Announcement

**Udog** · 10-18-2014, 09:38 AM

MLB
Dunkel

San Francisco at Kansas City
The Royals host Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night and come into the contest with a 5-0 record in the last 5 games versus the Giants at home. Kansas City is the pick (-105) according to Dunkel, which has the Royals favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-105). Here are all of today's MLB picks.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21

Game 901-902: San Francisco at Kansas City (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Bumgarner) 12.289; Kansas City (Shields) 13.872
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-115); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-105); Under

MLB
Long Sheet

Tuesday, October 21

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SAN FRANCISCO (96 - 76) at KANSAS CITY (97 - 73) - 8:05 PM
MADISON BUMGARNER (L) vs. JAMES SHIELDS (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 3-0 (+3.0 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.8 Units)

MADISON BUMGARNER vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
BUMGARNER is 0-1 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 3.38 and a WHIP of 0.875.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

JAMES SHIELDS vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
SHIELDS is 1-0 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.556.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.2 units)

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MLB

Tuesday, October 21

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

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MLB

Tuesday, October 21

Hudson: "I've been waiting for this for 16 years"

Tim Hudson is 39-years old, he is the active leader in wins (214) and he has never made it past the Division series until now.

"That's why I came to San Francisco, just for this moment," Hudson said during the Party that was the Giants locker room Thursday. "I've been waiting for this for 16 years."

Hudson has a 3.29 ERA during this postseason and San Fran has won both games he started.

Report: World Series to feature new umpires

The World Series umpire crew is going to feature four first time officials to the Fall Classic. Hunter Wendelstedt, Eric Cooper, Jim Reynolds and Jerry Meals will all call their first World Series according to ESPN.

Here is the list of all the reported crew members and their season numbers:

(Crew Chief) Jeff Kellogg: Home Team Record 13-15, Over/Under 13-15, Strike % 64.29
Ted Barrett: HT 17-15, O/U 13-16, K% - 63.38
Jeff Nelson: HT 19-13, O/U 11-19, K% 63.68
Hunter Wendelstedt: HT 16-14, O/U 11-15, K% 64.39
Eric Cooper: HT 15-16, O/U 14-14, K% 64.40
Jim Reynolds: HT 14-15, O/U 9-20, K% 64.35
Jerry Meals: HT 15-15, O/U 20-9, K% 63.97

Overall: HT 109-102, O/U 91-107, K% 64.02

Giants dominating World Series in recent years

The San Francisco Giants booked their third trip to the World Series in five seasons on a walk-off home run. Now that they've gotten to the Fall Classic, the Giants can look at their recent dominance for reassurance.

In San Fran's last two trips to the World Series ('10, '12) they have gone 8-1. Over those two series' the Giants have a run differential of +27 while averaging nearly six runs per game.

**Udog** · 10-20-2014, 12:56 PM

MLB
Short Sheet

Tuesday, October 21

World Series Best of 7 Series - Game 1

San Francisco Giants at Kansas City Royals, 8:05 ET
Bumgarner: 9-1 TSR on the road with a money line of -100 to -150
Shields: 8-13 TSR in home games in night games

**Udog** · 10-20-2014, 03:08 PM

MLB

Tuesday, October 21

Over trending when Royals face lefties

The Kansas City Royals have been putting up a lot of runs on the board against left-handed pitching recently, evidenced by the Over going 5-1-1 in the Royals' last seven games versus lefties.

K.C. will face off against another lefty - Giants ace Madison Bumgarner - in Game 1 of the World Series Tuesday. The Royals will counter with "Big Game" James Shields.

San Fran is currently slight -107 moneyline faves with an O/U of 6.5.

**Udog** · 10-21-2014, 08:30 AM

MLB

Tuesday, October 21

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World Series Betting Preview: Giants at Royals
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San Francisco Giants at Kansas City Royals (-101, 6.5)

The red-hot Kansas City Royals are in the World Series for the first time since 1985 and they open play Tuesday when they host the National League Champion San Francisco Giants. The American League Champion Royals are a perfect 8-0 this postseason and took the wild-card route to the pennant. San Francisco is in the World Series for the third time in five seasons and also began this postseason journey as a wild-card entrant.

