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

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

San Francisco at St. Louis
The Giants open up the NLCS series tonight in St. Louis and head into the contest with a 1-5 record in Madison Bumgarner's last 6 starts versus the Cardinals. St. Louis is the pick (-120) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-120). Here are all of today's MLB picks.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11

Game 953-954: San Francisco at St. Louis (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Bumgarner) 14.773; St. Louis (Wainwright) 16.209
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 7 1/2
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-120); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-120); Over

Game 955-956: Kansas City at Baltimore (4:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Kansas City (Ventura) 15.914; Baltimore (Norris) 14.330
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: No Line
Dunkel Pick: N/A




MLB
Long Sheet

Saturday, October 11

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SAN FRANCISCO (92 - 75) at ST LOUIS (93 - 73) - 8:05 PM
MADISON BUMGARNER (L) vs. ADAM WAINWRIGHT (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 199-146 (+17.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 53-30 (+11.7 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
ST LOUIS is 53-30 (+11.7 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
ST LOUIS is 43-31 (+10.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 24-14 (+11.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
WAINWRIGHT is 24-9 (+12.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
WAINWRIGHT is 32-13 (+15.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WAINWRIGHT is 10-0 (+10.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Saturday over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WAINWRIGHT is 48-23 (+16.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 92-75 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 46-38 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 16-8 (+11.8 Units) against the money line in October games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 92-75 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 86-73 (+20.5 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 61-45 (+12.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 15-6 (+12.2 Units) against the money line in playoff games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 52-39 (+13.0 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 21-17 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BUMGARNER is 14-5 (+9.8 Units) against the money line in road games this season. (Team's Record)
BUMGARNER is 14-5 (+9.8 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
BUMGARNER is 12-2 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in road games after a win this season. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 46-45 (-7.4 Units) against the money line after a win this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN FRANCISCO is 4-3 (+1.3 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.1 Units)

MADISON BUMGARNER vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
BUMGARNER is 3-5 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 4.78 and a WHIP of 1.184.
His team's record is 3-5 (-1.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-6. (-5.3 units)

ADAM WAINWRIGHT vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
WAINWRIGHT is 5-5 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 2.86 and a WHIP of 1.131.
His team's record is 6-5 (-0.5 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-6. (-2.2 units)

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KANSAS CITY (93 - 73) at BALTIMORE (99 - 66) - 4:05 PM
YORDANO VENTURA (R) vs. WEI-YIN CHEN (L)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 4-3 (+0.6 Units) against BALTIMORE this season
5 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.5 Units)

YORDANO VENTURA vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
VENTURA is 1-1 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 1.26 and a WHIP of 1.186.
His team's record is 1-1 (-0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-2. (-2.0 units)

WEI-YIN CHEN vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
CHEN is 1-1 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 4.17 and a WHIP of 1.418.
His team's record is 3-3 (-0.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-1. (+3.9 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Saturday, October 11

Royals-Orioles
Ventura is 3-0, 2.16 in his last four starts; he allowed one run in seven IP in his only playoff start. Ventura is 1-1, 1.26 in two starts vs Baltimore this year.

Norris is 5-0, 1.63 in his last six starts; he shut Detroit out for 6.1 innings in his first playoff start. Norris allowed one run in 7.1 IP against Royals this year.

Royals won 11 of last 13 games, including last six in row; they're 9-2 in their last eleven road games.

Orioles won four of their last five games, allowing 10 runs; they're 22-7 in last 29 home games.

Ventura 19-12........7-31 first inning
Norris 20-9.............10-25 first inning

Giants-Cardinals
Bumgarner is 6-2, 2.24 in his last nine starts, 4-3, 2.96 in eight playoff starts; he is 1-1, 3.75 in two starts vs St Louis this year.

Wainwright is 5-0, 2.49 in his last six starts. 4-3, 3.13 in ten postseason starts; he is 1-1, 5.25 against the Giants this season.

Giants won six of their last seven games, winning last three away games.

St Louis won four of its last five games, six of last seven at home.

