The Bum's MLB Best Bets - Trends - News Thru the World Series !

[StarDust Bum]

MLB PLAYOFF RECORD:

WLT PCT UNITS

M/L Picks.............1 -1................5O.00 %...........- 0.00

O/U Picks............0 - 2...............0.00 %............. - 2.00

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Long Sheet

Thursday, October 6

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BOSTON (93 - 69) at CLEVELAND (94 - 67) - 8:05 PM
RICK PORCELLO (R) vs. TREVOR BAUER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 242-245 (-32.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
BOSTON is 149-137 (-12.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 50-25 (+17.2 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
CLEVELAND is 26-9 (+11.4 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 this season.
CLEVELAND is 67-39 (+14.6 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
BOSTON is 36-19 (+14.5 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
BOSTON is 38-24 (+10.6 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters this season.
PORCELLO is 25-8 (+14.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
PORCELLO is 21-6 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
PORCELLO is 17-6 (+9.4 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)
CLEVELAND is 166-142 (-10.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 90-83 (-12.6 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 4-2 (+2.1 Units) against CLEVELAND this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.5 Units)

RICK PORCELLO vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
PORCELLO is 10-4 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 3.35 and a WHIP of 1.287.
His team's record is 14-8 (+5.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 8-14. (-6.6 units)

TREVOR BAUER vs. BOSTON since 1997
BAUER is 0-2 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 12.14 and a WHIP of 2.549.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.2 units)

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TORONTO (90 - 73) at TEXAS (95 - 67) - 4:35 PM
J.A. HAPP (L) vs. COLE HAMELS (L)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TEXAS is 3-4 (+0.3 Units) against TORONTO this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.6 Units)

J.A. HAPP vs. TEXAS since 1997
HAPP is 3-2 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 3.07 and a WHIP of 1.125.
His team's record is 3-2 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-2. (+0.8 units)

COLE HAMELS vs. TORONTO since 1997
HAMELS is 0-3 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 5.29 and a WHIP of 1.529.
His team's record is 1-5 (-5.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-4. (-2.4 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Thursday, October 6

Blue Jays @ Rangers

Hamels is 1-0, 4.50 in his last four starts; over is 6-1-1 in his last eight starts. Texas is 12-3 in his home starts. Hamels didn’t face Toronto this season.

Blue Jays ousted Texas 3-2 from playoffs LY, after Rangers won first two series games. Road team won four of those five games. Jays are 4-3 against Texas this year- they won Wild Card game on 11th-inning walkout HR Tuesday night. Toronto won its last three games, is 9-5 in its last 14. Rangers went 7-5 in last 12 games, coasting to AL West title.

Jays are in playoffs for second year in row, only times they’ve made it since 1993. Texas is in for fifth time in last seven years- they’ve never won a World Series.

Red Sox vs Indians

Porcello is 5-1, 2.86 in his last seven starts; three of his last four stayed under. Boston is 9-7 in his road starts starts. Porcello allowed two runs in 5.2 IP (115 PT) in 5-2 win over Cleveland May 22 at Fenway. Bauer is 1-2, 6.93 in his last four starts; over is 5-0-1 in his last six starts. indians won six of his last seven home starts. Bauer allowed four runs in five IP (98 PT) in 9-1 loss at Fenway May 21.

Red Sox are in playoffs for just second time in last seven years; they’re 4-2 vs Cleveland this year; they lost five of last six games overall, which followed their 11-game win streak. Indians are in playoffs for just third time since 2001; they’re 8-4 in last 12 games overall.

Obvious subplot here is that Francona is manager who ended Boston’s decades-long championship drought when he won 2004 World Series, then won again with Sox in ‘07.




MLB

Thursday, October 6

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Trend Report
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4:38 PM
TORONTO vs. TEXAS
Toronto is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Texas's last 15 games when playing at home against Toronto
Texas is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing Toronto

8:08 PM
BOSTON vs. CLEVELAND
Boston is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games on the road
Boston is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 6 games at home

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Thursday, October 6

Toronto @ Texas

Game 937-938
October 6, 2016 @ 4:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
(Estrada) 16.389
Texas
(Hamels) 14.554
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 2
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Texas
-145
9
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+125); Over

Boston @ Cleveland

Game 935-936
October 6, 2016 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
(Porcello) 16.402
Cleveland
(Bauer) 14.953
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
-140
8 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-140); Under

[StarDust Bum]

A look at all 16 potential World Series matchups
October 6, 2016

With the wild-card games out of the way, there are now four teams left in each league and 16 possible matchups for the World Series. Here's a list of them all - and what would make each of them noteworthy.

The matchups are listed in descending order of likelihood, using probability figures from Fangraphs.com heading into Thursday's action.

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DODGERS vs. RED SOX (11.7 percent chance)

Dave Roberts might still be able to dine for free in Boston after his role in the 2004 postseason for the Red Sox, but he manages Los Angeles now. These two franchises met in the World Series 100 years ago, when the Dodgers played in Brooklyn and were called the Robins. One can only imagine what Magic Johnson, a part owner of the Dodgers, would think about having to go through Boston to win a title in baseball.

CUBS vs. RED SOX (10.1 percent)

We were a fewplays from Baseball Armageddon in 2003, but the pennants slipped away from the Cubs and Red Sox. Since then, Boston has ended its long wait for a championship and added two more titles for good measure, so if the Red Sox do meet the Cubs in the World Series this year, the narrative figures to be less about dueling curses and more about Theo Epstein .

DODGERS vs. BLUE JAYS (9.2 percent)

Russell Martin received his first All-Star nod in 2007 when he was 24 and playing for the Dodgers. Three teams later, he's with the Blue Jays and remains one of the game's more productive catchers.

CUBS vs. BLUE JAYS (7.9 percent)

This ''Original Six'' World Series between Chicago and Toronto would have the hockey fans - and the Great Lakes enthusiasts - excited.

GIANTS vs. RED SOX (6.7 percent)

Avert your eyes from this matchup if you'd like to see some new blood in the World Series. Boston and San Francisco have won a combined six titles since 2004. The Red Sox and New York Giants met in the 1912 World Series, which went to a winner-take-all Game 8 because Game 2 had ended in a tie. Boston won in 10 innings with the help of a dropped fly by Fred Snodgrass.

DODGERS vs. RANGERS (6.6 percent)

A homecoming for Dallas native Clayton Kershaw, plus the potential for a head-to-head matchup between Yu Darvish and Japanese countryman Kenta Maeda.

DODGERS vs. INDIANS (6.3 percent)

Another throwback matchup: Cleveland and Brooklyn played a best-of-nine World Series in 1920 , with the Tris Speaker-led Indians prevailing in seven.

NATIONALS vs. RED SOX (6.1 percent)

This would have looked considerably more intriguing if Jonathan Papelbon were still on the Nationals.

CUBS vs. RANGERS (5.7 percent)

Has there ever been a World Series with a 90-degree game in one city and a snow delay in the other?

CUBS vs. INDIANS (5.4 percent)

In another year, the Indians might be huge sentimental favorites as they try to win their first World Series title since 1948, but good luck making that argument if this is the matchup.