National League Championship Series MVP Madison Bumgarner will be on the mound for the Giants in Game 1 and the standout left-hander lost to the Royals during the regular season. James Shields starts for Kansas City and the right-hander pitched a four-hit shutout against San Francisco in August. Both teams feature strong bullpens and have a knack for producing unlikely heroes – such as Giants’ left fielder Travis Ishikawa hitting a walk-off three-run homer to end the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals.

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

LINE HISTORY: The Royals opened as slight +100 home underdogs have been bet to -107 and are currently sitting at -101. The total is set at 6.5.

INJURY REPORT: Kansas City - P Yorando Ventura (day-to-day, shoulder).

WEATHER REPORT: It should be a beautiful night for baseball with clear skies and temperatures in the low 60s at the start of Game 1. There will be a slight five mile per hour wind blowing in from right field.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (2-1, 1.42 ERA) vs. Royals RH James Shields (1-0, 5.63)

Bumgarner has pitched at least seven innings in each of his four postseason starts and is holding opposing batters to a .170 average. In the regular-season loss to the Royals, he gave up four runs (three earned) and seven hits in eight innings as Kansas City designated hitter Billy Butler had a homer and three RBIs. Bumgarner is 2-0 and hasn’t allowed a run in 15 World Series innings, blanking Texas on three hits in eight innings in 2010 and Detroit on two hits over seven innings in 2012.

Shields has struggled in the postseason, giving up 21 hits in 16 innings as opponents have touched him up for a .309 average. He was at the top of his game in the regular-season outing against San Francisco, striking out five and walking one while pitching his ninth career shutout. Shields won his lone career World Series start, beating Philadelphia in 2008 when he gave up seven hits in 5 2/3 shutout innings as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.

TRENDS:

* Giants are 6-0 in their last six World Series Games.
* Royals are 9-0 in their last nine games as an underdog.
* Over is 4-0 in the Giants last four playoff games.
* Over is 4-0 in Shields' last four starts overall.

CONSENSUS: Just under 61 percent of wagers are backing the Kansas City Royals at -101.

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**Udog** · 10-21-2014, 08:32 AM

World Series notebook: Giants hold experience edge

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The San Francisco Giants have been here before, winning the 2010 and 2012 World Series.

The Kansas City Royals have not been to this biggest baseball stage since 1985, when they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. That also was the last time the Royals were in the playoffs, so most of their players are postseason neophytes.

Advantage Giants.

"I can imagine any time you've done something more than your opponent, it's going to make it easier to understand the weight of the situation," Royals eighth-inning setup reliever Wade Davis said. "I think we're all pretty comfortable where we are right now. We've played in some pretty big games and beat some really good teams."

The Royals are 8-0 in postseason play, sweeping the Los Angeles Angels and the Baltimore Orioles after rallying to top the Oakland Athletics in extra innings in the wild-card game.

Both teams worked out Monday afternoon with the World Series set to begin Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium. Right-hander James Shields will start for the Royals against Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner.

While the Royals have the home-field advantage, that does not faze the Giants, who are 16-5 on the road in postseason play since 2010.

"That's tough to explain," Bumgarner said. "It definitely has worked that way for us. I don't know the numbers, but it does seem like we're not really affected much by being on the road. Obviously, you would like to be at home. Home-field advantage is a little bit of an advantage. But we're here, and we're playing the cards we were dealt."

While Bumgarner will be working on his normal four days of rest, Shields has not pitched in 11 days.

"Resting and some bullpen action, just trying to repeat my delivery in my bullpen sessions," Shields said. "I think this late in the year almost too much throwing is too much, so I've just kind of rested by body up for (Tuesday)."

--Jarrod Dyson is the Royals' fourth outfielder and deluxe pinch runner, but he has become a go-to guy for the media.

After the Royals won the first two American League Championship Series games in Baltimore, he predicted the series would not return to Camden Yards, and it did not.

"It's not a time for a prediction," Dyson said Monday. "I can't give you guys no headlines, man. I'm sorry. That's my new name now, 'Headline.' (My teammates) gave me a new name because I give you guys a headline, talking crazy."

Dyson stole third base on his own in the ninth inning of the wild-card game against Oakland and scored the tying run on right fielder Nori Aoki's sacrifice fly. If he had been thrown out, the Royals probably would have been eliminated.

