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MLB BETTING TRENDS

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Run Line


(933) SAN FRANCISCO @(934) NY METS
Play AGAINST SAN FRANCISCO using the run line in Road games when playing on Wednesday.
The record is 2 Wins and 11 Losses this season (-11.8 units)
BET NOW


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MLB POWER LINES

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8:00 pm 10/5/2016
(933) SAN FRANCISCO @(934) NY METS
Play Line: SAN FRANCISCO -108
BTB PowerLine: SAN FRANCISCO -109
Edge On: SAN FRANCISCO 1

[StarDust Bum]

MadBum vs. Syndergaard set to go off
October 4, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) Bright lights, big city, ol' country hardball.

Madison Bumgarner against Noah Syndergaard with the season on the line. A pair of towering tough guys you probably don't want to mess with.

Playoff pitching matchups don't get much better.

Toting his outstanding October resume to the mound, Bumgarner will start for the San Francisco Giants against Syndergaard and the New York Mets in the NL wild-card game Wednesday night.

The winner moves on to face the major league-best Chicago Cubs (103-58) in a best-of-five Division Series. The loser heads home for the winter.

''It's going to be an exciting game,'' Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday, when both teams worked out at Citi Field. ''I mean, this is the fun thing about postseason is you're going to get great matchups like this.''

It took 162 games to set it up.

San Francisco, the top team in the majors at the All-Star break, struggled badly throughout the second half before finishing with a four-game winning streak. That was enough to hold off St. Louis by one game and secure the last NL playoff spot on the final day of the regular season.

New York, the defending NL champion, was two games under .500 on Aug. 19 after losing two straight in San Francisco. But with slugger Yoenis Cespedes and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera back from the disabled list, the Mets posted the top mark in the majors (27-13) from that point on and jumped over four teams in the pennant race, booking their postseason trip Saturday with one game to spare.

Both teams finished 87-75, and New York earned home-field advantage by winning the season series 4-3.

''Good major league players, when it comes crunch time, they turn it on,'' Mets manager Terry Collins said. ''So I'm not really sure that momentum going in means a whole lot. Both of us have had to play good at the end - we did.''

Citi Field should be rocking Wednesday night, but Bumgarner, Bochy and the Giants know all about excelling in elimination games and thriving under postseason pressure. After winning World Series titles in 2010, `12 and `14, they want to extend their pattern of even-year championships with another run through October.

The last time Bumgarner pitched in the postseason, he saved Game 7 of the 2014 World Series in Kansas City with five scoreless innings on two days' rest to cap one of the greatest postseason performances in baseball history. His 0.25 ERA in five career outings is the lowest for any pitcher with at least 25 innings in the Fall Classic.

He was 15-9 with a 2.74 ERA and 251 strikeouts this season.

''With us finishing up the way we did, I feel really, really good about our chances,'' Bumgarner said.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound lefty, born in Hickory, North Carolina, started San Francisco's playoff surge in the 2014 wild-card game by striking out 10 in a four-hit shutout at Pittsburgh - a similar assignment to Wednesday.

''We have been through this before. We've been down this road. I like this wild-card thing,'' Bochy said. ''I love it. I have to. We have a ring because of this wild card and have a chance now.''

The 24-year-old Syndergaard, with long blond locks and the nickname Thor, is no inexperienced sophomore.

The 6-foot-6, 242-pound righty from Mansfield, Texas, joined Bumgarner on the All-Star roster this summer and went 14-9 with a 2.60 ERA and 218 strikeouts over 183 2/3 innings. Featuring a 100 mph fastball, sharp slider and impressive control of several secondary pitches, he won a pair of postseason starts as a rookie last year - including Game 3 of the World Series against the Royals.

''He has the best stuff for a starter in all of baseball,'' Bumgarner said back in San Francisco.

Last fall, Syndergaard caught everyone's attention with his first World Series pitch: a sizzling fastball well above Alcides Escobar's head that dusted a hot hitter who liked to swing at the initial offering.

