-7 team record) against his opponent, Wainwright has a strong 2.83 ERA and 1.10 WHIP when facing the Dodgers.

He has lost his past three outings in this matchup despite allowing only six runs in 22 frames. OF Andre Ethier (9-for-33, 3 doubles, 2 HR, 6 RBI) has been one of the few L.A. players able to produce off of the ace, while 1B Adrian Gonzalez, OF Matt Kemp and SS Hanley Ramirez are a combined 12-for-66 (.182) with 15 strikeouts when facing Wainwright.

The relievers for St. Louis are 26-23 (.531) this year with a 3.62 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, and have been successful saving games in 55-of-72 (76%) attempts. Closer Trevor Rosenthal (3.20 ERA, 45 saves) allowed far too many free passes (5.4 BB/9) while holding opposing hitters to just 0.26 HR/9 and striking out 11.1 batters per nine innings.

Clayton Kershaw has been in a league of his own over the past few seasons with an ERA under 3.00 in each of the past six years while pitching to a mark better than a 2.00 ERA in each of the past two years. Amazingly, Kershaw improved on his 2013 Cy Young performance with a career-best 1.77 ERA, 10.9 K/9 and 1.41 BB/9 this season. He has kept 81.6% of runners on base in 2014 and forced 51.8% of balls in play to be hit on the ground, which are also both career-best marks. He has allowed more than three runs just once on the year and was a perfect 5-0 with a 1.95 ERA over the final month of the regular season.

Kershaw has actually not done too well against the Cardinals in his career, going 5-7 (8-9 team record) with a 3.69 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, but he did throw a quality start in both of his outings this year, including seven shutout innings with 13 K's at Dodger Stadium on June 29. OF Peter Bourjos (4-for-11, 1 HR, 2 RBI) is the only player on the St. Louis roster with a homer against the lefty while OF Matt Holliday (9-for-35, 10 K's, 10 BB's) and 3B Matt Carpenter (5-for-18, 4 K's) have been decent in the matchup.

In the regular season, L.A.’s bullpen was a subpar 18-24 (.429) with a 3.80 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, while going 47-for-61 (77%) in save opportunities. Closer Kenley Jansen (2.76 ERA, 44 saves) struck out a wealth of batters (13.9 K/9) and was on the losing side of batters hitting .350 BABIP against him.

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2014 MLB Playoff Results

October 3, 2014


Overall Results:

-- Favorites are 1-3

-- Home teams are 2-2

-- The Over is 3-1

American League Divisional Series

Detroit vs. Baltimore

Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Detroit at Baltimore (+110) 12-3 Underdog Over 7

2 Detroit at Baltimore - - -

3 Baltimore at Detroit - - -

4 Baltimore at Detroit - - -

5 Detroit at Baltimore - - -


Kansas City vs. Los Angeles

Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Kansas City (+165) at Los Angeles 3-2 (11) Underdog Under 7 ½

2 Kansas City at Los Angeles - - -

3 Los Angeles at Kansas City - - -

4 Los Angeles at Kansas City - - -

5 Kansas City at Los Angeles - - -


National League Divisional Series

San Francisco vs. Washington

Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 San Francisco at Washington - - -

2 San Francisco at Washington - - -

3 Washington at San Francisco - - -

4 Washington at San Francisco - - -

5 San Francisco at Washington - - -


St. Louis vs. Los Angeles

Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 St. Louis at Los Angeles - - -

2 St. Louis at Los Angeles - - -

3 Los Angeles at St. Louis - - -

4 Los Angeles at St. Louis - - -

5 St. Louis at Los Angeles - - -


Wild Card

Wild Card Game

Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

AL Oakland at Kansas City (+100) 9-8 (12) Underdog Over 6 ½

NL San Francisco (-110) at Pittsburgh 8-0 Favorite Over 6 ½

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Friday ALDS, NLDS matchups watch list

October 3, 2014 8:57 am ET

Friday promises a bounty of playoff action, as all eight remaining teams will take the field. Let's have a closer look at each contest (schedule/scoreboard) ...

Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles, 12:00 pm ET, TV: TBS

Pitching matchup: Justin Verlander (206 IP, 4.54 ERA, 2.45 K/BB) vs. Wei-Yin Chen (185 2/3 IP, 3.54 ERA, 3.89 K/BB)

•Verlander for his career has allowed a line of .201/.246/.358 against current Oriole hitters. That's good, of course, but keep in mind that the 2014 Verlander hasn't been in vintage form. In two starts against Baltimore this season, Verlander has given up seven runs in 14 innings of work, striking out seven and walking five. He ended the regular season with back-to-back strong starts.