"That was a gutsy move by me. If I get thrown out right there, the whole city is ready to kill me," Dyson said with a laugh.

--Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum, a two-time National League Cy Young Award winner, has not pitched since Sept. 28 and has not started since Aug. 23.

Bochy said Lincecum had a good bullpen session Sunday.

"We need to have him ready because you don't know what's going to happen in the game," Bochy said. "He's ready to go and he's healthy. It's an old adage, all hands on deck, and he's one of them. If it's the right spot, he'll be out there."

Bochy said Lincecum, who went 12-9 this season with a 4.47 ERA in 33 games, including 26 starts, is mentally handling his situation "great."

"Really been upbeat about it, he understands," Bochy said. "He's done so much, including this year. You go back to '12 and he was a weapon in the bullpen, and he could be that this series. I feel bad for him that he didn't get to pitch against Washington or St. Louis because I think a lot of Timmy.

"There was never any thought of not having him on this roster. Not just having him on the roster, but the fact that he could help us at some point."

NOTES: Bochy said Michael Morse would be the Giants' designated hitter for the series opener, with Travis Ishikawa, who hit the game-winning home run in the series clincher against St. Louis, playing left field. Bochy also said the Giants' World Series roster will remain unchanged from the group that won the National League Championship Series. The 25-man rosters must be set Tuesday. ... The Royals' Ned Yost said he is a completely different manager than when he managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2003-08. "I think I've learned to let my players be themselves," Yost said. "Because I have great coaches, I think I listen a lot more than I did back then. I'm pretty hard-headed, a little more flexible, and use the tremendous experience we have in our coaching staff to my benefit and our benefit." ... This is the second time in the wild-card era (since 1995) two wild-card teams advanced to the Fall Classic. The previous time was 2002, when the Anaheim Angels beat the Giants in seven games. ... This is the second time two teams reached the World Series after recording fewer than 90 victories during the regular season (excluding the strike-shortened 1981 season). The Giants went 88-74, while the Royals finished 89-73. In 1918, the Red Sox (75-51) beat the Cubs (84-45) in the World Series.

**Udog** · 10-21-2014, 09:37 AM

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

-- In 38 games with Denver, Peyton Manning has thrown 2.92 TDs per game.

-- Antonio Brown's dad Eddie was one of the greatest players in Arena Football history; he played here in Albany, once scored nine TDs in a game. Nine.

-- Darius Heyward-Bey is only top 10 draft pick on the Steelers' roster.

-- Colt McCoy gets start at QB for the Redskins Monday night in Dallas.

-- From October 17-November 15, the Patriots have two games, both at home.

-- Falcons ($72.4M), Saints ($70.2M) have spent the most cap room on offensive players; it shows most when they do not have the ball.

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Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but........

13) Still baffled that four of seven umpires working in this World Series, all of whom have been umps for 15+ years, have never been in a World Series before. These four rated out the best with the new instant replay system. Were these guys the best umpires in previous seasons and if so, why weren’t any of them ever invited before? One guy only had two calls reversed the whole season.

Has to be a lot of politics involved with who gets this high profile assignment; maybe instant replay helped take some of the politics out of it.

12) NFC South teams are having a bad year; those four teams are a combined 2-12-1 SU in road games, with one of the home wins coming against a division opponent. NFC South teams are 3-8-1 against the spread in non-divisional road games.

11) Hitting coach Chili Davis leaves A’s for Boston, where he’ll be re-united with Yoenis Cespedes, unless the Red Sox trade Cespedes this winter. The Cuban OF is a free agent a year from now and he’s going to make a lot of money, but his low on-base percentage might not appeal to Moneyball-type teams.

I would take him on my team, any day of the week.

10) I’m not familiar with the details of the salary cap, but Percy Harvin is a $7M hit on the Jets’ salary cap for this year, but still hits Seattle’s cap for $7M next year. Seahawks’ locker room might be a happier place without Harvin, but their WRs aren’t nearly as fast now.

9) Utah Utes’ kicker Andy Phillips was a member of the US Ski Team from 2007-2011, so he is a world class athlete as well as a damn good kicker.

8) Indiana started #3 QB Zander Diamont against Michigan State last week; the kid’s stepmom once played Jerry Sienfeld’s girlfriend for an episode on the comedian’s TV show.