''He's not intimidated by anything,'' Collins said about Syndergaard. ''He's not afraid. He wants to take charge. His stuff speaks for itself. I think he's grown as a pitcher. I think he trusts his stuff a lot more now.''

Syndergaard, for his part, is eagerly anticipating Wednesday night.

''It's just a dream come true,'' he said. ''It's going to be really exciting and I'm looking forward to getting out there and feeling the energy from the hometown crowd, just having an awesome time.''

[StarDust Bum]

NL Wild Card - SF at NY
October 3, 2016


NL Wild Card Betting Preview (TBS, 8:05 p.m.)
San Francisco Giants at New York Mets
Wednesday, Oct. 5 from Citi Field

Sportsbook.ag Odds: San Francisco (-110), New York (-110); Total 6

The 2016 MLB Playoffs have finally arrived and like always, they begin with some very big Wildcard games where the loser goes home.

That Wildcard game in the National League should be a beauty between the Giants and Mets as they've both got their #1 pitchers on the hill to try and advance. Odds makers have opened up this game as basically a pick'em, but does one team actually have a decided edge?

These two teams met seven times over the course of the year and it was the Mets who won the season series 4-3. New York took two of three at home and split a four-game set out west to earn that mark.

2016 Head-to-Head Matchups (New York 4-3, Over 6-1)

New York vs. San Francisco (AT&T Park)
Aug. 21 - Mets 2 Giants 0 (Under 7.5)
Aug. 20 - Mets 9 Giants 5 (Over 8.5)
Aug. 19 - Mets 1 Giants 8 (Over 7.5)
Aug. 18 - Mets 7 Giants 10 (Over 6)

San Francisco vs. New York (Citi Field)
May 1 - Giants 6 Mets 1 (Over 6)
Apr. 30 - Giants 5 Mets 6 (Over 7)
Apr. 29 - Giants 1 Mets 13 (Over 7)

However, the only time the two projected starters for this Wildcard game – Madison Bumgarner and Noah Syndergaard – met, it was that lone home loss for the Mets, as San Francisco salvaged the series finale with a 6-1 victory. Neither Syndergaard or Bumgarner lasted more than six innings that day, but it clearly was the Giants pitcher who had the better day.

Bumgarner went on to lead his team to another win over the Mets later in the year (10-7), but with only five innings pitched that time, it's not like Bumgarner has been at his best vs. New York this season.

Syndergaard responded with a win of his own in San Francisco later in the year and he was much better that time around, throwing eight strong innings of shutout baseball en route to the 2-0 Mets win.

It will be interesting to see which pitcher has the better day in the playoff game, especially since it's winner take all and Bumgarner is the one who's been in that spot a few times before.

From a team perspective, the Mets are in better shape for success here because they are the ones at home and they actually have played much better baseball the last two months.

San Francisco squeaked into this Wildcard spot on the last day of the year after having the best record in baseball at the All-Star break.

That was almost a monumental collapse for the Giants this year and being one of the worst teams in the league since that time doesn't help their cause in this game.

But it's a brand new season in the playoffs and the past experiences the Giants core have gone through will definitely help them here.

Looming for the winner is a date in the NLDS with the Chicago Cubs and while the Cubs would never admit it, they'd prefer to get another crack at the Mets.

It was New York who beat Chicago in the NLCS last year to move onto the World Series and if that's the way this NL Wildcard game goes, we should have two tremendous NLDS series'.

So despite all the lazy analyst talk about this being an 'even' year and that means another successful San Francisco playoff run (they won it all in 2010, 2012, 2014), I'm siding with the home team in this game.

Syndergaard learned from his mistakes the first time out vs. San Francisco and absolutely shut them down the next time he faced them. He's got the more explosive offense behind him too as the Mets can change games with one swing of the bat, from multiple guys, and many of them have had solid success against Bumgarner in the past.

New York also has the better bullpen overall for this game and should this game be tight in the closing innings, I have more faith in the Mets bullpen closing things down.