GIANTS vs. BLUE JAYS (5.3 percent)

The Giants very nearly moved to Toronto in 1976, but they remained in the Bay Area after being bought by Bob Lurie. The Blue Jays played their first season as an expansion team in 1977.

NATIONALS vs. BLUE JAYS (4.8 percent)

Canada's team against the team that left. There would be some interested observers in Montreal, oui?

GIANTS vs. RANGERS (3.8 percent)

A rematch of the 2010 World Series, which the Giants won in five. Madison Bumgarner was 21 when he pitched in that postseason, blanking Texas for eight innings in Game 4.

GIANTS vs. INDIANS (3.6 percent)

Willie Mays and Vic Wertz . A 111-win Cleveland team going down in four straight . There's lots of history here - and if the Giants take a 3-1 lead in the series but have a key player suspended for Game 5, Bay Area fans might have a sinking feeling about what comes next.

NATIONALS vs. RANGERS (3.5 percent)

Washington fans old enough to remember the Senators are also old enough to remember where they moved after the 1971 season. Even Redskins-Cowboys would have to take a backseat to this D.C.-Texas rivalry for a couple weeks. Maybe.

NATIONALS vs. INDIANS (3.3 percent)

When the Nationals were still the Expos, they traded Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips to the Indians for Bartolo Colon. It was a lopsided trade in Cleveland's favor - but then again, Colon may end up outlasting them all .

[StarDust Bum]

A capsule look at the Blue Jays-Rangers playoff series
October 6, 2016

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers:

Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Thursday, at Texas (4:38 p.m.); Game 2, Friday, at Texas (1:08 p.m.); Game 3, Sunday, at Toronto (7:38 p.m.); x-Game 4, Monday, Oct. 10, at Toronto (TBA); x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 12, at Texas (TBA). (All games on TBS).

x-if necessary.

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Season Series: Blue Jays won 4-3.

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Projected Lineups:

Blue Jays: 2B Devon Travis (.300, 11 HRs, 50 RBIs), 3B Josh Donaldson (.284, 37, 99), 1B Edwin Encarnacion (.263, 42, 127), DH Jose Bautista (.234, 22, 69), C Russell Martin (.231, 20, 74), SS Troy Tulowitzki (.254, 24, 79), RF Michael Saunders (.253, 24, 57), CF Kevin Pillar (.266, 7, 53), LF Ezequiel Carrera (.248, 6, 23) or Melvin Upton Jr. (.238, 20, 61 with San Diego and Toronto).

Rangers: LF Carlos Gomez (.284, 8, 24 in 33 games with Rangers; .210, 5, 29 in 85 games with Astros), CF Ian Desmond (.285, 22, 86, 107 runs, 160 Ks), DH Carlos Beltran (280, 7, 29 in 52 games with Rangers; .304, 22, 64 in 99 games with Yankees), 3B Adrian Beltre (.300, 32, 104, 31 2Bs), 2B Rougned Odor (.271, 33, 88), C Jonathan Lucroy (.276, 11, 31 in 47 games with Rangers; .299, 13, 50 in 95 games with Brewers), RF Shin-Soo Choo (.242, 7, 17 in 48 games, 4 DL stints), 1B Mitch Moreland (.233, 22, 60), SS Elvis Andrus (.302, 8, 69, 7 3Bs, 24 SBs).

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Starting Pitchers:

Blue Jays: RH Marco Estrada (9-9, 3.48), LH J.A. Happ (20-4, 3.18 ERA), RH Aaron Sanchez (15-2, AL-leading 3.00 ERA), RH Marcus Stroman (9-10, 4.37, career-high 204 IP).

Rangers: LH Cole Hamels (15-5, 3.32, 200 2/3 IP, 200 Ks), RH Yu Darvish (7-5, 3.41), RH Colby Lewis (6-5, 3.71), LHP Martin Perez (10-11, 4.39, 198 2/3 IP).

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Relievers:

Blue Jays: RH Roberto Osuna (1-6, 2.68, 36/39 saves), RH Jason Grilli (7-6, 1.29, 81Ks in 59 innings with Atlanta and Toronto), LH Brett Cecil (1-7, 3.96), RH Joe Biagini (4-3, 3.06 in 60 games as a rookie), LH Francisco Liriano (8-13, 4.69 with Pittsburgh and Toronto; 2-2, 2.92 in 10 games, 8 starts, for Blue Jays).

Rangers: RH Sam Dyson (3-2, 2.43, 38/43 saves), RH Tony Barnette (7-3, 2.09), RH Matt Bush (7-2, 2.48, 61 Ks in 61 2/3 IP), LH Alex Claudio (4-1, 2.79), LH Jake Diekman (4-2, 3.40, 4 saves), RH Jeremy Jeffress (1-0, 2.70 in 12 games with Rangers; 2-2, 2.22, 27/28 saves in 47 games with Brewers), RH Keone Kela (5-1, 6.09).

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Matchups:

A rematch of the 2015 ALDS that Toronto won in five games, including the wild clincher when Bautista had the go-ahead homer and emphatic bat flip as part of a disastrous seventh inning for the Rangers. They made errors on three consecutive plays, including two by Andrus. ... Toronto has a 208-203 lead all-time in the regular-season series. ... The ALDS opener will be their first meeting since May 15 in Texas, when Odor punched Bautista after the Blue Jays' slugger made a hard takeout slide at second base in the eighth inning, after he had reached base when hit by a pitch. MLB disciplined 14 players and staff over the melee. The only players suspended were Odor (seven games), Bautista (one game) and Andrus (one game). ... Texas (60-31) and Toronto (58-31) were good during the regular season against the best teams, with the top two records in the majors against clubs that finished .500 or better. ... Texas' three wins over Toronto this season were all one-run games. Each was won by a reliever, including Bush's first career victory May 15. ... In the ALDS last season, Texas took a 2-0 series lead by winning the first two games in Toronto, including a 14-inning Game 2. The Blue Jays posted a pair of four-run victories in Texas to force the deciding game at raucous Rogers Centre. ... The Rangers won a franchise-record 53 home games this season, which could come in handy because they have home-field advantage through the postseason. The AL won the All-Star Game for home field in the World Series.

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Big Picture:

Rangers: The AL West champions had a six-game lead in the division when general manager Jon Daniels pulled off two significant deals in the hours before the non-waiver trade deadline Aug. 1. Lucroy and Jeffress were acquired from Milwaukee, and the Rangers got Beltran (52 postseason games for four teams) from the Yankees. And when the Astros released a struggling Gomez on Aug. 18, the Rangers signed the two-time All-Star two days later and made him their starting left fielder after three games in the minors. Gomez became their primary leadoff hitter the last three weeks of the regular season. ... After not clinching the 2015 division title until the final day of the regular season, Texas had a champagne celebration after winning Game No. 154 this year in Oakland. ... Piloted by manager Jeff Banister, the Rangers (95-67) led the American League in wins and winning percentage (.586) for the first time in franchise history. ... Beltre had his third career .300/30/100 season. He joined Miguel Cabrera (six) and David Ortiz (five) as the only active players with more than one. ... Choo returned for the final weekend of the regular season after missing 39 games with a broken left forearm. ... This is the eighth time the Rangers have made the playoffs. In the previous seven, the only times they won postseason series were in 2010 and 2011 on the way to their lone World Series appearances.