7) Up north of the border, the resurgent Hamilton TigerCats have won their last five home games, its first five-game home win streak in five years. The new stadium agrees with them, I guess.

6) Loyola-Chicago, already fighting an uphill battle in Missouri Valley Conference, lost its top scorer Milton Doyle (shoulder) for an indefinite time. Bad news for the Ramblers, who don't need more bad news. .

5) Good news for Long Beach State, which landed transfer Gabe Levin, who scored 11.1 ppg and grabbed 7.2 rebounds/game. Levin had originally transferred to Marquette, but went back to a smaller pond in the Big West.

4) The fan who caught Travis Ishikawa’s pennant-clinching home run gave the ball back to Ishikawa, in exchange for a signed bat and tickets to Game 3 of the World Series. I’m guessing he could have held Ishikawa up for fairly big money; I mean the guy is a journeyman but still has to make $500K+ a year, but the fan took the bat and Series tickets and everyone is happy.

3) The NBA has a lot more money now, because of the lucrative new TV deals that were signed, but if the league and players agree to shorten the season, do the players get less money, or the same money to play fewer games?

Don’t think they’d accept a reduction in money, even with a reduced scheduled, because the league is obviously doing very well because of the TV deals.

2) What happens if Ray Rice wins his appeal, gets reinstated by the NFL and no one signs the guy? It is doubtful any NFL team is going to touch this guy, not this year—he’s a PR disaster, but he has the right to earn a living.

1) NFL officials are schooled not to call offsetting penalties when a skirmish breaks out; to me, this is totally stupid, since it is usually difficult to determine who is at fault, or if one person is at fault at all. What you wind up with is an official guessing which guy started it, when they both could very well both be at fault. Just throw a flag, say its offsetting fouls and be done with it.

**Udog** · 10-21-2014, 09:37 AM

NFL Opening Line Report: McCoy a key to Chargers-Broncos matchup

Two of the top teams in the AFC will get back to work on a short week when West Division rivals Denver and San Diego square off in the Mile High City on Thursday night.

The defending AFC champion Broncos (5-1 SU, 3-3 ATS) come in off a 42-17 blitzing of San Francisco as a 6.5-point favorite in the Sunday night game. The Chargers (5-2 SU and ATS) had their five-game SU winning streak snapped Sunday in a 23-20 home loss to Kansas City as a 3-point fave.

John Lester, senior lines manager for bookmaker.eu, said Chargers coach Mike McCoy – a former Broncos assistant – is a key component.

“You’ve always got the Mike McCoy factor supporting San Diego in this matchup. They played them closely all three times last year, beating them at Mile High (in the regular season), and I expect much of the same this week,” Lester said.

With the Broncos’ convincing win over the 49ers, Lester said, “We’ll make the Broncos around 6-point chalk.”

Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) at Carolina Panthers

Defending Super Bowl champion Seattle (3-3 SU and ATS) has already matched its loss total from all of the 2013 season, following up its home setback to Dallas with a 28-26 road loss to St. Louis as a 6.5-point chalk Sunday.

Carolina (3-3-1 SU, 4-3 ATS), another NFC playoff team from last year, is in nearly the same boat. The Panthers, who went 12-4 SU last year, got clocked Sunday at Green Bay, losing 38-17 as a 6.5-point underdog.

“Bizzaro Cam Newton was in uniform for Carolina, and he’s always a wild card,” Lester said. “Meanwhile, you’ve got the defending champs staring three straight losses square in the face. We’re expecting the public to back Seattle in a big way.”

Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints (-2)

Aaron Rodgers and Co. are on fire of late, rebounding from a 1-2 start (1-1-1 ATS) to win their last four in a row SU and ATS, including three in blowout fashion. On Sunday, the Pack (5-2 SU, 5-1-1 ATS) scored the first 28 points of the game and breezed to a 38-17 win over Carolina laying 6.5 points at home.

On the flip side, New Orleans (2-4 SU and ATS) is watching its season slowly get away. On Sunday at Detroit, the Saints let a 23-10 fourth-quarter lead slip away in the final few minutes, giving up two TDs in a 24-23 loss. On the bright side, New Orleans cashed as a 1.5-point pup.