New York seemingly has most stats in their favor for this game, but because of the Giants pedigree – especially with Bumgarner on the hill – many won't be confident in backing the home side here.

I am though, as the Mets win this game and set up a great 2015 NLCS rematch series with the Chicago Cubs this year.

Best Bet: Take the Mets on the ML

MLB Wild Card History

Betting Trends:

Road Teams have gone 6-2
Favorites have gone 5-3
The 'over/under' has gone 4-4

2015 WILD CARD RESULTS
Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under
AL Houston (-110) at N.Y. Yankees 3-0 Favorite Under (7)
NL Chicago (-125) at Pittsburgh 4-0 Favorite Under (5.5)

2014 WILD CARD RESULTS
Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under
AL Oakland at Kansas City (+100) 9-8 (12) Underdog Over (6.5)
NL San Francisco (-110) at Pittsburgh 8-0 Favorite Over (6.5)

2013 WILD CARD RESULTS
Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under
AL Tampa Bay (-110) at Cleveland 6-2 Favorite Over (6.5)
NL Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-145) 4-0 Favorite Under (7)

2012 WILD CARD RESULTS
Game Matchup Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under
AL Baltimore (+210) at Texas 5-2 Underdog Under 9
NL St. Louis (+155) at Atlanta 6-3 Underdog Over 6.5

[StarDust Bum]

SAN FRANCISCO (87 - 75) at NY METS (87 - 75) - 8:00 PM
MADISON BUMGARNER (L) vs. NOAH SYNDERGAARD (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 87-75 (-8.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 10-15 (-11.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 84-75 (-11.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 54-53 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 57-53 (-17.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 9-27 (-16.7 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 41-32 (+9.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 62-43 (+22.9 Units) against the money line in October games since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 46-30 (+20.7 Units) against the money line in playoff games since 1997.
NY METS are 58-56 (-11.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
NY METS are 18-20 (-11.7 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss this season.
NY METS are 195-237 (-59.9 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY METS is 4-3 (+1.2 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
6 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+5.5 Units)

MADISON BUMGARNER vs. NY METS since 1997
BUMGARNER is 5-0 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 1.80 and a WHIP of 1.025.
His team's record is 5-1 (+3.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-1. (+4.5 units)

NOAH SYNDERGAARD vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
SYNDERGAARD is 1-2 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.118.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.6 units)

[StarDust Bum]

Unknowns often shine in October
October 5, 2016

Big Papi, Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper are just a few of the big-name offensive stars leading their teams into the postseason.

There's Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki and Edwin Encarnacion on Toronto alone. Adrian Beltre, Carlos Beltran, Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Utley are some of the other recognizable names.

Often, guys like Craig Counsell, Adam Kennedy, Cody Ross, David Freese and Marco Scutaro emerge as October heroes.

Counsell (2001 Diamondbacks), Kennedy (2002 Angels), Ross (2010 Giants), Freese (2011 Cardinals) and Scutaro (2012 Giants) each were MVPs of the league championship series. All of their teams went on to win the World Series. Only Freese and Scutaro ever made it to an All-Star game - once each.

Here's a Pick 6 of lesser-known players who could shine when the bright lights are on this month:

TREA TURNER: Only Daniel Murphy had a higher batting average for the Nationals than their rookie centerfielder. Turner hit .342 with 13 homers, 40 RBIs and 33 stolen bases after coming up from the minors to stay in July. While Harper, the 2015 NL MVP, slumped and Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth had down years, Turner was a big addition for the NL East champions.

YASMANI GRANDAL: He may have been the best bargain on baseball's highest-priced roster. The Dodgers paid Grandal $693,000, or less than 1 percent of their $227 million payroll. The switch-hitting catcher tied Justin Turner for the team lead with 27 homers and had 72 RBIs in only 390 at-bats.

BEN ZOBRIST: It's easy to overlook Zobrist on a Cubs team that includes Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward. But Zobrist was an All-Star second baseman, started 29 games in the outfield and usually hit cleanup behind Bryant and Rizzo in Joe Maddon's lineup. He finished with a .272 average, 18 homers, 72 RBIs and team-high 96 walks.