Blue Jays: After snapping a 22-year postseason drought in 2015, Toronto reached the playoffs for the second straight season under manager John Gibbons. The last time the Blue Jays did that was a three-year run from 1991-93 that ended with back-to-back World Series titles. ... This time, the Blue Jays (89-73) captured the top AL wild card by winning their regular-season finale in Boston. Then they beat division-rival Baltimore at home in the wild-card game on Encarnacion's three-run homer in the 11th inning. ... The Blue Jays went 13-16 in September and October, their first losing month since April (11-14). ... Toronto averaged an AL-worst 3.69 runs per game in September and October, a full run off their season average of 4.70. ... Blue Jays starters were strong down the stretch, allowing no more than one earned run in 12 of the final 17 games. The bullpen struggled, however, blowing leads five times in a seven-game stretch that ended Oct. 1. ... The Blue Jays went 46-35 at home, the fourth-best mark in the division. ... Toronto has several pending free agents, including Bautista, Encarnacion, Saunders, Cecil and RHP R.A. Dickey.

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Watch For:

- Banged-up Bullpen. Osuna exited Toronto's wild-card victory over the Orioles with a sore shoulder. Tests did not reveal any damage, and Osuna said the soreness might be due to fatigue after he pitched 16 regular-season innings in September and October. If he is not available against Texas, Grilli would likely handle the ninth inning. The Blue Jays already are without setup man Joaquin Benoit, who tore his left calf running in from the bullpen during a bench-clearing scrap with the Yankees on Sept. 26.

- Pair of Aces. For the first time, the Rangers have both Hamels and Darvish in their playoff rotation. Darvish, the three-time All-Star from Japan whose only MLB postseason appearance was a loss in the 2012 AL wild-card game against Baltimore, missed all of 2015 recovering from Tommy John surgery. Hamels was acquired in a July 2015 trade and has won division-clinching games in both of his seasons with Texas. Hamels has a 3.03 ERA in 15 career postseason games, including two last October for the Rangers. The All-Star lefty was the MVP of the 2008 World Series and NLCS for the Phillies.

- Unruly Fans. The noisy crowds in Canada are gaining a reputation for bad behavior. Toronto Police were looking for the fan who threw a beer can at Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim in the wild-card game. During Game 5 of last year's ALDS, Blue Jays fans littered the field with debris after a disputed call that let Odor score from third after Martin's throw back to the mound deflected off Choo's bat.

- Close Calls. Texas was 36-11 in one-run games, setting an MLB record with a .766 winning percentage. The Rangers also led the majors with 49 comeback wins. They won eight times when trailing after eight innings, plus had an MLB-best 21 wins in their last at-bat.

- RISP-Y Business. Toronto hit .249 with runners in scoring position, the worst mark among AL playoff teams. Over the final eight regular-season games, the Blue Jays were 13 for 66 (.197) with one double in those situations.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB PLAYOFF RECORD:

WLT PCT UNITS

M/L Picks.............1 -1...............5O.00 %...........+ 0.00

O/U Picks............0 - 2...............0.00 %............ - 2.00


THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TOR at TEX 04:30 PM

TOR +119

O 9.0


BOS at CLE 08:00 PM

BOS -140

U 8.5

[StarDust Bum]

MLB PLAYOFF RECORD:

10/06 - 2 - 2 - 0.21

WLT PCT UNITS

M/L Picks.............2 - 2...............5O.00 %...........- 0.21

O/U Picks............1 - 3................25.00 %............ - 2.00

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

Six football trends to ponder, with Week 5 coming up……..

— South Florida covered eight of last nine home games.

— Notre Dame is 5-12 in last 17 games as a road favorite.

— Minnesota covered five of last seven as a home dog.

— Texas A&M is 4-10-1 in last 15 as an SEC favorite.

— Southern Mississippi is 16-7 as a road favorite.

— Vanderbilt covered 13 of last 19 as a road underdog.

**********

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Things I’m looking for this weekend

13) Clemson has a trap game at Boston College, on a short week after their big win over Louisville. Can the Tigers take care of business Friday night in Beantown?

12) Tom Brady’s back and New England is a double digit road favorite in Cleveland, where Bill Belichick once went 36-44 as the Browns’ coach. Cleveland has been outscored 73-17 in second half of games this season.

11) North Carolina stunned Florida State in Tallahassee last week; now they host a Virginia Tech squad playing its first true road game of the season. Tar Heels won their last two games by a total of 3 points- their only loss so far was against Georgia.

10) Did the early bye week break the 3-0 Eagles’ momentum? Two years ago, Cincinnati got off to a fast 3-0 start, had a Week 4 bye, then went 0-2-1 in their first three games after the bye. Philly plays the Lions at Ford Field; will be an interesting game.

9) Oklahoma-Texas are both 2-2, which doesn’t sit well with either fanbase. Losing coach in this game is going to have a very long week.

8) Steelers are 19-5 in their last 24 games against the Jets, who lost their last nine visits to the Steel City. Has the leash on Jets’ QB Ryan Fitzpatrick gotten any shorter?

7) Baseball playoffs are underway; Giants won World Series three of last six years. Cubs haven’t won one in over 100 years. Interesting matchup there; Cubs are the better team.

6) Florida State’s defense isn’t good; feel bad for the coaches, since Showtime is doing a reality show on the Seminoles this year- their sub-par performance is going to cost someone their job. Seminoles-Miami are supposed to play if the incoming hurricane doesn’t force the game to be moved to another time or place.

5) Atlanta Falcons have the NFL’s #1 offense right now; they’re in Denver this week, playing the defending champs, who have a great defense. Damn good 4:00 game Sunday.

4) Tennessee has come back from the dead two weeks in a row; now the unbeaten (but shaky) Volunteers head to College Station- this might be the best game of the week.

3) Chargers are 1-3, despite having a 4th quarter lead in every game, and a double digit lead in every game. Oakland is 3-1 but lost its only home game.

I was in an elevator with four bikers in Las Vegas this summer; they were all avid Raider fans and were enthusiastic about Oakland’s chances this season. A win here would make the bikers a very happy group Sunday.

2) Oregon lost its last three games; rumors have coach Helfrich in hot water. Ducks haven’t lost to Washington in over a decade, but they’re an 8-point dog here. Huskies are trying to establish themselves as the best team in the Pac-12 North.

1) More national TV exposure Sunday night for Odell Beckham Jr, who has an awful lot of commercials on TV these days. Giants fired their Hall of Fame coach last winter, kept both coordinators; they’ve lost their last two games after a 2-0 start. Beating the Packers in Lambeau is tough duty, but if Odell wants to shut his critics up, this would be a good time to have a big ballgame.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Friday, October 7

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Friday's MLB Division Series Betting Preview and Odds
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The Cubs begin their postseason quest to win the Fall Classic for the first time in 108 years when they host the Giants Friday.