•The sample sizes are small, of course, but J.J. Hardy and Alejandro De Aza have each had some success in hitting for power against Verlander.

•Detroit hitters have put up a career line of .286/.423/.429 against Chen; however, that's across a total sample of just 26 plate appearances. Chen didn't face Detroit during the regular season.

•This season, the Orioles' offense ranks fifth in the AL in Weighted Runs Created+ (wRC+) against right-handed pitching. The Tigers are tied for first in the AL in wRC+ versus lefties.



San Francisco Giants at Washington Nationals, 3:00 pm ET, TV: FS1

Pitching matchup: Jake Peavy (202 2/3 IP, 3.73 ERA, 2.51 K/BB with BOS and SF) vs. Stephen Strasburg (215 IP, 3.14 ERA, 5.63 K/BB)

•In his career, Peavy has given up a slash line of .248/.265/.463 against hitters presently on the Nationals. Adam LaRoche has hit three homers against him in 14 career ABs. He hasn't faced the Nats in 2014.

•Giants hitters have a combined career line of .292/.342/.444 against Strasburg, but that's across a total sample of just 80 plate appearances.

•The Giants this season ranked third in the NL in wRC+ against RHPs, while the Nationals check in at fourth.

•Dating back to the 2012 NLCS, the Giants have now won eight straight postseason games.



St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers, 6:30 pm ET, TV: FS1

Pitching matchup: Adam Wainwright (227 IP, 2.38 ERA, 3.58 K/BB) vs. Clayton Kershaw (198 1/3 IP, 1.77 ERA, 7.71 K/BB)

•Hitters presently on the Dodgers have a line of .226/.267/.343 against Wainwright. In particular, Andre Ethier, who may be on the bench, has enjoyed a great deal of success against the St. Louis ace across 42 career plate appearances.

•Kershaw against current Cardinal hitters has allowed a line of .258/.345/.376, including postseason play. He's faced the Cardinals twice this season, and across those two games he allowed three runs in 14 innings, striking out 21 and walking three.

•Will Kershaw's missing roughly a month early in the season because of a back injury actually help him? Last season, some blamed mounting fatigue for his NLCS struggles against the Cardinals. Counting his two NLDS starts in 2013, he entered that series with a seasonal workload of 249 innings. This time around, he faces the Cardinals with, as listed above, just 198 1/3 innings of work behind him, so he figures to be much fresher.

•The Cardinals this season are tied for third in the NL in wRC+ versus lefties, while the Dodgers check in at tops in the NL in wRC+ against right-handers.



Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Angels, 9:30 pm ET, TV: TBS

Pitching matchup: Yordano Ventura (183 IP, 3.20 ERA, 2.30 K/BB) vs. Matt Shoemaker (136 IP, 3.04 ERA, 5.17 K/BB)

•The rookie Ventura has permitted a line of .400/.400/.480 against Angels hitters, but you can pretty much ignore that, as we're talking about a total sample of just 25 plate appearances. In his lone start against the Halos this season, Ventura gave up a pair of runs in four innings and struck out three against zero walks.

•Ventura, of course, is coming off a rough relief outing against the Athletics in the ALDS. That the Royals wound up winning the game probably reduces the chances of any "psychological carryover," but his command in the early innings is something to watch.

•Shoemaker, also a rookie, has allowed a line of .475/.477/.650 against current Royals. Most of that damage came in a June 27 start at KC, in which he gave up eight runs on 11 hits in four innings of work.

•I think pitcher wins and losses are almost uniformly usesless as stats go, but still: Shoemaker managed to notch 16 wins in just 136 innings and 20 starts.

•The Angels in 2014 ranked fourth in the AL in wRC+ against RHPs, while the Royals ranked 11th in that same category.

•Going back to the 1985 World Series, the Royals have won five straight postseason games.