XANDER BOGAERTS: While eyes are on David Ortiz and his farewell ride, Bogaerts has emerged as a star on a team filled with outstanding players. Bogaerts hit .294 with 21 homers and 89 RBIs. He already got a taste of the postseason in 2013 when Boston won the World Series, hitting .296 in 12 games.

ROUGNED ODOR: He's known more for delivering a hard right fist to Bautista's jaw, but Odor led the Rangers with 33 homers. The second baseman hit .271 and drove in 88 runs.

JOSE RAMIREZ: He started at three infield spots and left field and led Indians with a .312 batting average. Ramirez, the starting third baseman, also had 46 doubles, 76 RBIs and stole 22 bases.

BONUS PICK: Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis is the unsung hero in a lineup filled with sluggers - six players had at least 20 homers. Travis led the team in hitting (.300) and solidified the leadoff spot down the stretch.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB
Dunkel

Wednesday, October 5

San Francisco @ NY Mets

Game 933-934
October 5, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Francisco
(Bmgrner) 13.892
NY Mets
(Syndrgrd) 16.745
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
NY Mets
by 3
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Mets
-110
6
Dunkel Pick:
NY Mets
(-110); Over




MLB
Long Sheet

Wednesday, October 5

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SAN FRANCISCO (87 - 75) at NY METS (87 - 75) - 8:00 PM
MADISON BUMGARNER (L) vs. NOAH SYNDERGAARD (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 87-75 (-8.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 10-15 (-11.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 84-75 (-11.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 54-53 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 57-53 (-17.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 9-27 (-16.7 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NY METS are 41-32 (+9.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 62-43 (+22.9 Units) against the money line in October games since 1997.
SAN FRANCISCO is 46-30 (+20.7 Units) against the money line in playoff games since 1997.
NY METS are 58-56 (-11.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
NY METS are 18-20 (-11.7 Units) against the money line in home games after a loss this season.
NY METS are 195-237 (-59.9 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
NY METS is 4-3 (+1.2 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
6 of 7 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+5.5 Units)

MADISON BUMGARNER vs. NY METS since 1997
BUMGARNER is 5-0 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 1.80 and a WHIP of 1.025.
His team's record is 5-1 (+3.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-1. (+4.5 units)

NOAH SYNDERGAARD vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
SYNDERGAARD is 1-2 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.118.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.6 units)

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MLB
Short Sheet

Wednesday, October 5

San Francisco at NY Mets, 8:00 PM ET
Bumgarner: SAN FRANCISCO is 13-3 SU when playing in the 1rst game of a playoff series
Syndergaard: NY METS are 13-21 SU against NL West opponents




MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, October 5

Giants @ Mets

Bumgarner is 1-1, 3.54 in his last three starts; seven of his last ten starts went over total. SF is 9-8 in his road starts, 3-1 in his last four. He is 2-0, 3.27 against the Mets this year. Syndergaard is 4-2, 2.06 in his last seven starts; three of his last four went over. Mets lost four of his last six home starts. He is 1-1, 2.63 against the Giants this year.

Giants are 3-4 vs New York this year, with 10.6 runs/game scored. SF won its last four games to make playoffs after a dismal second half of season- they had best record in MLB at All-Star break. Mets are only Wild Card that had couple days to enjoy it and set up starter for this round. NY is 7-3 in last 10 games, but played also-rans the last two weeks. Last time they played a good team was Washington on September 14.

Giants won World Series is 2010, ’12, ’14; Bochy is 42-30 in postseason games as a manager. Collins made playoffs LY for first time in 11 years as a skipper (8-6); now he is in postseason for second straight year.




MLB

Wednesday, October 5

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Trend Report
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8:09 PM
SAN FRANCISCO vs. NY METS
San Francisco is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
San Francisco is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
NY Mets are 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Mets's last 5 games

[StarDust Bum]

MLB

Wednesday, October 5

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National League Wild Card playoff preview and odds: Giants at Mets
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Madison Bumgarner has excelled against the Mets in his career, going 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA and .189 batting average against in six career starts.

