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**Udog** · 10-29-2014, 09:15 AM

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Some NFL trends with Week 9 coming up this weekend.......

-- Saints covered only three of their last 15 road games.

-- New England covered 13 of last 17 when getting points.

-- Redskins are 2-7 vs spread in last nine non-divisional games.

-- Oakland is 2-5 in last seven games as a double digit underdog.

-- Baltimore covered one of last six divisional road games.

-- Colts covered eight of last nine as a road favorite.

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

13) College Football Playoff selection committee announced its first-ever top 25 rankings on Tuesday with Miss State, Florida State, Auburn and Ole Miss the four teams. This will play itself out, but the initial reaction is that strength of schedule is going to be stressed and thats going to make future Septembers more fun to watch, as teams will be forced to upgrade their non-league schedules.

12) Baylor is 13th in the rankings; upgrade your schedule. Bears were favored by 34+ points in their first three games this season.

11) Redskin-Cowboy game was highest-rated Monday night game in four years.

10) That said, did ESPN even show Redskin owner Daniel Snyder once? Jerry Jones had an in-game interview, had to be on camera 25 times, but no sign of Snyder that I can remember-- they were more interested in showing Colt McCoy's dad.

9) ESPN did show Tony Wyllie, the Redskins' PR guy, pulling McCoy away from an ESPN Desportes reporter, grabbing him by the jersey. Apparently the TV business is also a contact sport-- there is a protocol to when/where players do interviews and Tony Wyllie takes that protocol seriously. Don't mess with him.

8) Jackass update: Bears' DE Lamarr Houston tore his ACL while celebrating a sack of the Patriots' backup QB when New England was winning by 25 points. He is the second NFL player to do that this season. It is not smart.

7) Dodgers, Padres, Rockies, Diamondbacks all have new general managers, which means the Giants are only NL West team that hasn't changed GMs this year.

6) San Diego hired scouting director Logan White away from the Dodgers-- he has a very good reputation as a talent evaluator. San Diego seems to be doing smart things as far as beefing up their scouting department-- its the best way for smaller market teams to become competitive, and then stay that way.

5) Hawai'i fired basketball coach Gib Arnold Tuesday, not the best thing to do on October 28, but an indication the NCAA may come calling soon. An assistant coach also got the boot. Have a nice season, fellas.

4) We all have worked for bosses we don't like much; imagine how hard it must be for an NFL QB, if he doesn't get along with his head coach or offensive coordinator?

3) San Antonio 101, Dallas 100-- Tremendous game. Seriously. Someday, when the NBA cuts back to 64 or 68-game schedule, you'll see a lot more games like this, when both sides have fresh legs more often.

2) Marv Albert is 73 years old and still going strong calling NBA games. When FOX resorts to showing Erin Andrews interviewing a couple who just had a baby during a World Series game, they're telling me to put the Spurs game on. In the 4th inning.

1) Grant Hill is now teamed with Albert and Greg Anthony on TNT; does every Duke alum have to be on television? When does Greg Koubek get his TV gig?

**Udog** · 10-29-2014, 09:16 AM

MLB
Dunkel

San Francisco at Kansas City
The Giants look to bounce back from last night's 10-0 loss and come into tonight's contest with a 5-1 record in their last 6 games following a defeat. San Francisco is the pick (+115) according to Dunkel, which has the Giants favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+115). Here are all of today's MLB picks.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29

Game 913-914: San Francisco at Kansas City (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Hudson) 13.112; Kansas City (Guthrie) 12.225
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1; 6
Vegas Line: Kansas City (-135); 7
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (+115); Under