After an exciting first day of games in the American League Division Series, the National League joins the action Friday and we break it all down for you in our betting preview.

Toronto Blue Jays at Texas Rangers (-120, 9)

Blue Jays lead series 1-0

The Toronto Blue Jays attempt to take a commanding lead in their American League Division Series when they visit the Texas Rangers for Game 2 on Friday afternoon. Less than 48 hours after outlasting Baltimore in 11 innings in the Wild-Card Game, Toronto put the boots to Texas ace Cole Hamels by tagging the left-hander for seven runs over 3 1/3 frames en route to a 10-1 triumph in the series opener.

Jose Bautista homered and drove in four runs, Troy Tulowitzki collected three RBIs and Josh Donaldson went 4-for-4 while plating a pair as the Blue Jays drew first blood in their attempt to knock off the Rangers in the ALDS for the second straight year. Toronto is hoping Bautista can solve Texas' Yu Darvish in Game 2 as the slugger is 1-for-18 lifetime versus the three-time All-Star. Elvis Andrus recorded two of the Rangers' four hits in the opener while Shin-Soo Choo drove in their lone run with a groundout in the ninth inning. Jonathan Lucroy, who recorded 11 homers and 31 RBIs in 47 games for Texas after being acquired from Milwaukee, looks to continue to batter Toronto Game 2 starter J.A. Happ as he is 7-for-19 lifetime with five RBIs against the left-hander.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, TBS, Sportsnet (Toronto)

LINE HISTORY: The Rangers have opened Game 2 as -120 home favorites. The total opened at 9. Check out the complete line history here.

WEATHER REPORT: The forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low 70's and a 60 percent chance of rain. There will also be a moderate hitters wind gusting out to right field at approximately nine to 11 miles per hour.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays LH J.A. Happ (20-4, 3.18 ERA) vs. Rangers RH Yu Darvish (7-5, 3.41)

Happ is coming off the best season of his career, finishing as one of the major league's three 20-game winners while also posting a career best in strikeouts (163). The 33-year-old native of Illinois won his only start against Texas this year, limiting the Rangers to one run and six hits over seven innings on May 5. Happ has posted a 4.82 ERA in eight career postseason games, including one start at Colorado on Oct. 11, 2009 in which he yielded three runs and five hits over three frames while with Philadelphia.

Darvish finished his injury-plagued campaign strong, allowing fewer than two runs in three of his final four outings - including a six-inning victory over Tampa Bay in his final start on Sept. 30 in which he gave up one run and three hits while registering a season-high 12 strikeouts. The 30-year-old from Japan is 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA in seven career turns against the Blue Jays but did not face them this year. Darvish lost the only previous postseason start, yielding three runs - two earned - and five hits over 6 2/3 innings in the 2012 AL Wild-Card Game versus Baltimore.

TRENDS:

* Blue Jays are 4-0 in Happ's last four road starts.
* Rangers are 8-2 in Darvish's last 10 starts.
* Under is 18-3-1 in Darvish's last 22 starts versus American League East opponents.
* Under is 12-2 in Blue Jays' last 14 games versus a right-handed starter.

CONSENSUS: Bettors are backing the home team in Game 2, with 55 percent of wagers backing the Rangers. Meanwhile for the total, 64 percent of bettors are on the Under.



Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Indians (OFF)

Indians lead series 1-0

David Price looks to continue his success at Progressive Field as the Boston Red Sox try to even the American League Division Series at one contest apiece when they visit the Cleveland Indians for Game 2 on Friday. The veteran left-hander boasts a 5-0 record in seven outings at Cleveland in his career, but has struggled in the postseason with a 2-7 mark and 5.12 ERA in 14 games – eight of them starts.

Price, who has never won a postseason start, hopes to keep the ball in the park after the Indians belted three homers in the third inning and held on for a 5-4 victory in the series opener Thursday. Cleveland’s Jason Kipnis hit one of those blasts and finished with three hits to go along with two RBIs in Game 1 while catcher Roberto Perez came up big with a homer, a single and two runs scored. The Indians need a big performance from scheduled starter Corey Kluber after their top relievers Andrew Miller and Cody Allen each threw 40 pitches Thursday. Kluber was deemed healthy after a quad strain caused him to miss his final start of the regular season, and the former Cy Young winner makes his first playoff appearance.

TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, TBS

LINE HISTORY: The line for this game is currently off the board.

WEATHER REPORT: It should be a beautiful afternoon for baseball in Cleveland. The forecast is calling for clear skies with temperatures in the mid 70's. There will also be a six to seven mile per hour hitters wind gusting out to center field.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH David Price (17-9, 3.99 ERA) vs. Indians RH Corey Kluber (18-9, 3.14)

Price finished the season strong by going 8-1 with a 3.27 ERA over his last 11 starts and has won 10 of 12 decisions with a 2.24 ERA in 14 lifetime games against the Indians. The 31-year-old Vanderbilt product ended up fourth in the AL in strikeouts with 228 and completed 230 innings — the second most of his career. Carlos Santana is 10-for-31 with four doubles versus Price, who beat Cleveland with six innings of two-run ball April 5.

Kluber was one of the best pitchers in the majors after the All-Star break, registering a 9-1 record with a 2.52 ERA in 14 starts. The 30-year-old Alabama native finished one strikeout behind Price at 227 – his third straight season with at least that many. David Ortiz and Jackie Bradley Jr. have each gone deep twice while Mookie Betts is 4-for-10 with one blast against Kluber, who went 1-1 with a 4.38 ERA in two starts versus the Red Sox this season.

TRENDS:

* Red Sox are 1-6 in their last seven overall.
* Indians are 6-1 in Klubers last seven starts versus a team with a winning record.
* Over is 7-1 in Price's last eight road starts.
* Over is 5-1-1 in Indians last seven overall.

CONSENSUS: With the game off the board there is currently no consensus.



Los Angeles Dodgers at Washington Nationals (+138, 6)

Series tied 0-0

Everybody agrees that Clayton Kershaw is one of the top pitchers in baseball but his postseason history hasn't come close to matching his regular season success. The left-hander gets another opportunity to alter his October reputation when the Los Angeles Dodgers open the National League Division Series against the host Washington Nationals on Friday.

Kershaw, a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner, is 2-6 with a 4.59 ERA in 13 career postseason appearances (10 starts) and bristles at the notion that he is an underachiever on baseball's big stage. "Nobody talks about the success I've had in the postseason," Kershaw told reporters. "That's fine. Ultimately, what it comes down to is if we win the World Series, everybody will stop saying everything, good or bad. That mindset is what I have to think about." Washington counters with Max Scherzer and the right-hander - a candidate to win his second Cy Young award - has experienced mixed results in the playoffs by going 4-3 with a 3.73 ERA in 12 career appearances (10 starts). Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy (strained buttocks muscle) said he expects to be in the starting lineup and manager Dusty Baker said he thought the 2015 playoff hero looked good during Thursday's workout.

TV: 5:38 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

LINE HISTORY: The Nationals opened as +126 home dogs going up against Kershaw and have been faded to as high as +138. Since then they have come back down to the current number of Nationals +133. The total for this matchup is a super low 6. Check out the complete line history here.