Bumgarner 20-15.......10-35 first inning
Wainwright 24-9.........4-33 first inning




MLB

Saturday, October 11

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Trend Report
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4:07 PM
KANSAS CITY vs. BALTIMORE
Kansas City is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kansas City's last 8 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
Baltimore is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Baltimore's last 8 games when playing at home against Kansas City

8:07 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Francisco's last 7 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
San Francisco is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games when playing at home against San Francisco

[StarDust Bum]

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

10/10/14 1-*1-*0 50.00% -*150 Detail

10/07/14 2-*2-*0 50.00% +*240 Detail

10/06/14 3-*1-*0 75.00% +*1080 Detail

10/05/14 4-*0-*0 100.00% +*2290 Detail

10/04/14 1-*1-*0 50.00% +310 Detail

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 23-*9-*0 71.87 % +7715


Rated Plays Only Record:


6 - 2 ........ + 4.25.......*****

9 - 4..........+ 16.46 ......Double Play

7 - 3 .........+ 10.27.....Triple Play

1 - 1 .........- 0.48.......Grand Slam


Saturday, October 11

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Kansas City - 4:00 PM ET Baltimore -116 500 TRIPLE PLAY

Baltimore - Over 7 500 GRAND SLAM

[Udog]

The O's are the way I see it today. It should be another really good one! Good luck today, Bum!

[StarDust Bum]

Hi Dog......KC is one scrappy team....and where did all that power come from.......

[StarDust Bum]

Evening Game:


San Francisco - 8:00 PM ET San Francisco +112 500 TRIPLE PLAY

St. Louis - Over 6.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

[StarDust Bum]

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

10/11/14 2-*2-*0 50.00% -*70 Detail

10/10/14 1-*1-*0 50.00% -*150 Detail

10/07/14 2-*2-*0 50.00% +*240 Detail

10/06/14 3-*1-*0 75.00% +*1080 Detail

10/05/14 4-*0-*0 100.00% +*2290 Detail

10/04/14 1-*1-*0 50.00% +310 Detail

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 25-*11-*0 68.44 % +7645


Rated Plays Only Record:


6 - 2 ........ + 4.25.......*****

9 - 5...........+ 14.46 ......Double Play

8 - 4 .........+ 10.09.....Triple Play

2 - 1 .........+ 3.52.......Grand Slam

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

San Francisco at St. Louis
The Giants look to follow up last night's 3-0 win in the series opener as they face a Cardinals team that is 0-4 in Lance Lynn's last 4 home starts versus San Francisco. the Giants are the pick (+120) according to Dunkel, which has San Francisco favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+120). Here are all of today's MLB picks.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12

Game 957-958: San Francisco at St. Louis (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Peavy) 15.809; St. Louis (Lynn) 14.750
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 5
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-140); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+120); Under




MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Sunday, October 12

Giants-Cardinals
Peavy is 5-0, 1.41 in his last five starts, 1-3, 7.39 in six postseason starts-- he didn't pitch against St Louis this season.
Lynn is 0-2, 2.45 in his last five starts; Cardinals scored eight runs in those five games. He is 2-3, 5.87 in six postseason starts, and allowed seven runs (four of them earned) in 3.1 IP against the Giants this season.

Giants won seven of their last eight games, winning last four road games.

St Louis won four of its last six games, six of last eight at home.

Peavy 5-15/9-4......6-33 first inning
Lynn 19-14............9-33 first inning




MLB

Sunday, October 12

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Trend Report
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8:07 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. ST. LOUIS
San Francisco is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Francisco's last 6 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of St. Louis's last 10 games at home
St. Louis is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games at home


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MLB

Sunday, October 12

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NLCS betting preview: Giants at Cardinals
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San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals (-130, 6.5)

The San Francisco Giants look for their eighth consecutive postseason road victory when they visit the St. Louis Cardinals in Sunday’s Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. San Francisco won the opener 3-0 behind 7 2/3 stellar innings from ace Madison Bumgarner and three hits from third baseman Pablo Sandoval. The Cardinals are struggling offensively and have scored eight runs over the last four games after putting up 10 in their postseason opener.

The Giants are turning to Jake Peavy, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in late July and has excelled since getting the change of scenery and being reunited with Bruce Bochy, his former manager in San Diego. “He has been very much of an adjuster,” St. Louis manager Mike Matheny told reporters of Peavy. “He figures out what he needs to do in his game to give himself a chance with the stuff that he has right now.” San Francisco was economical in the opener, scoring its runs on Travis Ishikawa’s bloop single, an error and Brandon Belt’s sacrifice fly.