San Francisco Giants at New York Mets (A: -110, H: -110, Total: 6)

Madison Bumgarner has etched his name into history as a big-game pitcher and gets another opportunity to prove it when the San Francisco Giants visit the New York Mets in the National League wild-card game Wednesday. The left-hander is 7-3 with a 2.14 ERA in 14 postseason appearances (12 starts) and was MVP of the 2014 World Series.

Bumgarner has also excelled against the Mets in his career, going 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA and .189 batting average against in six career starts. New York right-hander Noah Syndergaard opposes Bumgarner and represented himself fine in his first postseason last year when he went 2-1 with a 3.32 ERA and struck out 26 in 19 innings. The two aces squared off against one another May 1 with Bumgarner pitching six shutout innings in San Francisco's 6-1 victory while Syndergaard gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings. The Mets were a MLB-best 27-13 over the final quarter of the season and look to reach the World Series for the second straight season, while the Giants were 30-42 after the All-Star Game and hope to stage a turnaround as they pursue their fourth straight World Series title in even-numbered years (2010, 2012, 2014).

TV: 8:09 p.m. ET, ESPN

INJURY REPORT:

Giants - SS E. Nunez (Ques Wed, hamstring), RF M. Williamson (60-Day DL, quadricep), RP R. Black (60-Day DL, elbow), RP C. Heston (60-Day DL, oblique).

Mets - SP S. Matz (Out For Season, elbow), SS W. Flores (Out For Season, wrist), SP J deGrom (Out For Season, forearm), 2B N. Walker (Out For Season, back), RP J. Niese (60-Day DL, knee), SP Z. Wheeler (Out For Season, elbow), RF J. Ruggiano (Out For Season, shoulder), SP M. Harvey (Out For Season, shoulder), 3B D. Wright (Out For Season, neck).

WEATHER REPORT: The forecast is calling for clear skies and temperatures in the low 70's at game-time in Queens. Winds will be light, humidity will be low and there is less than a 1% chance of rain.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (15-9, 2.74 ERA) vs. Mets RH Noah Syndergaard (14-9, 2.60)

Bumgarner won at least 15 games for the fourth time in his career and posted his fourth consecutive sub-3.00 ERA. He wasn't always sharp down the stretch as he gave up four or more runs in four of his last nine starts and is well aware he's need to be in for form in the wild-card game. "It is a winner-take-all game. It's not a series, so that's really all there is to know about it," Bumgarner said at Tuesday's press conference. "You've got to get up there and you've got to have your stuff that day. You've got to have your command. You've got to be on. And that's it."

Syndergaard finished third in the NL in ERA (Bumgarner was fourth) and strikeouts (218) while putting together one of the top all-around seasons in the league. He has a 1-2 record with a 3.66 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in three career starts against the Giants and said he isn't concerned about facing Bumgarner. "That's really outside of my control," Syndergaard said during Tuesday's press conference. "I can't control who I'm facing out there. That's not going to take away from my game or how I'm going to approach their hitters."

TRENDS:

* Giants are 4-0 in their last 4 overall.
* Giants are 1-4 in Bumgarner's last 5 road starts vs. a team with a winning record.
* Mets are 8-0 in their last 8 after scoring 2 runs or less in their previous game.
* Mets are 4-1 in Syndergaard's last 5 starts with 7 or more days of rest.
* Over is 6-1 in Giants' last 7 games vs. a right-handed starter.
* Over is 7-1 in Mets' last 8 games vs. a left-handed starter.
* Under is 7-0 in Syndergaard's last 7 starts vs. a team with a winning record.
* Over is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings.
* Giants are 4-0 in Bumgarner's last 4 starts vs. Mets.