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Playoff Record:


Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

10/02/14 2-*2-*0 50.00% -*450 Detail

10/01/14 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail

09/30/14 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail

Totals 6-*2-*0 75.00% +1550


4 - 1 ........ + 3.00.......*****

2 - 0 .........+ 4.00 ......Double Play

1 - 1 .........- 2.55.......Triple Play

0 - 0 .........- 0.00.......Grand Slam


Friday, October 3

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Detroit - 12:00 PM ET Detroit +105 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Baltimore - Over 7.5 500 TRIPLE PLAY


San Francisco - 3:00 PM ET San Francisco +163 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Washington - Under 6.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

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National League Game # 1


St. Louis - 6:30 PM ET St. Louis +171 500 TRIPLE PLAY

LA Dodgers - Over 5.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

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AMERICAN LEAGUE GAME # 2


Kansas City - 9:30 PM ET LA Angels -155 500 TRIPLE PLAY

LA Angels - Under 7 500 TRIPLE PLAY

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Playoff Record:


Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

10/03/14 6-*2-*0 75.00% +*2395 Detail

10/02/14 2-*2-*0 50.00% -*450 Detail

10/01/14 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail

09/30/14 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail

Totals 12-*4-*0 75.00%% +2550


4 - 1 ........ + 3.00.......*****

4 - 2..........+ 5.26 ......Double Play

4 - 2 .........+ 3.93.....Triple Play

0 - 0 .........- 0.00.......Grand Slam

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2014 MLB Playoff Results

October 3, 2014

Overall Results:

-- Favorites are 2-3

-- Home teams are 3-2

-- The Over is 4-1

American League Divisional Series

Detroit vs. Baltimore

Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Detroit at Baltimore (+110) 12-3 Underdog Over 7

2 Detroit at Baltimore (-120) 7-6 Favorite Over 7.5

3 Baltimore at Detroit - - -

4 Baltimore at Detroit - - -

5 Detroit at Baltimore - - -


Kansas City vs. Los Angeles

Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Kansas City (+165) at Los Angeles 3-2 (11) Underdog Under 7 ½

2 Kansas City at Los Angeles - - -

3 Los Angeles at Kansas City - - -

4 Los Angeles at Kansas City - - -

5 Kansas City at Los Angeles - - -


National League Divisional Series

San Francisco vs. Washington

Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 San Francisco at Washington - - -

2 San Francisco at Washington - - -

3 Washington at San Francisco - - -

4 Washington at San Francisco - - -

5 San Francisco at Washington - - -


St. Louis vs. Los Angeles

Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 St. Louis at Los Angeles - - -

2 St. Louis at Los Angeles - - -

3 Los Angeles at St. Louis - - -

4 Los Angeles at St. Louis - - -

5 St. Louis at Los Angeles - - -


Wild Card

Wild Card Game

Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

AL Oakland at Kansas City (+100) 9-8 (12) Underdog Over 6 ½

NL San Francisco (-110) at Pittsburgh 8-0 Favorite Over 6 ½

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SEC Showdowns

October 2, 2014


Florida at Tennessee

**Alabama at Ole Miss**

-- As of Thursday afternoon, most betting shops had Alabama (4-0 straight up, 1-2-1 against the spread) installed as a six-point favorite with a total of 52.5. The Rebels were +220 on the money line (risk $100 to win $220).

-- This is the biggest game in Oxford since LSU came to town with the SEC West on the line in Eli Manning's senior season (2003). It is the first time that ESPN's GameDay crew has visited The Grove, and it is undoubtedly the biggest game of Hugh Freeze's tenure to date. Is his Ole Miss (4-0 SU, 3-0-1 ATS) squad ready to deal with the bright lights and expectations that come with a marquee game such as this? We will find out Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on CBS.

-- Ole Miss nearly fell victim to what was a vintage look-ahead situation last week at home against Memphis. I made a late decision to take the Tigers as 21-point underdogs and that move was looking good deep into the fourth quarter. In fact, the Rebels were only ahead 7-3 going into the final stanza. With a 10-3 advantage at the 9:34 mark, Jaylen Walton ripped off a 23-yard touchdown run to put his team on top by a 17-3 count. With 1:18 remaining, Bo Wallace found Laquon Treadwell for a 17-yard scoring strike to lift the Rebels to a 24-3 victory and a fortunate push for their wagering supporters.

-- Ole Miss captured three wins before facing Memphis. The Rebels beat Boise State (35-13) at the Georgia Dome in Week 1, and then they smashed Vanderbilt 41-3 in Nashville. In the home opener two weeks ago, Freeze's bunch mauled Louisiana-Lafayette by a 59-15 count.