“The Packers offense is beginning to show signs of its form a few years ago. I don’t know how Rob Ryan’s defense is going to keep it under control,” Lester said. “That said, Green Bay’s defense isn’t as good as it looked (against Carolina). We didn’t want to make the Saints underdogs in their dome, but given the current climate of both teams, it was close.”

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals (-2.5)

Philly (5-1 SU, 4-2 ATS) is coming off its bye week before traveling cross-country, after steamrolling the New York Giants 27-0 as a 1-point chalk on Oct. 12. Arizona (5-1 SU, 4-2 ATS) surprisingly leads division rivals Seattle and San Francisco, and comes in off a 24-13 win at Oakland as a 3.5-point fave Sunday.

“This is a good measuring stick for both teams and about as much of a tossup game as you can get,” Lester said. “The Eagles got a breather with their bye week, while Arizona took care of business in what many thought to be a trap game at Oakland. I think the home team gets it done here in a close one.”

**Udog** · 10-21-2014, 09:38 AM

NCAAF Line Watch: Bettors should jump on Marshall now

Spread to bet now

Marshall -28 vs. Florida Atlantic

Marshall opened as a 26-point home favorite over Florida Atlantic, and the line quickly moved up to -28. The Thundering Herd are a perfect 7-0 SU on the season, and they need all the style points they can in order for a remote shot at getting into the 4-team playoff discussion.

Florida Atlantic has been awful on the road this season. The Owls are 0-4 SU with three of their losses coming by 48, 41, and 28 point margins. Marshall has a potent offense that is averaging 47.4 points per game on an incredible 7.8 yards per play this year. Knowing they need to win by big margins, laying the 28 points now with Marshall would be a prudent move by bettors.

Spread to wait on

Tennessee +17 (vs. Alabama)

This line came out with Alabama as a 16-point road favorite at Tennessee, and most sports books have already moved this game up to -17/-17.5 after early money came in on the Crimson Tide. This line will likely go higher once the public gets involved.

Alabama comes in off a 59-0 win over Texas A&M while Tennessee enters off a 34-3 blowout loss as 16-point underdogs at Mississippi. Both teams played the Rebels and lost, yet Alabama is laying more points into the Vols despite playing on the road. The value will be on the home dog in this game, especially closer to kick off.

Total to watch

Vanderbilt at Missouri

Vanderbilt and Missouri have two of the worst offenses in the country this season. The Commodores are only averaging 17.6 points per game on just 4.7 yards per play. The Tigers are only averaging 5.1 yards per play despite scoring 30.7 points per game. Those numbers are not in line with each other, and represent Missouri’s fortune of scoring on short drives, defense, and special teams.

Both teams also possess decent enough defenses to stifle the opposing offense. Vanderbilt is allowing 5.7 yards per play versus offenses averaging 6.0 yards per play. Missouri has even better numbers, allowing 4.7 yards per play versus opponents averaging 5.9 yards per play. If this total comes out at 45 or higher, there will be value with the Under.

**Udog** · 10-21-2014, 09:59 AM

MLB

Tuesday, October 21

Great weather in forecast for Game 1

It should be a perfect night for baseball when the World Series gets underway when Kansas City welcomes San Francisco to town Tuesday night.

The forecast is calling for clear skies with temperatures in the low 60's around the first pitch. There will be a slight five mile per hour wind blowing in from left field.

The Giants (-105) and Royals (-103) are almost dead even in the moneyline odds and the total is set at 6.5.

Odds for Game 1 almost dead even

The 2014 World Series is finally here and even though we are just hours away from the first pitch, the odds for who will win Game 1 are almost dead even.

As of Tuesday morning Madison Bumgarner and the visiting Giants are favored, ever so slightly at -105, while the home side Royals and James Shields are currently listed at -103.

The total for the game is set a 6.5.

Over trending when Royals face lefties

The Kansas City Royals have been putting up a lot of runs on the board against left-handed pitching recently, evidenced by the Over going 5-1-1 in the Royals' last seven games versus lefties.

K.C. will face off against another lefty - Giants ace Madison Bumgarner - in Game 1 of the World Series Tuesday. The Royals will counter with "Big Game" James Shields.

San Fran is currently slight -107 moneyline faves with an O/U of 6.5.

Announcement

Tuesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 10/21

Tuesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 10/21

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