CONSENSUS: The public is heavily on Madison Bumgarner and the Giants with 57 percent of the wagers on the road team. Over 6 is picking up 57 percent of the total plays.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB PLAYOFF RECORD:

WLT PCT UNITS

M/L Picks.............0 -1...............O.00 %...........- 1.00

O/U Picks............0 - 1...............0.00 %.......... - 1.00

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SF at NYM 08:00 PM

SF -114

O 6.0

[StarDust Bum]

Bumgarner, Gillaspie lead Giants over Mets
October 5, 2016

NEW YORK (AP) Nobody takes to October like Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants.

Bumgarner pitched a four-hitter for his latest postseason gem, outlasting Noah Syndergaard in a classic duel between aces, and injury substitute Conor Gillaspie hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning that sent San Francisco to a 3-0 victory over the New York Mets in the NL wild-card game Wednesday night.

Gillaspie connected off All-Star closer Jeurys Familia, who led the majors this year with a club-record 51 saves while allowing only one home run.

With their ninth consecutive victory when facing postseason elimination, manager Bruce Bochy and the Giants advanced to face the NL Central champion Cubs in a best-of-five Division Series. Game 1 is Friday night at venerable Wrigley Field in Chicago.

The good news for the Cubs as they attempt to end a championship drought that dates to 1908 is that Bumgarner probably won't start until Game 3 - and would only be available once on full rest.

That's because the big left-hander has been untouchable under pressure.

The last time Bumgarner was on the mound in the postseason, he saved Game 7 of the 2014 World Series in Kansas City with five scoreless innings on two days' rest to cap one of the greatest playoff performances in baseball history.

Including his four-hit shutout at Pittsburgh in the 2014 wild-card game, he has tossed 23 straight scoreless innings in winner-take-all games.

Now, the Giants have a chance to extend their pattern of even-year championships after winning World Series crowns in 2010, `12 and `14.

In a matchup between the past two NL champions, Syndergaard went seven innings. Brandon Crawford doubled leading off the ninth against Familia. Angel Pagan struck out after failing to get a bunt down, and Joe Panik walked.

Gillaspie, starting at third base for injured All-Star Eduardo Nunez, drove a 1-1 pitch over the fence in right field and pumped his arm as he rounded first.

Bumgarner closed with a 1-2-3 ninth against the 3-4-5 hitters and smacked his glove in triumph when rookie T.J. Rivera flied out to end it.

With his sizzling fastball clocking 99 mph and long, blond locks dangling down his neck, Syndergaard held San Francisco hitless until Denard Span's two-out single in the sixth.

Eager to take advantage of Syndergaard's slow delivery, Span stole second before Brandon Belt sent a long drive to deep center. Curtis Granderson, moved over from right field late in the season because of injuries to two other outfielders, crashed hard with his left shoulder into the padded fence 408 feet from home plate and tumbled to the warning track.

He held onto the ball, however, and was shaken up a bit before getting to his feet and jogging off the field as teammates waited to high-five him and fans chanted ''Grandy! Grandy!'' Syndergaard raised his arm, while Belt tossed his helmet in frustration between first and second.

Syndergaard struck out 10 in seven innings of two-hit ball and fired 42 pitches at least 98 mph - more than the Phillies (41) and Indians (35) threw all year, according to a tweet from Inside Edge.

And while Syndergaard simply overpowered the Giants at times, Bumgarner kept the Mets off balance by mixing pinpoint pitches and changing speeds from around 93-77 mph.

New York came out swinging after manager Terry Collins said before the game his hitters had seen enough video of Bumgarner over the past two days to know he would challenge them. But the aggressive approach played right into the hands of Bumgarner and the Giants, with a bullpen that struggled badly down the stretch.

The big lefty was able to get quick outs early and easily went deep into the game. He needed only seven pitches to get through each of the first three innings, with the help of a double play.

Still, he was visibly aggravated at times by Mike Winters' strike zone - so was Mets reliever Addison Reed, it appeared - and had a quick chat with the plate umpire between batters in the sixth.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Giants: Nunez (strained right hamstring) was left off the wild-card roster, costing San Francisco a base-stealing threat against Syndergaard. Nunez, an AL All-Star this season with Minnesota, was acquired in a July 28 trade but hasn't played since Sept. 25. He planned to test his leg during Tuesday's workout at Citi Field but was unable to sprint, Bochy said.

