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

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday, September 30

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Oakland - 8:00 PM ET Kansas City -102 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Kansas City - Over 6.5 500 *****

[Kaptain]

gl my BRUDDDA.........get um in.........thanks

[StarDust Bum]

A's at Royals AL wild card game rosters, lineups

September 30, 2014 2:15 pm ET

Jason Hammel and Danny Duffy are available out of the bullpen in the AL wild card game.Jason Hammel and Danny Duffy are available out of the bullpen in the AL wild card game. (USATSI)

Oakland Athletics at Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 8:07 p.m. ET. TV: TBS

The rosters are set and we'll have the lineups included in here once available for the AL wild card game between the A's and Royals Tuesday night.

Here are the bare bones.

*-denotes left-handed pitchers

Visiting A's

Lineup

1. Coco Crisp, CF
2. Sam Fuld, LF
3. Josh Donaldson, 3B
4. Brandon Moss, DH
5. Josh Reddick, RF
6. Jed Lowrie, SS
7. Stephen Vogt, 1B
8. Geovany Soto, C
9. Eric Sogard, 2B
LHP Jon Lester

Pitchers

Fernando Abad*
Ryan Cook
Sean Doolittle*
Luke Gregerson
Jason Hammel
Jon Lester*
Dan Otero
Drew Pomeranz*

Catchers

Derek Norris
Geovany Soto
Stephen Vogt

Infielders

Alberto Callaspo
Josh Donaldson
Adam Dunn
Nate Freiman
Jed Lowrie
Brandon Moss
Andy Parrino
Nick Punto
Eric Sogard

Outfielders

Billy Burns
Coco Crisp
Sam Fuld
Jonny Gomes
Josh Reddick

Home Royals

Lineup

1. Alcides Escobar, SS
2. Nori Aoki, RF
3. Lorenzo Cain, CF
4. Eric Hosmer, 1B
5. Billy Butler, DH
6. Alex Gordon, LF
7. Salvador Perez, C
8. Omar Infante, 2B
9. Mike Moustakas, 3B
RHP James Shields

Pitchers

Wade Davis
Danny Duffy*
Brandon Finnegan*
Jason Frasor
Jeremy Guthrie
Kelvin Herrera
Greg Holland
James Shields
Yordano Ventura

Catchers

Erik Kratz
Salvador Perez

Infielders

Billy Butler
Christian Colon
Alcides Escobar
Eric Hosmer
Omar Infante
Mike Moustakas
Jayson Nix

Outfielders

Norichika Aoki
Lorenzo Cain
Jarrod Dyson
Alex Gordon
Terrance Gore
Raul Ibanez
Josh Willingham

Obviously, what jumps out is the weird roster construction with just nine pitchers available on each squad. That's because this is a one-game "series" and rosters can be changed prior to the ALDS.

Snyder
AL wild card preview

What we've yet to really see in these games to this point is managers actually going all out and treating this as the do-or-die scenario it is. That is, why not just pull the starting pitcher at the first sign of peril in a close game and then play matchups? Why not pinch run for lesser hitters that don't run well in big spots, even if it's only the fifth inning?

Of note is that the Royals actually have three starting pitchers rostered behind starter Shields, in Guthrie, Ventura and Duffy. I would speculate that they are planning to be creative, but it's Ned Yost, so the guess is there was no creativity in mind and it's just in case of a marathon extra-inning game.

Hammel is the lone A's starter that is in the bullpen.

Also, I have no idea why Adam Dunn's power bat isn't in the starting lineup. This game could turn on one home run.

I do like the inclusions of Gore and Burns, giving each team a pinch-running specialist.

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: A's at Royals in AL wild-card game

September 29, 2014 2:41 pm ET


Oakland Athletics at Kansas City Royals, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 8:07 p.m. ET. TV: TBS

The 2014 MLB playoffs begin Tuesday night, when the A's visit Kauffman Stadium. It will mark the first postseason game in said venue since 1985. So, first and foremost, expect the crowd to be rocking all night long, assuming their Royals give them something to cheer for.

There is a historical oddity at play: The Athletics played in Kansas City from 1955-67.