-- Alabama has wins over West Virginia (33-23 at the Ga. Dome), Florida Atlantic (41-0), Southern Miss (52-12) and Florida (42-21). This is the Crimson Tide's first true road assignment and it has had an open date for extra preparation time.

-- Nick Saban's team made mistakes galore in the first half of its last game against Florida at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Those miscues allowed the Gators to stay in the game and to pull event at 21-21 early in the third quarter. But it was all 'Bama from there as it coasted to a 42-21 victory as a 14.5-point 'chalk.' Blake Sims enjoyed a breakout performance, throwing for 445 yards and four touchdowns. Amari Cooper had 10 receptions for 201 yards and three TDs, while Derrick Henry rushed for 101 yards and one score.

-- For the season, Sims has connected on 72.9 percent of his passes for 1,077 yards with an 8/2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Cooper is the leading candidate to win the Belitnekoff Award, hauling in 43 receptions for 655 yards and five TDs in just four games.

-- Many factors go into the winning formula for both sides in this crucial SEC West showdown. But if there's one overriding factor for Ole Miss, it will be the play of its senior QB. Wallace has completed 71.0 percent of his passes for 1,271 yards and 11 TDs this season. However, he has been intercepted six times. If the Rebels are going to collect a groundbreaking 'W,' Wallace has to protect the football.

-- Laquon Treadwell, the true sophomore and former five-star recruit out of Chicago, has caught a team-high 20 balls for 307 yards and three TDs.

-- Ole Miss owns a 10-5-1 spread record in 16 home games on Freeze's watch. The Rebels are 3-2 ATS as home underdogs.

-- Since 2008, Alabama has cashed tickets at a 16-9 ATS clip as a road favorite.

-- The 'over' is 3-0-1 overall for 'Bama.

-- The 'under' is 3-1 for the Rebels, 1-1 in their home outings.

**LSU at Auburn**

-- As of late Thursday afternoon, most spots had Auburn (4-0 SU, 2-2 ATS) favored by eight with a total of 57. Gamblers can back LSU to win outright for a +250 return (risk $100 to win $250).

-- Auburn's 2014 resume consists of three blowout wins at home over Arkansas (45-21), San Jose State (59-13) and Louisiana Tech (45-17), in addition to a shaky 20-14 win at Kansas State, Gus Malzahn's team was fortunate to escape Manhattan with a victory. The Wildcats missed three field goals and blew a golden scoring opportunity deep inside the red zone when a TD pass was dropped and resulted in an Auburn interception. We should also note that the Razorbacks were tied with AU 21-21 at intermission.

-- AU quarterback Nick Marshall has 548 passing yards and a 6/1 TD-INT ratio. He has rushed for 273 yards and a pair of scores while averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Juco transfer Duke Williams has emerged as his new favorite target. Williams has a team-best 23 receptions for 357 yards and three TDs. Meanwhile, last year's top pass catcher Sammie Coates has been limited to five grabs for only 56 yards.

-- LSU (4-1 SU, 4-1 ATS) opened the season in Houston with a 28-24 come-from-behind win over Wisconsin. After blasting Sam Houston State and ULM by a combined score of 87-0, LSU got shocked at home by Mississippi State by a 34-29 count. The final score was actually misleading as the Bulldogs were in charge and ahead by a double-digit margin nearly the entire game, their first victory in Baton Rouge since 1991.

-- This is LSU's first true road assignment of the season. Likewise, this is freshman QB Brandon Harris's first career starting nod and it comes on the road at night on The Plains. Harris was announced as the new starter over Anthony Jennings earlier this week. Harris has completed 22-of-30 passes for 394 yards with a 6/1 TD-INT ratio. He has also run for 108 yards and three scores on just 16 totes.

-- LSU wide receiver Travin Dural has 21 receptions for 534 yards and five TDs. True freshman RB Leonard Fournette has rushed 56 times for 322 yards and four TDs. LSU is extremely deep in the backfield, but Fournette and Kenny Hilliard should get the bulk of the touches this weekend.

-- LSU is going to be without two key members of its secondary. Sophomore Dwayne Thomas, who had three sacks as a true freshman in 2013, was lost for the season in last week's 63-7 blowout win over New Mexico State Also, Corey Thompson is injured and out indefinitely.