MLB
Long Sheet

Wednesday, October 29

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SAN FRANCISCO (99 - 79) at KANSAS CITY (100 - 76) - 8:05 PM
TIM HUDSON (R) vs. JEREMY GUTHRIE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS CITY is 100-76 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 35-22 (+11.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less this season.
KANSAS CITY is 10-3 (+8.5 Units) against the money line in October games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 20-7 (+12.1 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday this season.
KANSAS CITY is 18-8 (+9.5 Units) against the money line in an inter-league game this season.
KANSAS CITY is 96-73 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
KANSAS CITY is 73-51 (+14.0 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 73-53 (+10.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
KANSAS CITY is 11-3 (+9.5 Units) against the money line in playoff games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 58-42 (+11.8 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
KANSAS CITY is 54-38 (+15.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
KANSAS CITY is 27-18 (+10.0 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 21-13 (+9.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
GUTHRIE is 21-12 (+10.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
GUTHRIE is 29-20 (+10.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GUTHRIE is 20-13 (+11.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GUTHRIE is 19-11 (+13.0 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)
SAN FRANCISCO is 99-79 (+15.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 48-41 (+12.1 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 23-12 (+14.7 Units) against the money line in October games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 20-8 (+12.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 99-79 (+15.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 88-76 (+19.6 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 67-49 (+14.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 22-10 (+15.1 Units) against the money line in playoff games over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 49-29 (+22.4 Units) against the money line in road games after getting shut out since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 64-53 (+18.2 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 3 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 45-42 (+6.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
HUDSON is 52-31 (+19.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HUDSON is 51-30 (+19.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 6-3 (+3.1 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+1.1 Units)

TIM HUDSON vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
HUDSON is 3-5 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 4.17 and a WHIP of 1.323.
His team's record is 6-6 (-4.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-6. (-1.4 units)

JEREMY GUTHRIE vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
GUTHRIE is 1-1 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 5.49 and a WHIP of 1.679.
His team's record is 3-1 (+2.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-1. (+2.0 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, October 29

Hudson is 0-5, 6.80 in his last eight starts, 1-4, 3.53 in 12 postseason starts, 0-1, 4.76 in one start against the Royals this season.
Guthrie is 4-0, 1.78 in his last five starts, 1-0, 2.70 in two playoff starts, 1-0, 3.60 in his one start against the Giants this season.

Giants won World Series in 2010 and 2012; they're 11-5 this postseason, 5-3 on the road- they scored 5+ runs in all three series wins, 2-2-0 in losses.

Royals are 11-3 this postseason, 3-3 in last six games with five one-run wins. They've won six of last seven home games.

Hudson 20-15.................8-35 first inning
Guthrie 21-13.................12-34 first inning

Since 1982, 11 World Series have been tied 2-2; weird stat is the team that won Game 5 went to win series only four of 11 times....the last eight times a home team won Game 6 to force Game 7, they also won Game 7.

MLB

Wednesday, October 29

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Trend Report
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8:07 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. KANSAS CITY
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco's last 5 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
San Francisco is 1-7 SU in its last 8 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 4 of Kansas City's last 6 games

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**Udog** · 10-29-2014, 09:18 AM

World Series: 5 things we know entering Game 7

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A second inning that included a franchise-postseason-record seven runs and eight hits guided the Kansas City Royals to a 10-0 win over the San Francisco Giants in Game 6 on Tuesday, tying the World Series at three games apiece.

The Royals will try Wednesday night to become the ninth team in last 11 opportunities to win Games 6 and 7 at home to capture the championship. No road team has won Game 7 since 1979 when the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Orioles in Baltimore.

Here are five things we know about the World Series entering Game 7:

--5. Teams need breaks to win the World Series, and the Royals are getting plenty. Game 6 loser Jake Peavy said he doesn't remember breaking three bats in an inning and not recording an out on any of them, as occurred in the second inning Tuesday.

However, Kansas City manager Ned Yost said he is confident his team can keep finding the breaks in Game 7.

"I've never been so convicted about a game in my life, seriously," he said. "I've never felt more strongly about us winning a ballgame than I did this game. I had a strong, a very, very strong feeling that whoever won Game 6 was going to win Game 7. But we have to wait until tomorrow to see if my theory is correct."

--4. Giants right-hander Tim Hudson needs a big game Wednesday. He made his World Series debut in Game 3 and lost a 3-2 decision. Hudson finished the regular season 9-13 with a 3.57 ERA, but he lost his last four decisions. His ERA in September was 8.72, and he is 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA in the postseason. He says he is ready for the big stage.

"You should be," he said. "This is why you play the game. This is why you compete. This is why you work so hard throughout your career to get to hopefully have this opportunity. I'm going to have some fun. I've waited a long time for this."

--3. The Giants used five pitchers in Game 6, but Giants manager Bruce Bochy still feels as if he has the tools to win Game 7. He used five pitchers, but only Jean Machi pitched more than two innings. He did not use his top four relievers: left-handers Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt and right-handers Sergio Romo and Santiago Casilla. Bochy also has ace lefty Madison Bumgarner available to pitch a couple of innings after having two days' rest. Bumgarner is 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA in the World Series.