Of course, that likely will have zero impact on the game, so let's focus on that.

Pitching matchup: Jon Lester (16-11, 2.46) vs. James Shields (14-8, 3.21)

Lester vs. Royals hitters: Lester went 8-5 with a 3.07 ERA on the road this season. He has only made five career starts in Kauffman Stadium, going 2-3 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. In 29 innings, he has not allowed a home run.

The Royals roster has a career line of .251/.336/.390 against Lester with 14 doubles and five homers in 258 plate appearances. Of the likely starters, Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, Omar Infante, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have seen Lester at least 15 times.

Butler (.143/.273/.179), Gordon (.160/.214/.240) and Infante (.150/.190/.150) have struggled, but Escobar (.353/.429/.471), Cain (.313/.353/.500) and Hosmer (.308/.471/.538) have fared well.

Bench player Jayson Nix is 8 for 26 (.308) with two doubles and three homers against Lester, so he could factor in late as a pinch hitter, should Lester still be in the game.

In 76 2/3 career postseason innings, Lester has a 2.11 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Last postseason, he was dominant for the Red Sox.

Shields vs. A's hitters: Shields was 4-6 with a 3.51 ERA at home, 10-2 and 2.97 on the road in 2014. Still, he has had plenty of good outings in KC.

Of the expected A's starters, only Adam Dunn, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie and Josh Reddick have at least 15 career plate appearances against Shields. They have a collective .217/.268/.309 slash line with five homers in 224 plate appearances.

Dunn has one of the homers, but overall he's hitting .200/.300/.286 against Shields. Crisp (.214/.241/.214) and Lowrie (.143/.136/.143) also have struggled. Reddick, though, has hit .318/.318/.864 with a double, triple, three homers and five RBI in only 22 at-bats against Shields. Josh Donaldson is only 2 for 9 (.222) against Shields, but has a home run.

In six career postseason starts, Shields is 2-4 with a 4.98 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.

Regular-season series: The clubs squared off seven times this season, with all seven games coming in August. The Royals won five of the seven, though they were outscored by two thanks to the two Oakland wins being blowouts (11-3 and 8-3).

What's interesting to note is that the two games the A's won were the two games Lester started. Of course, Shields started twice against the A's and the Royals won both of those. So something has to give here.

What to watch

• The long ball. Runs will be at a premium, so timely hitting is probably going to be what wins the game. A well-timed homer could be the difference. The A's have three players (Dunn, Donaldson and Brandon Moss) that have a good chance to run into one during any given game. The Royals, though, have zero 20-homer players.

• Can the A's score? Neither team is offensively strong at this point, but both pitch and defend well. The A's were once a great offensive team, but they hit just .228/.302/.316 in September and .223/.300/.345 in August. They averaged just 3.59 runs per game in those two months, scoring zero or one run 13 times.

• Bullpen management. It's do or die, so managers shouldn't stick to the book and should instead be creative. If there's a huge jam in the sixth inning for the Royals, for example, shouldn't Ned Yost bring in Wade Davis or Greg Holland? You want to win or lose with your best, not holding them back. Of course, Yost has made some arguably dubious decisions on this front of late, so the guess here is he doesn't stray from his gameplan of waiting for the eighth for Davis and ninth for Holland. It could come back to bite him, too.

Prediction: Lester dominates the Royals while the A's find a way to scratch and claw for two runs. 2-0, A's advance to the ALDS to face off against their division rival Angels.

[Udog]

Oh, boy! Playoff baseball! Good luck tonight, Bum! Thanks!

[StarDust Bum]

What a great game tonight DOG...............Good Luck to you also......

[StarDust Bum]

Playoff Record:

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

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

[StarDust Bum]

Pirates host Giants

September 30, 2014


SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (88-74) at PITTSBURGH PIRATES (88-74)

First pitch: Wednesday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line and Total: San Francisco -105, Pittsburgh -105, Total: 6

One game is all that separates the Giants and Pirates from moving on to the NLDS to face the Nationals, and the two 88-win clubs will meet Wednesday at PNC Park to determine which club extends its season.