WEATHER REPORT: There will be a slight 20 percent chance of rain in D.C. tomorrow with temperatures in the low 70's. There will also be a slight five to six mile per hour wind blowing out to center field.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (12-4, 1.69 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Max Scherzer (20-7, 2.96)

Kershaw has thrived against Washington with a 10-2 mark and 2.02 ERA in 14 career appearances (13 starts), including a victory June 20 when he gave up one run and six hits over seven innings. The left-handed hitting Murphy smacked two homers off Kershaw in last season's NLDS as a member of the New York Mets. Kershaw missed more than two months with back issues but finished the season strong by compiling an 0.72 ERA over his last four starts.

Scherzer didn't face the Dodgers this season and is 2-4 with a 3.29 ERA in 10 career appearances (eight starts) against Los Angeles. The 32-year-old won his past eight decisions and aims to carry his regular-season success into the postseason when he faces Kershaw. "It's what you play this game for. You don't measure yourself against the worst; you measure yourself against the best," Scherzer said at Thursday's press conference. "And I think this is best opponent I could possibly face with the Dodgers and Kershaw throwing."

TRENDS:

* Dodgers are 1-6 in their last seven road games.
* Nationals are 5-0 in Scherzer's last five home starts.
* Under is 8-1-1 in Kershaw's last 10 road starts.
* Under is 9-2 in Scherzer's last 11 home starts.

CONSENSUS: Bettors are almost split down the middle for this classic pitchers duel, with 52 percent of wagers giving Kershaw and the Dodgers the slightest of edges. As for the total 54 percent of wagers are on the Under.



San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs (-175, 7)

Series tied 0-0

The Chicago Cubs led the majors with 103 regular-season victories but that doesn't guarantee them rare postseason success when they open the National League Division Series on Friday against the visiting San Francisco Giants. Chicago was swept out of the playoffs last season in the NL Championship Series by the New York Mets and hasn't won the World Series since 1908.

San Francisco won three World Series crowns this decade and earned the trip to Chicago by blanking the Mets 3-0 in Wednesday's NL wild-card game. "We're looking forward to the next series, and it's good to be moving on, trust me because we had to scratch and claw just to get to this point," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said in a press conference. "But it's all about persevering, and this club has done a great job of that." The Cubs are led by budding superstar third baseman Kris Bryant, the probable NL MVP after having 39 homers and 102 RBIs in his second big-league season. "For me, it's never going to be good enough," Bryant told reporters. "I'm so stubborn. I'm so hard on myself. There's always going to be ways for me to look at my game and say, 'I can do this better.'"

TV: 9:15 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

LINE HISTORY: The Cubs opened as -175 home favorites and have already been bet up to -181. The total for this game opened at 7. Check out the complete line history here.

WEATHER REPORT: It should be a great night for baseball in the Windy City. The forecast is calling for clear skies with temperatures in the mid 50's for the game. There will also be an eight to 10 mile per hour pitchers wind blowing in from left field.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants RH Johnny Cueto (18-5, 2.79 ERA) vs. Cubs LH Jon Lester (19-5, 2.44)

Cueto went 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA over his final four outings to reach the third-highest victory total of his nine-year career. The 30-year-old is 2-3 with a 5.35 ERA in seven career postseason starts and struggled badly in his first three outings in last year's postseason with Kansas City before coming up big in Game 2 of the World Series with a complete-game two-hitter in a 7-1 victory over the New York Mets. Cueto is 9-8 with a 3.24 ERA in 24 career starts against the Cubs and is 5-5 with a 3.07 ERA in 15 outings at Wrigley Field.

The 32-year-old Lester was superb at home this season with a 10-2 mark and 1.74 ERA and that helped make him an easy Game 1 choice for manager Joe Maddon. "He always embraces the moment. Good things tend to happen," Maddon told reporters. "He really does rise to the occasion. Everything locks in and he tends to execute at a really high level." Lester, who is 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in five career starts against the Giants, dropped both turns last postseason for the Cubs but is 6-6 with a 2.85 ERA in 16 career appearances (14 starts).

TRENDS:

* Giants are 7-0 in their last seven Divisional Playoff road games.
* Cubs are 7-0 in Lester's last seven home starts versus a team with a winning record.
* Under is 7-0 in Giants last seven road games versus a left-handed starter.
* Over is 10-2 in Cubs last 12 playoff home games.

CONSENSUS: Bettors are backing the North Siders in Game 1 with 62 percent of wagers on the Cubs. Wagers on the total are almost split down the middle with 51 percent of them on the Under.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Friday, October 7

Toronto @ Texas

Game 957-958
October 7, 2016 @ 1:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
(Happ) 17.588
Texas
(Darvish) 13.379
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Toronto
by 4
12
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Texas
-130
9 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Toronto
(+110); Over

Boston @ Cleveland

Game 955-956
October 7, 2016 @ 4:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Boston
(Price) 15.383
Cleveland
(Kluber) 14.305
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 1
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
-125
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(+105); Under

San Francisco @ Chicago Cubs

Game 953-954
October 7, 2016 @ 9:15 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Francisco
(Cueto) 16.032
Chicago Cubs
(Lester) 17.231
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago Cubs
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago Cubs
-175
7
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago Cubs
(-175); Under

LA Dodgers @ Washington

Game 951-952
October 7, 2016 @ 5:35 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Dodgers
(Kershaw) 15.815
Washington
(Scherzer) 14.671
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Dodgers
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Dodgers
-150
6
Dunkel Pick:
LA Dodgers
(-150); Under




MLB
Long Sheet

Friday, October 7

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

LA DODGERS (91 - 71) at WASHINGTON (95 - 67) - 5:35 PM
CLAYTON KERSHAW (L) vs. MAX SCHERZER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA DODGERS are 91-71 (-6.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA DODGERS are 38-43 (-16.4 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
LA DODGERS are 25-27 (-13.6 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 11-15 (-9.6 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday this season.
LA DODGERS are 88-69 (-7.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
LA DODGERS are 63-55 (-14.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
LA DODGERS are 59-64 (-26.8 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 30-38 (-12.4 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 178-146 (-18.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 177-145 (-18.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 114-98 (-16.2 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA DODGERS is 5-1 (+4.8 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-0.8 Units)

CLAYTON KERSHAW vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
KERSHAW is 10-2 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 2.07 and a WHIP of 0.897.
His team's record is 11-2 (+7.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-8. (-3.2 units)

MAX SCHERZER vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
SCHERZER is 2-4 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 3.48 and a WHIP of 1.181.
His team's record is 2-6 (-3.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-0. (+6.2 units)

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

SAN FRANCISCO (88 - 75) at CHICAGO CUBS (103 - 58) - 9:05 PM
JOHNNY CUETO (R) vs. JON LESTER (L)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO CUBS is 4-3 (+0.1 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.6 Units)

JOHNNY CUETO vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
CUETO is 9-8 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 3.24 and a WHIP of 1.193.
His team's record is 12-12 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 10-13. (-3.4 units)