TV: 8:07 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

WEATHER: There is a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms by the start of gametime. Temperatures will be in the high-50s.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Jake Peavy (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Lance Lynn (0-0, 3.00)

The 33-year-old Peavy is 3-4 with a 2.97 ERA in nine career regular-season starts against St. Louis. He has been re-energized since being acquired with a 6-4 mark and 2.17 ERA in 12 regular-season starts and promises he won’t lose his composure on the postseason stage. “I’ll be fiery,” Peavy said at Saturday’s press conference. "I will be emotional but I will be under control. With a game plan in place, we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Lynn has been roughed up in three career regular-season outings against San Francisco, losing each start to go with a 7.98 ERA. He has won 48 regular-season games over the past three seasons and might be the Cardinals’ best pitcher in this series after Adam Wainwright’s second straight sub-par effort in the opener. “Confidence has never been a problem, that’s for sure,” the 27-year-old Lynn said at Saturday’s press conference. “I just go out and pitch. I don’t worry about anything. Pretty simple.”

WALK-OFFS:

1. Sandoval has 10 career multi-hit games in the postseason, second in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch (15).

2. Cardinals LF Matt Holliday is 8-for-28 with a homer against Peavy, while SS Jhonny Peralta is just 7-for-34 with a homer.

3. Giants C Buster Posey is 4-for-6 with a homer against Lynn, and INF Joaquin Arias is 4-for-5 with four RBIs.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Sunday, October 12

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SAN FRANCISCO (93 - 75) at ST LOUIS (93 - 74) - 8:05 PM
JAKE PEAVY (R) vs. LANCE LYNN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PEAVY is 19-32 (-15.1 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
PEAVY is 14-26 (-14.4 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
PEAVY is 6-12 (-8.3 Units) against the money line after a win this season. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 199-147 (+16.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 113-61 (+24.7 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 113-61 (+24.7 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 153-101 (+26.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 46-28 (+11.8 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
ST LOUIS is 43-32 (+9.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 24-15 (+10.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 93-75 (+14.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 47-38 (+14.1 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 17-8 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in October games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 93-75 (+14.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 29-23 (+8.2 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 62-45 (+14.0 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 16-6 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in playoff games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 53-39 (+14.1 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 22-17 (+11.3 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN FRANCISCO is 5-3 (+2.4 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
4 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.1 Units)

JAKE PEAVY vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
PEAVY is 3-6 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 4.29 and a WHIP of 1.374.
His team's record is 5-7 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-4. (+1.4 units)

LANCE LYNN vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
LYNN is 0-4 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 6.95 and a WHIP of 1.818.
His team's record is 1-4 (-4.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-3. (-1.6 units)

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Short Sheet

Sunday, October 12

NL Championship Series - Best of 7 - Game 2 - SF leads 1-0

San Francisco at St Louis, 8:05 ET
Peavy: SAN FRANCISCO 53-39 after a win
Lynn: ST LOUIS 11-16 after allowing 4 runs or less 4 straight games

[StarDust Bum]

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

10/11/14 2-*2-*0 50.00% -*70 Detail

10/10/14 1-*1-*0 50.00% -*150 Detail

10/07/14 2-*2-*0 50.00% +*240 Detail

10/06/14 3-*1-*0 75.00% +*1080 Detail

10/05/14 4-*0-*0 100.00% +*2290 Detail

10/04/14 1-*1-*0 50.00% +310 Detail

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 25-*11-*0 68.44 % +7645


Rated Plays Only Record:


6 - 2 ........ + 4.25.......*****

9 - 5...........+ 14.46 ......Double Play

8 - 4 .........+ 10.09.....Triple Play

2 - 1 .........+ 3.52.......Grand Slam



Sunday, October 12

Game Score Status Pick Amount

San Francisco - 8:00 PM ET San Francisco +120 500 TRIPLE PLAY

St. Louis - Under 6.5 500 DOUBLE PLAY

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Monday, October 13

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BALTIMORE (99 - 68) at KANSAS CITY (95 - 73) - 8:05 PM
WEI-YIN CHEN (L) vs. JEREMY GUTHRIE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS CITY is 95-73 (+10.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 20-7 (+11.9 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 this season.
KANSAS CITY is 15-5 (+9.7 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off this season.
KANSAS CITY is 91-70 (+9.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
KANSAS CITY is 69-48 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 6-0 (+7.5 Units) against the money line in playoff games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 55-40 (+10.7 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
KANSAS CITY is 21-11 (+10.2 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins this season.
KANSAS CITY is 49-35 (+13.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
KANSAS CITY is 22-15 (+8.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
GUTHRIE is 38-27 (+12.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GUTHRIE is 19-12 (+7.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
GUTHRIE is 39-29 (+13.4 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
GUTHRIE is 29-18 (+18.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
GUTHRIE is 17-11 (+10.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
BALTIMORE is 100-68 (+37.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
BALTIMORE is 48-35 (+23.4 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
BALTIMORE is 15-5 (+12.6 Units) against the money line when playing on Monday this season.
BALTIMORE is 39-21 (+21.0 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off over the last 3 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 89-61 (+31.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
BALTIMORE is 73-38 (+40.4 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
BALTIMORE is 77-49 (+32.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
BALTIMORE is 43-25 (+20.7 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
BALTIMORE is 48-29 (+25.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
BALTIMORE is 34-17 (+21.1 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 20-12 (+8.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
CHEN is 20-8 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
CHEN is 18-9 (+10.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 6-3 (+2.8 Units) against BALTIMORE this season
4 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-1.1 Units, Under=-0.1 Units)