San Francisco had a tough task in the NL West competing with the Dodgers, who have the highest salary in the majors, playing to their potential, but the Giants easily grabbed a Wild Card spot despite going 4-6 over their final 10 games. They did nearly equally as well on offense (665 runs, 12th in league) and in pitching (3.50 ERA, 10th in league) while finishing off the season on a high note with a 9-3 victory over San Diego. C Buster Posey (.311 BA) has been tremendous all year long and comes into this game after going 9-for-25 (.360) with a homer, 3 RBI and three runs over his final seven games.

Pittsburgh once again earned its way into the postseason after finishing with a 17-6 kick since Sept. 5, in which pitching reigned supreme by allowing a meager 1.7 runs per game in the victories. The Pirates had no trouble getting on base this year with the fifth-best average (.259) and third-best on-base percentage (.330) in the league. OF Andrew McCutchen (.314) has put together another phenomenal season and comes into this contest with an eight-game hitting streak in which he is 10-for-22 (.455) with two doubles, two home runs, 8 RBI and eight runs. The pitching matchup for this contest will peg LHP Madison Bumgarner (18-10, 2.98 ERA) of the Giants against RHP Edinson Volquez (13-7, 3.04 ERA) of the host Pirates.

San Francisco was solid on the road this season, going 43-38 (.531), but could have a lot of trouble against a Pittsburgh team that was 51-30 (.630) in the confines of its home ballpark. The Pirates have an 11-8 edge in this matchup over the past three seasons while going 6-3 at home and coming away victorious in 4-of-6 games this year. The Giants will be missing two of their veteran players for this one, as both 2B Marco Scutaro (back) and OF Angel Pagan (back) are out for the season, while Pittsburgh does not have any offensive players injured.

Madison Bumgarner has been extremely consistent over the past four years with at least 13 wins, 200 innings and an ERA below 3.40 each season. In 2014, he has struck out a career-high 9.1 batters per nine innings while posting a career-low walk-rate (1.8 BB/9) which has led to the most wins he’s had in a single season (18). The lanky left-hander has helped his team earn a win in six of his past seven starts, but did poorly his last time out against the Dodgers when he allowed four runs on six hits (3 HR) in 7.1 frames while striking out five (0 walks) in a losing effort. Over his four career starts against the Pirates, Bumgarner is 1-3 with a 3.24 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, and did not pitch well in his one outing against them this season (4 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 K's, 2 BB's).

Both 2B Neil Walker (3-for-9) and OF Josh Harrison (4-for-5, 1 HR) have done well in this matchup over limited at-bats while stud OF Andrew McCutchen is a mere 2-for-10 with a couple of strikeouts against Bumgarner. The Giants’ bullpen has been outstanding this season, going 32-14 (.696) with a 3.01 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while converting 46-of-64 (72%) save chances. Santiago Casilla (1.70 ERA, 19 saves) has a low strikeout-rate (6.9 K/9) for a closer and is 19-for-23 (83%) in his save opportunities on the year.

Edinson Volquez was a welcome surprise for the Pirates’ rotation this season, as he recorded his most wins (13) since 2008 and had a career-best ERA of 3.04. To put into perspective how much of an improvement this was, consider that Volquez has had an ERA of 4.30 or worse in four of the past five seasons while walking at least 4.1 batters per nine innings each year. In 2014, he has allowed a career-low 3.3 BB/9, but may have benefited from some luck too, as batters hit a woeful .263 BABIP against him. Volquez has been torched by the Giants in his 11 career starts, going 2-2 with a 5.72 ERA and 1.59 WHIP, while striking out an impressive 9.5 batters per nine innings.

Both 1B Brandon Belt (8-for-18, 1 HR, 5 RBI) and 3B Pablo Sandoval (6-for-13, 3 doubles, 3 RBI) have done well in this matchup, while SS Brandon Crawford (3-for-20, 7 K's) has done poorly, and OF Hunter Pence (7-for-36, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 16 K's) is all-or-nothing. Pittsburgh’s bullpen has been great this year, going 33-25 (.569) with a 3.28 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, but converting only 48-of-72 (67%) save chances. Closer Mark Melancon (1.90 ERA, 33 saves) has struck out one batter per inning while showing amazing control (1.4 BB/9). He has surrendered just two homers all year in his 71 frames (0.25 HR/9).