JON LESTER vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
LESTER is 4-1 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 2.25 and a WHIP of 1.000.
His team's record is 4-1 (+2.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-2. (+0.0 units)

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

BOSTON (93 - 69) at CLEVELAND (94 - 67) - 4:35 PM
DAVID PRICE (L) vs. COREY KLUBER (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 4-2 (+2.1 Units) against CLEVELAND this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.5 Units)

DAVID PRICE vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
PRICE is 10-2 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 2.24 and a WHIP of 1.159.
His team's record is 11-3 (+6.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 8-5. (+3.1 units)

COREY KLUBER vs. BOSTON since 1997
KLUBER is 2-3 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 4.69 and a WHIP of 1.188.
His team's record is 4-4 (-0.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-3. (+1.8 units)

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

TORONTO (90 - 73) at TEXAS (95 - 67) - 1:05 PM
AARON SANCHEZ (R) vs. YU DARVISH (R)
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
TEXAS is 3-4 (+0.3 Units) against TORONTO this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.6 Units)

AARON SANCHEZ vs. TEXAS since 1997
SANCHEZ is 0-0 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 5.93 and a WHIP of 1.463.
His team's record is 1-1 (-0.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

YU DARVISH vs. TORONTO since 1997
DARVISH is 3-2 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 2.45 and a WHIP of 1.049.
His team's record is 3-4 (-4.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-1. (+5.0 units)

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




MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Friday, October 7


Blue Jays @ Rangers

Happ is 3-0, 2.93 in his last five starts; Toronto is 17-3 in his last 20 starts, 9-1 in his last ten on road. He beat Texas 12-2 on May 5, allowing one run in seven IP. Happ started one playoff game, for Phillies in 2009 (3 runs allowed in three IP); he relieved in seven other playoff tilts, allowing five runs in 9.1 IP overall in postseason.

Darvish is 2-0, 0.69 in his last two starts; Rangers won eight of his last ten starts. Texas is 6-4 in his home starts. He allowed three runs (two earned) in 6.2 IP in his only playoff start, a 2012 loss to Baltimore.

Blue Jays are 5-3 against Texas this year- Toronto won its last four games, is 10-5 in its last 15. Rangers are 7-6 in last 13 games. Road team won five of last six Toronto-Texas playoff games.

Jays are in playoffs for second year in row, only times they’ve made it since 1993. Texas is in for fifth time in last seven years- they’ve never won a World Series. Gibbons is 7-6 as a postseason manager. Banister is 2-4 as a postseason manager, with all six games against Toronto.

Red Sox @ Indians

Price is 1-1, 5.55 in his last four starts; over is 10-2-1 in his last 13 starts. Boston won five of his last six road starts. Price is 2-7, 5.12 in 14 postseason games (8 starts); he beat Cleveland 6-2 in his first start this year, allowing two runs in six IP (103 PT).

Kluber is 3-0, 3.33 in his last four starts; four of his last six home starts stayed under. He is 1-1, 4.38 against Boston this year; this is his postseason debut.

Red Sox are in playoffs for just second time in last seven years; they’re 4-3 vs Cleveland this year; they lost six of last seven games overall, which followed their 11-game win streak. Indians are in playoffs for just third time since 2001; they’re 9-4 in last 13 games overall.

Obvious subplot here is that Francona is manager who ended Boston’s championship drought when he won 2004 World Series, then won again with Sox in ‘07. Francona has a 29-18 career record in playoff games. Farrell is 11-6 as a postseason manager, with a World Series title in 2013.

Dodgers @ Nationals

Kershaw is 1-1, 1.44 in his last four starts; under is 8-1-1 in his last ten. Dodgers are 8-3 in his road starts, 1-3 in his last four. He beat Washington 4-1 June 20 (allowed one run in seven IP). Kershaw is 2-6, 4.59 in 13 postseason games (10 starts).

Scherzer is 8-0, 2.97 in his last nine starts; three of his last four went over total. He is 4-3, 3.73 in 12 postseason games (10 starts), and did not pitch against Los Angeles this season. Nationals are 9-5 in his home starts.

Dodgers are in playoffs for 4th year in a row- their last World Series title was in 1988. LA is 5-1 vs Washington this season; they lost six of last seven road games, but most of those losses came after they clinched the division. Nationals won six of last nine games; they jogged to NL East title— they’re in playoffs for third time in last five years.

Roberts is a rookie manager. Baker is 19-26 as postseason manager; he won NL pennant is 2002 with the Giants.

Giants @ Cubs

Cueto is 4-0, 1.91 in his last four starts; over is 8-3 in his last 11 starts. Giants are 13-3 in his road starts. Cueto allowed one run in 7.1 IP in his only start against Chicago this year. He is 2-3, 5.35 in seven postseason starts.

Lester is 5-1, 1.48 in his last six starts, 6-6, 2.84 in 14 career postseason starts, but 0-2, 5.49 in his last three- his last postseason win was in ’13 for Boston. Cubs won his last 10 home starts. Under is 9-1 in his last ten starts overall.

Giants were 3-4 against the Cubs this year; they’ve won last five games overall, after a dreadful second half of season. Chicago won nine of its last 12 games; they’re 15-13 against the other four NL playoff teams.

Bochy won three World Series in last six years; he is 43-30 as a postseason manager. Madden got Rays to ’08 World Series; he is 17-22 as a postseason manager.




MLB

Friday, October 7

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

1:08 PM
TORONTO vs. TEXAS
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing on the road against Texas
Toronto is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Texas
Texas is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games when playing Toronto
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Texas's last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto

4:38 PM
BOSTON vs. CLEVELAND
Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Boston's last 11 games on the road
Cleveland is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Cleveland's last 7 games

5:38 PM
LA DODGERS vs. WASHINGTON
LA Dodgers are 1-6 SU in their last 7 games on the road
LA Dodgers are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Washington's last 12 games at home
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

9:15 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. CHI CUBS
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of San Francisco's last 17 games on the road
San Francisco is 1-7 SU in their last 8 games when playing on the road against Chi Cubs
Chi Cubs9-3-1 SU in their last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Short Sheet

Friday, October 7

LA Dodgers at Washington, 5:35 PM ET
Kershaw: LA DODGERS are 38-14 SU after a game where they had 4 or less hits
Scherzer: WASHINGTON is 15-18 SU against NL West opponents

San Francisco at Chicago Cubs, 9:15 PM ET
Cueto: SAN FRANCISCO is 20-5 SU revenging a one run loss to opponent
Lester: CHICAGO CUBS are 11-19 SU in home games in October

Boston at Cleveland, 4:35 PM ET
Price: BOSTON is 27-29 SU after having lost 6 or 7 of their last 8 games
Kluber: 7-0 TSR after 2 or more consecutive wins

Toronto at Texas, 1:05 PM ET
Happ: TORONTO is 11-15 SU after allowing 4 runs or less 4 straight games
Darvish: TEXAS is 8-0 SU after 2 straight games with 1 or less extra base hits

*TSR = Team Start Record

[StarDust Bum]