WEI-YIN CHEN vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
CHEN is 1-1 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 4.17 and a WHIP of 1.418.
His team's record is 3-3 (-0.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-1. (+3.9 units)

JEREMY GUTHRIE vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
GUTHRIE is 2-1 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 2.67 and a WHIP of 1.222.
His team's record is 2-2 (+0.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-3. (-3.4 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, October 13

Orioles-Royals
Chen is 0-2, 6.89 in his last three starts, 1-0, 5.40 in two playoff starts, 1-0, 2.19 in his two starts against the Royals this season.

Former Oriole Guthrie is making first postseason appearance after 11 years and 1,616 IP; he is 3-0, 1.33 in his last three starts, was 0-1, 3.60 in two starts vs Baltimore this year. Guthrie was an Oriole from 2007-11.

Orioles allowed 14 runs in losing first two series games; they've lost three of their last four road games.

Royals won seven games in row and 12 of last 14, with 11 of those 14 on road. KC won its last three home games.

Chen 20-12..........10-32 first inning
Guthrie 19-13......12-32 first inning




MLB

Monday, October 13

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Trend Report
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8:07 PM
BALTIMORE vs. KANSAS CITY
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Baltimore's last 7 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
Baltimore is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Kansas City's last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kansas City's last 8 games


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MLB

Monday, October 13

O's producing high totals on grass

Game 3 of the ALCS goes Monday, and after jumping out to a 2-0 lead, the Kansas City Royals will look to keep the momentum going as the series shifts to Missouri.

The Royals have now won six straight playoff games. Despite their recent struggles, the O's have had no problem producing high totals on grass surfaces, as the Over is 7-1 in Baltimore's last eight games on grass. Over bettors will hope that trend continues when the two teams face off at Kauffman Stadium - a natural surface.

Wei-Yen Chen will get the ball for Baltimore, while Jeremy Guthrie counters on the bump for K.C.

The Royals are currently -110 faves on the moneyline with a total of 7.5.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Baltimore at Kansas City
The Orioles look to break through with their first win of the series and come into tonight' game with a 10-2 record in their last 12 Monday games. Baltimore is the pick (-110) according to Dunkel, which has the Orioles favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-110). Here are all of today's MLB picks.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13

Game 950-960: Baltimore at Kansas City (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Baltimore (Chen) 16.402; Kansas City (Guthrie) 14.831
Dunkel Line: Baltimore by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-110); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Baltimore (-110); Under


MLB
Short Sheet

Monday, October 13

AL Championship Series - Best of 7 - Game 3 - KC leads 2-0

Baltimore at Kansas City, 8:05 ET
Chen: 20-12 TSR in all games
Guthrie: KANSAS CITY 15-5 OVER after 4 or more consecutive wins

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Monday, October 13

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ALCS Betting Preview: Orioles at Royals
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Baltimore Orioles at Kansas City Royals (+102, 7.5)

The Kansas City Royals spent 28 years watching the postseason from home, and now that they’ve gotten back, they just can’t lose. The Royals go for their seventh straight win this postseason and a 3-0 lead in the American League Championship Series when they host the Baltimore Orioles in Game 3 on Monday. The Orioles have lost the battle of the bullpens in the first two games and will need to make some history in order to win the series.

No team ever has come back from a 2-0 deficit in the ALCS after losing the first two at home, a fact Baltimore has the talent to change. Adam Jones hit his first postseason homer in the Orioles’ 6-4 loss in Game 2 and insisted after the contest that the series was not over despite back-to-back late-inning meltdowns. If Baltimore hopes for a comeback, getting setup man Darren O’Day and closer Zach Britton on track would be one key, as the two have combined to allow four runs on four hits and three walks in the first two games.