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1

Game 947-948: San Francisco at Pittsburgh (8:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Bumgarner) 17.148; Pittsburgh (Volquez) 15.609
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-120); 6
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-120); Under




MLB
Long Sheet

Wednesday, October 1

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SAN FRANCISCO (88 - 74) at PITTSBURGH (88 - 74) - 8:05 PM
MADISON BUMGARNER (L) vs. EDINSON VOLQUEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 85-90 (-19.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 96-105 (-19.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 88-74 (+5.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 51-30 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 21-4 (+15.9 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Wednesday over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 51-30 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
PITTSBURGH is 65-43 (+17.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 81-64 (+15.0 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 357-363 (+50.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
VOLQUEZ is 48-32 (+20.6 Units) against the money line after a loss since 1997. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 88-74 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 43-38 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 18-7 (+11.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 88-74 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 58-44 (+9.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 49-38 (+9.7 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
BUMGARNER is 13-5 (+8.8 Units) against the money line in road games this season. (Team's Record)
BUMGARNER is 13-5 (+8.8 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
BUMGARNER is 11-2 (+9.9 Units) against the money line in road games after a win this season. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 4-2 (+2.5 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.8 Units)

MADISON BUMGARNER vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
BUMGARNER is 1-3 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 3.24 and a WHIP of 1.200.
His team's record is 1-3 (-3.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-0. (+4.0 units)

EDINSON VOLQUEZ vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
VOLQUEZ is 2-2 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 5.72 and a WHIP of 1.588.
His team's record is 3-8 (-5.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-5. (+0.6 units)

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




MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, October 1

Giants @ Pirates-- NL Wild Card
Bumgarner is 5-1, 2.42 in his last seven starts; he allowed five runs in four IP in his only start vs Pirates this year. He is 3-2, 3.79 in six postseason starts.

Volquez is 2-0, 1.54 in his last six starts; he allowed four iruns in 1.2 IP in his only postseason start, for Reds in '10. He didn't face Pittsburgh this season.

Giants lost five of last six road games, are 4-6 in last ten overall; they won the World Series in 2010 and 2012.

Pirates made playoffs last year for first time in 21 years- they've won 11 of their last 13 home games.

Bumgarner 19-14....10-33 first inning
Volquez 18-13.........8-31 first inning




MLB

Wednesday, October 1

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

8:07 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. PITTSBURGH
San Francisco is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
San Francisco is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing at home against San Francisco


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MLB

Wednesday, October 1


Volquez to face postseason demons

It has been four years since Edinson Volquez made his lone postseason start and it is a day he would like to forget. While pitching for the Cincinnati Reds, Volquez gave up four runs in 1.2 innings and walked away with a 21.60 ERA.

The Dominican rightie has a solid 13-7 record and 3.04 ERA during the regular season.

The Pirates are small +104 home dogs Wednesday.


Bumgarner inconsistent during postseason

There are few pitchers at the age of 25 that has as much postseason experience as Madison Bumgarner. The leftie has already made seven postseason appearances while going 3-2, but proving to be inconsistent.

Bumgarner is sporting a solid 3.79 ERA, but that includes a 2.0 inning relief effort in 2010. Three appearances saw Bumgarner give up zero runs, while the other four appearances have seen him abused for 27 hits an 15 runs.

San Fran is currently -113 faves against the Pittsburgh Pirates Wednesday.


Dodgers' Gordon cleared for NLDS opener

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon is a go for Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals after sitting out the final game of the regular season with a hip injury.

Gordon was cleared to play in the series opener in Los Angeles after making it through a workout with the team on Tuesday.

He left Saturday night's game against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning after grounding out to shortstop in his first at-bat. A similar injury forced him to miss a game earlier in the month.