Friday's AL Tip Sheet
October 6, 2016

American League Divisional Series – Game 2
Toronto (91-73, 44-38 Away) at Texas (95-68, 53-29 Home)

Game 2 Odds: Rangers -125, Blue Jays +115

2016 Head-to-Head Meetings (Toronto 5-3, Under 4-4)

Rogers Center (Toronto)
May 2 - Rangers 2 Blue Jays 1 (Under 9)
May 3 – Blue Jays 3 Rangers 1 (Under 9)<
May 4 - Blue Jays 4 Rangers 3 (Under 9)
May 5 - Blue Jays 12 Rangers 2 (Over 8.5)

Globe Life Park (Texas)
May 13 – Blue Jays 5 Rangers 0 (Under 10)
May 14 - Rangers 6 Blue Jays 5 (Over 9)
May 15 - Rangers 7 Blue Jays 6 (Over 9)

Oct. 6 - Blue Jays 10 Rangers 1 (Over 9.5)

Starting Pitchers

Toronto – J.A. Happ (20-4, 3.18 ERA)
Overall Team Record: 24-8
Overall (O/U) Record: 15-16-1
Road Record: 9-2 (3.43 ERA)
Road Team Record: 12-5
Road O/U Record: 7-9-1

Record vs. Texas: Happ is 4-2 against the Rangers since 2011, including a dominating home victory in early May. The southpaw scattered six hits and allowed one earned run in seven innings of work, while Happ received plenty of support as the Jays plated 11 runs in the first three innings of a 12-2 rout.

Texas – Yu Darvish (7-5, 3.41 ERA)
Overall Team Record: 10-7
Overall (O/U) Record: 7-9
Home Record: 6-2 (4.26 ERA)
Home Team Record: 6-4
Home O/U Record: 6-4

Record vs. Toronto: The Rangers have split six starts against the Jays in Darvish’s career, but the right-hander has done his part when facing Toronto. Darvish didn’t see the Blue Jays this season, while lasting facing them in 2014. That season Darvish tossed 14.2 innings and allowed three hits and struck out 23 batters.

Divisional Records
Toronto: 18-15 versus AL West (9-8 on road)
Texas: 16-17 versus AL East (10-6 at home)

Umpire – Lance Barksdale
-- The home team has gone 17-14 in Barksdale’s 31 appearances behind home plate
-- The ‘under’ has gone 19-11 with Barksdale behind home plate

American League Divisional Series – Game 2
Boston (93-70, 46-36 Away) at Cleveland (95-67, 54-28 Home)

Game 2 Odds: Cleveland -110, Boston -110

2016 Head-to-Head Meetings (Boston 4-3, Under 3-3-1)

Fenway Park (Boston)
May 22 - Red Sox 5 Indians 2 (Under 8.5)
May 21 - Red Sox 9 Indians 1(Push 10)
May 20 - Indians 4 Red Sox 2 (Under 8.5)

Progressive Field (Cleveland)
Aug. 15 - Red Sox 3 Indians 2 (Under 9) - Makeup Game
Apr. 6 - Indians 7 Red Sox 6 (Over 7.5)
Apr. 5 - Red Sox 6 Indians 2 (Over 6)

Oct. 6 - Indians 5 Red Sox 4 (Over 8.5)

Starting Pitchers

Boston – David Price (17-9, 3.99 ERA)
Overall Team Record: 20-15
Overall (O/U) Record: 21-13-1
Road Record: 8-6 (3.38 ERA)
Road Team Record: 10-8
Road O/U Record: 11-6

Record vs. Cleveland: Price has had his way with the Tribe in his career with his teams winning 10 of 13 starts since 2008. The southpaw faced Cleveland in the season opener and responded by striking out 10 batters in six innings of a 6-2 victory at Progressive Field. Price has been strong in Cleveland with his teams winning his past six starts in northern Ohio.

Cleveland – Corey Kluber (18-9, 3.14 ERA)
Overall Team Record: 20-12
Overall (O/U) Record: 16-14-2
Home Record: 10-5 (3.24 ERA)
Home Team Record: 11-5
Home O/U Record: 7-8

Record vs. Boston: The Indians own a mediocre 3-4 mark against the Red Sox in Kluber’s seven career starts, while splitting a pair of starts this season. Kluber lost to Price in the season opener at Progressive Field, allowing four earned runs in 5.1 innings of a 6-2 defeat. However, Kluber rebounded in the next outing at Fenway Park in May by giving up five hits and two earned runs in seven innings of a 4-2 triumph.

Divisional Records

Boston: 15-18 versus AL Central (9-7 on road)
Cleveland: 14-18 versus AL East (8-8 at home)

Umpire – Phil Cuzzi

-- The home team has gone 14-8 in Cuzzi’s 22 appearances behind home plate
-- The ‘Under’ has gone 12-10 with Knight behind home plate

[StarDust Bum]

Friday's NL Tip Sheet
October 6, 2016

National League Divisional Series – Game 1
Los Angeles (91-71, 38-43 Away) at Washington (95-67, 50-31 Home)

Series Odds: Dodgers -160, Nationals +140

2016 Head-to-Head Meetings (Los Angeles 5-1, Under 3-3)

Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles)
June 20 - Dodgers 4 Nationals 1 (Under 6.5)
June 21 – Dodgers 3 Nationals 2 (Under 7.5)
June 22 - Dodgers 4 Nationals 3 (Under 7.5)

Nationals Park (Washington)
July 19 – Dodgers 8 Nationals 4 (Over 8.5)
July 20 - Nationals 8 Dodgers 1 (Over 8.5)
July 21 - Dodgers 6 Nationals 3 (Over 7.5)

Starting Pitchers

Los Angeles – Clayton Kershaw (12-4, 1.69 ERA)
Overall Team Record: 17-4
Overall (O/U) Record: 15-5-1
Road Record: 4-3 (2.31 ERA)
Road Team Record: 8-3
Road O/U Record: 2-8

Record vs. Washington: Kershaw has owned the Nationals in his career as the Dodgers have compiled a spectacular 11-2 record in 13 starts. The former Cy Young winner shut down Washington in June with a 4-1 victory as he struck out eight batters in seven innings, while allowing six hits. In his previous outing at Nationals Park in 2014, Kershaw struck out 14 batters in eight innings of a 4-2 triumph.


Washington – Max Scherzer (20-7, 2.96 ERA)
Overall Team Record: 24-10
Overall (O/U) Record: 15-16
Home Record: 8-3 (2.56 ERA)
Home Team Record: 10-5
Home O/U Record: 4-10

Record vs. Los Angeles: Scherzer’s career numbers against the Dodgers aren’t great, as his teams have posted a 2-5 ledger. The Washington ace didn’t face Los Angeles this season, while dropping a 5-0 decision to the Dodgers last July in spite of giving up seven hits and one earned run in seven innings of work.