TV: 8:07 p.m. ET, TBS

LINE HISTORY: The Royals opened as slight -110 favorites, but the money has been coming in on the Orioles with the Kansas City moving all the way to +102. The total is set at 7.5.

INJURY REPORT: Royals - SP Yordano Ventura (day-to-day, shoulder).

WEATHER: It is expected to rain at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. The forecast is calling for a 100 percent chance of rain and a chance of thunderstorms. There will also be a strong 15 mile per hour wind blowing in from left field.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Orioles LH Wei-Yin Chen (0-0, 12.27 ERA) vs. Royals RH Jeremy Guthrie (2014: 13-11, 4.13)

Chen was bailed out by the offense in Game 2 of the AL Division Series against Detroit after allowing five runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. The Taiwan native surrendered two or fewer earned runs in each of his final five regular-season turns and held Kansas City to three runs over 12 1/3 frames in two starts earlier in 2014. Chen yielded a pair of home runs in his ALDS start and was reached for 29 blasts in 32 regular-season outings.

Guthrie missed out on the fun in the wild-card game and the ALDS but gets the nod against his former team in Game 3. The veteran spent five seasons at the top of Baltimore's staff without making the playoffs before leaving via free agency following the 2011 campaign. Guthrie finished the regular season strong, allowing a total of one earned run in 20 1/3 innings over his last three starts, but has not pitched since Sept. 26.

TRENDS:

* Orioles are 0-4 in their last four meetings with the Royals.
* Under is 4-0 in Chen's last four starts versus the Royals.
* Under is 5-1-1 in the last seven meetings in Kansas City.
* Orioles are 2-5 in their last seven meetings in Kansas City.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Monday, October 13

Royals struggling with this ump in charge at home

Umpire Joe West will behind the plate for Game 3 of Monday's American League Championship Series matchup between the Kansas City Royals and the Baltimore Orioles in Missouri, which doesn't favor Royals backers.

In Kansas City's last four games with Joe West calling balls and strikes at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium, the Royals are 0-4.

The Orioles are curently slight -110 road faves on the moneyline with an O/U of 7.5.

[StarDust Bum]

Cards C Molina may miss rest of playoffs

October 13, 2014


Yadier Molina missed seven weeks with a thumb injury this summer, and the St. Louis Cardinals actually gained a half-game in the standings.

Now the six-time All-Star catcher has a pulled left oblique muscle that could sideline him for the rest of the postseason.

''You can't say enough about what he has done for our team, the way he handles our pitching staff and the leader he is,'' leadoff man Matt Carpenter said after the Cardinals beat the Giants 5-4 Sunday to even the NL Championship Series at a game apiece. ''Obviously it's not ideal, but we've got a lot of guys stepping up, and we've got a bunch of guys who believe in each other. We missed him a little bit during the season and still found a way to get here, so we're confident that we have guys who will step up.''

Tony Cruz and 37-year-old A.J. Pierzynski are the backups. Cruz couldn't handle Trevor Rosenthal's wild pitch in the ninth inning Sunday, which allowed pinch-runner Matt Duffy to score from second with the tying run.

Pierzynski, who wasn't on the division series roster, has experience from their time together in Boston in catching John Lackey, the Cardinals' Game 3 starter Tuesday night in San Francisco. Tim Hudson starts for the Giants.

''It stinks,'' San Francisco catcher Buster Posey said of the injury. ''You hate to see anybody go down, especially a guy like him that means so much to their team. It's too bad.''

St. Louis was 21-19 when Molina tore a right thumb ligament dragging his hand in the dirt on a slide into third base in mid-July.

''I know all our pitchers pretty well and we'll try to put a good game plan together and execute it,'' Cruz said. ''Like I said, I don't count Yaddi out yet and I don't know what's going on yet.''

Molina already had departed Busch Stadium for medical tests when Kolten Wong homered off Sergio Romo leading off the bottom of the ninth.

''It didn't look real good,'' Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said.

If St. Louis replaces Molina on the league championship series roster, he would be ineligible to play in the World Series.

''If we have to go short with an opportunity to have him back, we'd do that,'' Matheny said. ''But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.''

Cruz was in the indoor batting cage preparing for a potential pinch-hitting appearance. He wasn't watching when Molina didn't make it out of the batter's box after hitting a double-play grounderl in the sixth.

Molina had bunted for a sacrifice in the fourth inning after tweaking the side, fearful of going full speed. He sacrificed just once this season and had none at all in 2013.

''I didn't actually see him not run,'' Cruz said, ''but I knew something was wrong with him.''