"You hate to have a game go like (Game 6 did), but no question it does allow you to do some things you probably normally wouldn't do," Bochy said. "So we're loaded tomorrow, I feel, and they are, too. So we're just looking forward to the game."

--2. The Royals' bullpen is rested. Yordano Ventura pitched seven innings of shutout ball, and relievers Jason Frasor and Tim Collins pitched the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. That means that Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland have another day of rest heading into Game 7.

"To get us through seven innings, and then Frasor coming in and Collins getting through that, that keeps all of our big guns fresh and ready to go tomorrow," Yost said. "That was the intent once we scored the seven runs (in the second inning) to try to get through that game without using (Brandon) Finnegan, without using Herrera, without using Holland and Wade Davis."

Jeremy Guthrie, the Game 3 winner who will start Game 7, will aim for a six-inning effort to hand the ball to Kansas City's talented relief corps.

--1. The last team to win Game 6 at home to force a Game 7 and then lose the World Series was the Red Sox in 1975. Boston won Game 6 in the bottom of the 12th inning on Carlton Fisk's famous home run before falling 4-3 to the Cincinnati Reds in Game 7. Despite the history stacked up against them, the Giants are loose and confident.

"There's no other team I would rather be on for Game 7," said designated hitter Michael Morse, who is in his first year with the Giants. "They're ready for this. We knew it wasn't going to be easy today. Ventura came out and pitched a really good game; you have to tip your hat to him. Tomorrow we're going to go out and do what we do best, and that's play good baseball. I don't have a confidence meter. I can't tell you how confident, but this is the same thing we've been doing. This is awesome. It's been a great ride, and we're going to be ready for tomorrow."

**Udog** · 10-29-2014, 11:05 AM

MLB

Wednesday, October 29

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World Series Betting Preview: Giants at Royals
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San Francisco Giants at Kansas City Royals (-132, 7)

Kansas City avoided elimination with a convincing victory and either the Royals or visiting San Francisco Giants will be crowned champions when Game 7 of the World Series is held on Wednesday. San Francisco was in position to win the series in Game 6, but the Royals racked up 15 hits and rolled to a 10-0 victory. Giants ace Madison Bumgarner is available for relief duty in the finale as San Francisco looks to win its third title in five seasons.

The Giants have struggled to get strong outings from their starters when Bumgarner doesn’t pitch and Game 6 starter Jake Peavy lasted just 1 1/3 innings while being charged with five runs. Kansas City has won two of its three home games in the series as the lineup has a different feel to it when it includes designated hitter Billy Butler. “Billy is a big presence in that lineup offensively for us,” Royals manager Ned Yost said in a press conference. “Right in the middle of the lineup, he’s been a proven run producer and it’s just a big comfort level having him back in there.”

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

LINE: The Royals opened as -125 home favorites for the winner-take-all Game 7 and have been bet to -132. The total for the game is set at 7.0.

WEATHER REPORT: It should be a beautiful night for baseball in Kansas City with clear skies and temperatures in the low 50's in the forecast.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Tim Hudson (0-1, 3.72 ERA) vs. Royals RH Jeremy Guthrie (1-0, 2.70)

Hudson took the loss in Game 3 when he gave up three runs and four hits in 5 2/3 innings in his first career World Series start. He has walked just one hitter in 19 1/3 postseason innings while striking out 15. Hudson has found victories hard to come by in the postseason as he is 1-4 with a 3.53 ERA in 13 career appearances (12 starts).

Guthrie defeated Hudson in Game 3 when he allowed two runs and four hits in five innings. He said he is ready to the task of pitching in a Game 7 as Kansas City looks for its first title since 1985. “I feel like I’m in as good of shape and in as good position to pitch well as I’ve been all season long,” Guthrie said in his Tuesday press conference. “And that’s a good place to be, to not have to worry about being fatigued or not have to worry about any lingering soreness.”

TRENDS:

* Over is 4-0 in the last four meetings in Kansas City.
* Giants are 1-7 in the last eight meetings in Kansas City.
* Over is 4-0 in Giants last four World Series road games.
* Royals are 5-0 in their last five games as a home favorite.

CONSENSUS: Over 63 percent of wagers are backing the Royals at home. Over 67 percent of the total wagers are on the over 7.0.

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Wednesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 10/29

Wednesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 10/29

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