-- Auburn is nursing injuries of its own, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Starting linebackers Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost are both listed as 'questionable,' but Gus Malzahn implied Wednesday that both are at least going to attempt to play. Another key defensive player, senior free safety Jermaine Whitehead, remains on indefinite suspension.

-- LSU has won three in a row over Auburn and six of the last seven. With that said, AU is 6-3-1 ATS in the last nine head-to-head encounters. When these rivals met in Baton Rouge last season, the Bayou Bengals captured a 35-21 win but failed to cover the number as 17-point home favorites. AU got a 12-yard TD run for Cameron Artis-Payne with 6:33 remaining to hook up his team's supporters with a backdoor cover. Marshall was intercepted twice at Tiger Stadium.

-- LSU is 6-7 ATS in 13 games as a road underdog during Les Miles's 10-year tenure.

-- Auburn owns a 6-3 spread record in nine games as a home favorite on Malzahn's watch.

-- The 'over' is 3-1 overall for Auburn, 3-0 in its home games.

-- Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

St. Louis at LA Dodgers
The Cardinals look to follow up last night's 10-9 win in the opener and come into today's contest with a 4-1 record in Lance Lynn's last 5 starts against the Dodgers. St. Louis is the pick (+150) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+150). Here are all of today's MLB picks.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4

Game 913-914: San Francisco at Washington (5:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Hudson) 13.662; Washington (Zimmermann) 15.138
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Washington (-210); 7
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-210); Over

Game 915-916: St. Louis at LA Dodgers (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Lynn) 16.405; LA Dodgers (Greinke) 15.398
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 6
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-170); 7
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+150); Under




MLB
Long Sheet

Saturday, October 4

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SAN FRANCISCO (90 - 74) at WASHINGTON (96 - 67) - 5:35 PM
TIM HUDSON (R) vs. JORDAN ZIMMERMANN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 96-67 (+8.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 96-67 (+8.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
WASHINGTON is 41-24 (+11.5 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
ZIMMERMANN is 45-19 (+19.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
ZIMMERMANN is 25-7 (+17.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
ZIMMERMANN is 45-19 (+19.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 90-74 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 45-38 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 29-18 (+18.2 Units) against the money line in road games in October games since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 38-26 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in day games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 90-74 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 60-44 (+12.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 51-38 (+12.5 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 20-17 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
HUDSON is 50-30 (+18.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HUDSON is 49-29 (+17.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HUDSON is 163-93 (+36.1 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 5-3 (+0.8 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
6 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+4.3 Units)

TIM HUDSON vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
HUDSON is 18-5 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 2.35 and a WHIP of 1.089.
His team's record is 21-10 (+6.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 16-15. (-0.0 units)

JORDAN ZIMMERMANN vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
ZIMMERMANN is 5-2 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 2.79 and a WHIP of 1.123.
His team's record is 5-3 (+2.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-2. (+4.0 units)

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ST LOUIS (91 - 72) at LA DODGERS (94 - 69) - 9:35 PM
LANCE LYNN (R) vs. ZACK GREINKE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 45-44 (-7.9 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
LA DODGERS are 29-10 (+15.4 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Saturday over the last 3 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 46-22 (+18.6 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
GREINKE is 42-21 (+15.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 24-6 (+14.2 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 42-21 (+15.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 45-20 (+18.1 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 22-8 (+12.4 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 197-145 (+16.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 153-100 (+27.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 41-30 (+8.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 22-13 (+10.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
LA DODGERS are 45-37 (-6.9 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
LA DODGERS are 45-37 (-6.9 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 4-4 (+1.2 Units) against LA DODGERS this season
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.8 Units)

LANCE LYNN vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
LYNN is 4-1 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 4.31 and a WHIP of 1.564.
His team's record is 4-2 (+2.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-4. (-2.5 units)

ZACK GREINKE vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
GREINKE is 10-5 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 3.39 and a WHIP of 1.186.
His team's record is 10-6 (+3.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-9. (-2.7 units)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, October 4

Giants-Nationals
Hudson is 0-4, 9.18 in his last four starts, but was 2-0, 0.73 vs Washington this season; he is 1-3, 3.46 in nine postseason starts, with last one in 2010; the win was in 2001.

Zimmerman threw no-hitter Sunday; Nationals won his last 11 starts- he is 6-0, 2.25 in his last seven starts. He beat Giants 6-2 August 23,, allowing two runs in eight IP. He allowed five runs in four IP in two postseason tilts (one start).