Divisional Records
Los Angeles: 19-13 versus NL East (9-6 on road)
Washington: 15-18 versus NL West (7-9 at home)

Umpire – Dan Bellino

-- The home team has gone 13-15 in Bellino’s 28 appearances behind home plate
-- The ‘under’ has gone 13-13 with Bellino’s behind home plate

National League Divisional Series – Game 1
San Francisco (88-75, 43-39 Away) at Chicago (103-58, 57-24 Home)

Series Odds: Cubs -260, Giants +220

2016 Head-to-Head Meetings (Chicago 4-3, Under 4-3)

AT&T Park (San Francisco)
May 20 - Cubs 8 Giants 1 (Over 7)
May 21 - Giants 5 Cubs 3 (Over 7.5)
May 22 - Giants 1 Cubs 0 (Under 7)

Wrigley Field (Chicago)
Sept. 1 - Cubs 5 Giants 4 (Over 8)
Sept. 2 - Cubs 2 Giants 1 (Under 8)
Sept. 3 - Giants 3 Cubs 2 (Under 7)
Sept. 4 - Cubs 3 Giants 2 (Under 8)

Starting Pitchers

San Francisco – Johnny Cueto (18-5, 2.79 ERA)
Overall Team Record: 23-9
Overall (O/U) Record: 15-16-1
Road Record: 10-2 (2.78 ERA)
Road Team Record: 13-4
Road O/U Record: 7-10

Record vs. Chicago: It’s been a roller-coaster ride for Cueto against the Cubs, going 12-13 in 25 starts since 2008. A majority of those outings came as a member of the Reds, while Cueto picked up a no-decision in a 3-2 setback at Wrigley Field in September as he allowed five hits and one earned run in seven innings of work.

Chicago – Jon Lester (19-5, 2.44 ERA)
Overall Team Record: 24-8
Overall (O/U) Record: 13-17-2
Home Record: 10-2 (1.74 ERA)
Home Team Record: 13-2
Home O/U Record: 3-11

Record vs. San Francisco: Lester has pitched well against the Giants in his career with a 4-1 mark. The southpaw split a pair of matchups with San Francisco this season with dramatically different results. Lester was knocked around at AT&T Park in May as he couldn’t escape the third inning in a 5-3 loss as a -165 road favorite, allowing five earned runs and six hits. He bounced back against the Giants last month at Wrigley by tossing a complete-game three-hitter in a 2-1 triumph as a -220 favorite.

Divisional Records
San Francisco: 17-16 versus NL Central (9-8 on road)
Chicago: 19-14 versus NL West (10-7 at home)

Umpire – Larry Vanover

-- The home team has gone 21-11 in Vanover’s 32 appearances behind home plate
-- The ‘Under’ has gone 20-9 with Vanover behind home plate

[StarDust Bum]

Cueto, Giants to open vs.Lester, Cubs
October 6, 2016

CHICAGO (AP) It's October in an even-numbered year, and the San Francisco Giants appear to be following their usual routine. The Chicago Cubs think their time is now.

Welcome to one intriguing NL Division Series.

Fresh off a dramatic wild-card victory in New York, the Giants were brimming with confidence when they arrived in Chicago on Thursday, albeit a bit late due to travel problems. Madison Bumgarner's four-hitter in Wednesday night's 3-0 victory against the Mets means he likely is pushed back until at least Game 3, but the Giants have 18-game winner Johnny Cueto ready to go for Friday night's series opener at Wrigley Field.

San Francisco stumbled in the second half of the season, then closed with five wins in six games to hold onto the second NL wild card. The Giants won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014, and manager Bruce Bochy and company feel this is their part of the calendar- again.

''The moment won't bother these guys,'' Bochy said.

The Giants' sustained success is exactly what the Cubs are hoping to string together. It has been 108 years since the North Siders last won the World Series in 1908 - a number that will chase them around for as long as they stick around in this year's playoffs - but the Cubs made it to the NL Championship Series in 2015 and led the majors with 103 wins this season.

With a deep rotation and young sluggers in Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, the Cubs are positioned to challenge for titles for years to come. They want to start right now, and the Giants are standing in their way.

''Every year they're in it. Every year they're contending. Every year they have a chance to win the World Series,'' said left-hander Jon Lester, who will start Game 1 for the Cubs. ''So I think that's what every team wants, not just us. I think they're an organization that a lot of teams look after to figure out how, why, how to get to that point.

''It's a model of consistency. It's impressive to see what they do.''

The Cubs clinched the NL Central title way back on Sept. 15, giving them a couple weeks to rest a few bumps and bruises and get their pitching staff ready for the playoffs. Even manager Joe Maddon is interested to see how they respond after four days off.

''Yeah, we're going to find out,'' Maddon said. ''I thought we handled the last couple days well.''

One of the key moments in Chicago's run to a wild card last season was a four-game sweep of San Francisco in August. If this year's seven-game season series is any indication of what the playoffs will look like, get ready for a string of tight, low-scoring matchups.

The final five games were decided by one run, including Chicago taking three of four at home last month. The Cubs won four times and outscored the Giants 23-17 this year, but one of their wins was an 8-1 victory.

''We've got our work cut out for us,'' said Jake Arrieta, who likely will match up with Bumgarner in Game 3. ''We've had a nice amount of time off. Now it's going to be nice to get back on the field and playing some meaningful games.''

Cueto made one start against Chicago this year, pitching seven solid innings in a no-decision on Sept. 4. The right-hander, who helped Kansas City win the World Series last season, is very familiar with the Cubs and Wrigley Field after spending the first 7 1/2 years of his major league career with Cincinnati.

''I like to pitch when it's a sold-out crowd with everybody cheering for me or against me, and that kind of motivates me,'' Cueto said through a translator.

Lester had one of his worst starts of the year at San Francisco on May 21, lasting just 2 2/3 innings in a 5-3 loss. He responded with five consecutive wins and went 15-2 with a 2.38 ERA in his final 23 starts.

After Lester makes his 17th career postseason appearance, major league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks gets the ball in Game 2, followed by Arrieta and John Lackey. The Giants had not set their series rotation, but Jeff Samardzija could pitch on Saturday night against the team that gave him his start in the majors.

The status of All-Star Eduardo Nunez also was unclear. Nunez missed the wild-card win with a strained right hamstring, and Conor Gillaspie delivered in his absence with a three-run homer in the ninth - just another example of San Francisco's even-year magic.

''Can he start tomorrow? No,'' Bochy said while providing an update on Nunez's status. ''But it's a five-game series, if we think he can help coming off the bench, maybe start the back end of this series then we probably would activate him.''

[StarDust Bum]

Nationals, Dodgers go with 7-man bullpens for NLDS
October 7, 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers are going with seven relievers each and stocking up on extra bench players in the NL Division Series.

The Nationals' 25-man roster for the first round released Friday includes infielder Wilmer Difo and outfielder Michael Taylor. Relievers Matt Belisle, Yusmeiro Petit and Sean Burnett and outfielders Ben Revere and Brian Goodwin were left off and Reynaldo Lopez the only long man out of the bullpen.

Manager Dusty Baker said Difo made it because of uncertainty about infielder Daniel Murphy, who had a strained glute muscle but is expected to be ready for Game 1.

The Dodgers' roster was as promised with three catchers. Manager Dave Roberts said Andrew Toles will be in left field for Game 1 after dealing with a wrist injury.