In 148 regular-season games, Gordon batted .289 and had 64 stolen bases, a NL-best 12 triples and 92 runs. He was named to his first NL All-Star team in July.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Short Sheet

Wednesday, October 1

San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates, 8:05 ET
Bumgarner: 10-1 TSR as a road favorite
Volquez: PITTSBURGH is 33-16 UNDER off a loss to a division rival as a favorite

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Wednesday, October 1


Giants, Bumgarner cashing as road faves

The San Francisco Giants are 7-0 in Madison Bumgarner's last seven starts as a road favorite.

The Giants are currently -109 road faves for the National League Wild Card matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

The Giants have won as road faves at Arizona twice (-178, -137), at the Chicago Cubs (-175), at the New York Mets (-122), at Philadelphia (-140), at Miami (-127) and at Cincinnati (-119).

[StarDust Bum]

Giants at Pirates NL wild card game rosters, lineups

October 1, 2014 3:52 pm ET

Madison Bumgarner and Edinson Volquez will match wits and pitches in the NL wild card game. (USATSI) Madison Bumgarner and Edinson Volquez will match wits and pitches in the NL wild card game. (USATSI)

Here are the lineups and rosters for the Giants and Pirates in Wednesday night's NL wild card game in Pittsburgh (SF-PIT GameTracker) ...

Visiting Giants

Lineup

1. Gregor Blanco, CF
2. Joe Panik, 2B
3. Buster Posey, C
4. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Brandon Belt, 1B
7. Brandon Crawford, SS
8. Travis Ishikawa, LF
9. Madison Bumgarner, SP

Pitchers

Jeremy Affeldt
Madison Bumgarner
Santiago Casilla
Tim Lincecum
Javier Lopez
Jean Machi
Jake Peavy
Yusmeiro Petit
Sergio Romo
Hunter Strickland

Catchers

Buster Posey
Guillermo Quiroz
Andrew Susac

Infielders

Joaquin Arias
Brandon Belt
Brandon Crawford
Matt Duffy
Adam Duvall
Joe Panik
Pablo Sandoval

Outfielders

Gregor Blanco
Gary Brown
Travis Ishikawa
Hunter Pence
Juan Perez

Home Pirates

Lineup

1. Josh Harrison, 3B
2. Jordy Mercer, SS
3. Andrew McCutchen, CF
4. Russell Martin, C
5. Starling Marte, LF
6. Neil Walker, 2B
7. Gaby Sanchez, 1B
8. Travis Snider, RF
9. Edinson Volquez, SP

Pitchers

John Holdzkom
Jared Hughes
Bobby LaFromboise
Jeff Locke
Mark Melancon
Edinson Volquez
Tony Watson
Justin Wilson
Vance Worley

Catchers

Russell Martin
Tony Sanchez
Chris Stewart

Infielders

Clint Barmes
Ike Davis
Josh Harrison
Jordy Mercer
Brent Morel
Gaby Sanchez
Neil Walker

Outfielders

Andrew Lambo
Starling Marte
Andrew McCutchen
Gregory Polanco
Travis Snider
Jose Tabata

As you can see, the Pirates are going with a nine-man staff, while Bruce Bochy of the Giants has 10 pitchers on his wild card roster. Clint Hurdle is, though, carrying three catchers. In the end, it's a "must win" affair for both teams, so expect heavy use of the roster on both sides. Quick hooks and pinch-hitters/runners should abound. In particular, the Pirates have some nice lefty bench bats to counter the Giants' bullpen depth from the right side -- provided, of course, Bumgarner doesn't go the distance.

[StarDust Bum]

Playoff Record:

Wednesday, October 1

Game Score Status Pick Amount

San Francisco - 8:00 PM ET San Francisco -110 500 DOUBLE PLAY

Pittsburgh - Over 6.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY



Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

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


1 - 0 ........ + 1.00.......*****

0 - 0 .........- 0.00 ......Double Play

1 - 0 .........+ 3.00.......Triple Play

0 - 0 .........- 3.00.......Grand Slam

[Udog]

Good luck tonight, Bum! Keep it rollin'!

[Kaptain]

thanks BUM..........hang in dere my BRUDDA