Giants are in playoffs for third time in last five years; they won World Series in 2010/2012. Giants lost six of last eight road games.

Washington won 13 of its last 17 games, eight of last 12 at home; they're in the playoffs for second time in three years, after not making it since they were the Montreal Expos back in 1981.

Hudson 18-14.........8-32 first inning
Zimmerman 23-9.......4-32 first inning

Cardinals-Dodgers
Lynn is 0-2, 2.33 in his last four starts; Cardinals scored six runs in four games. He allowed nine runs in eight IP in two starts vs LA this year. Lynn is 2-3, 6.57 in five postseason starts- he's pitched more in relief in the playoffs.

Greinke is 4-0, 2.37 in his last six starts, 1-1, 3.55 vs St Louis this season. He is 2-2, 4.30 in six career postseason starts.

St Louis is in playoffs for 4th year in row, 8th time in last 12 years-- they are 4-4 in last eight games overall, 4-6 in last ten on road.

Dodgers won five of last six games, scoring 45 runs; they're in playoffs second year in row, after missing the three years before that. LA has by far biggest payroll in baseball.

Lynn 19-14.........9-33 first inning
Greinke 19-13.............7-32 first inning




MLB

Saturday, October 4

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5:37 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. WASHINGTON
San Francisco is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing Washington
San Francisco is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Washington's last 10 games when playing at home against San Francisco
Washington is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against San Francisco

9:37 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. LA DODGERS
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of St. Louis's last 15 games when playing LA Dodgers
St. Louis is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of LA Dodgers's last 15 games when playing St. Louis
LA Dodgers are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against St. Louis

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Saturday, October 4


Dodgers' Greinke has plenty of history with Cardinals

After seven years across the state in Kansas City and two more years in the National Leauge Central with the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Zack Greinke has plenty of history with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Most of it is pleasant memories for Greinke. He is 9-4 with a 3.17 ERA in 14 career regular-season appearances against the Cardinals. It is more mixed in the postseason. He won two of three starts against the Cardinals in the 2011 (with the Brewers) and 2013 (with the Dodgers) National League Championship Series.

He will face them again Saturday in Game 2 of the NL Division Series between the Dodgers and Cardinals.


Zimmerman has been lights out entering playoffs

There is no doubt that Jordan Zimmerman has been great this year, but he ended the regular season as hot as any other pitcher in the majors. The rightie has gone 8-0 with a 1.77 ERA in 11 appearances since the start of August.

Those 11 games has seen Zimmerman strikeout 69 batters while only allowing 15 runs.


Hudson coming into postseason cold as ice

Before the all-star break, Tim Hudson was one of the feel good stories of the MLB season. However, his numbers have dipped and they reached their lowest point entering the postseason.

The elder statesman of the Giants rotation is 0-3 with a 10.97 ERA in his last three starts. Those starts consisted of 10.2 innings and 20 hits allowed.


Absentee offense puts Angels on brink

The Los Angeles Angels led the majors in runs scored during the regular season, but they managed only three runs total in losing the first two games of the American League Division Series to the Kansas City Royals.

While the Royals are pitching well, the Angels seem to be making it easy on them. The biggest holes in the Angels offense right now are Mike Trout and Josh Hamilton. Hamilton is 0-for-9 in the series, but it isn't a surprise to many.

Trout, though, seems to be pressing. He's still without his first career postseason hit, going 0-for-8 with two walks.

"I think it's unfair to focus on one guy in looking at us," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said when asked about Trout. "Mike's going to adjust and start squaring the ball up. He just needs to get in the box, see the ball and eventually he'll start hitting the ball hard again. We need him, no doubt."

Trout admitted the spotlight of the playoffs has affected him.

"You try to tell yourself it's nothing different," Trout said. "It's a bigger atmosphere, obviously, but we have to do a better job. I try to keep it the same, but it's definitely more hyped.

"There's obviously more pressure, but you can't put it on yourself. We've got to be relaxed, we can't be tight, just play loose and leave it on the line."

Scioscia held a closed-door meeting with his team in an effort to make sure the club does just that.

"Yeah, we got together and talked about a couple things," Scioscia said. "Naturally, (being down 0-2) is not the position we want to be in. Nobody has their head buried in the sand. We need a three-game winning streak, that's what we need to do."