Mets: INF Wilmer Flores (wrist) was missed, particularly because of his prodigious numbers against left-handed pitching. Flores has been sidelined since Sept. 10 after getting hurt in a home-plate collision. Surgery is planned this week to remove the hamate bone in his right wrist, and Flores is expected to be healthy for spring training next year. ... 1B Lucas Duda did not make the wild-card roster after he was sidelined from May 20 to Sept. 18 by a stress fracture in his lower back. Duda hit 57 home runs from 2014-15. ... Injured captain David Wright, looking very thin in his uniform, lined up with teammates during pregame introductions and received a warm hand. Wright had surgery in June to repair a herniated disk in his neck and has been rehabbing in California.

SWEET MUSIC

Wearing a Mets jacket, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning violinist Itzhak Perlman performed the national anthem.

UP NEXT

Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto figures to start the Division Series opener against LHP Jon Lester.

Mets: Open next season April 3 at home against Atlanta.

[StarDust Bum]

Game 1 - Red Sox at Indians
October 5, 2016

American League Divisional Series – Game 1

Boston (93-69, 46-35 Away) at Cleveland (94-67, 53-28 Home)

Game 1 Odds: Red Sox -140, Indians +130, Total 8 ½

Series Odds: Red Sox -170, Indians +150

Exact Series Odds – per Sportsbook.ag

Red Sox 4 Games - Win 5/2
Red Sox 5 Games - Win 5/2
Red Sox 3 Games - Win 4/1
Indians 4 Games - Win 5/1
Indians 5 Games - Win 5/1
Indians 3 Games - Win 9/1

2016 Head-to-Head Meetings (Boston 4-2, Under 3-2-1)

Fenway Park (Boston)

May 22 - Indians 2 Red Sox 5 (Under 8.5)
May 21 - Indians 1 Red Sox 9 (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 - Red Sox 6 Indians 7 (Over 7.5)
Apr. 5 - Red Sox 6 Indians 2 (Over 6)

Starting Pitchers

Boston - Rick Porcello (22-4, 3.15 ERA)

Overall Team Record: 25-8

Overall (O/U) Record: 18-14-1

Road Record: 9-3 (3.31 ERA)

Road Team Record: 10-7

Road O/U Record: 11-6

Record vs. Cleveland: Porcello has gone 10-4 in 22 career starts versus the Indians, which includes a 5-2 win on May 22 this season. Over the last four seasons, Porcello is 5-1 versus Cleveland in seven appearances and has only surrendered one home run over this span.

Cleveland – Trevor Bauer (12-8, 4.26 ERA)

Overall Team Record: 16-12

Overall (O/U) Record: 10-14-4

Home Record: 6-4 (4.72 ERA)

Home Team Record: 11-5

Home O/U Record: 8-7-1

Record vs. Boston: Bauer has faced Boston twice in his career as a starter and he’s been lit up for 16 hits and 11 earned runs in 7 and 2/3 innings. The Red Sox won both games 9-1, which took place at Fenway Park.

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

Umpire – Brian Knight

-- The home team has gone 20-10 in Knight’s 30 appearances behind home plate
-- The ‘over’ has gone 19-10-1 with Knight behind home plate

Skinny – per Sportsbook.ag

Playoff baseball returns to Cleveland as the American League Central-champion Indians host the AL East-champion Red Sox in Game 1 of the ALDS.

The Indians (94-67) and the Red Sox (93-69) are both back in the postseason for the first time since 2013. The Tribe lost the Wild Card Game to the Rays that season, while the Red Sox won their third World Series in nine years.

RHP Rick Porcello (22-4, 3.15 ERA, 1.01 WHIP), who led the AL in wins and has an excellent chance of taking home the Cy Young Award, will start for Boston. He’ll be opposed by RHP Trevor Bauer (12-8, 4.26 ERA, 1.31 WHIP).

The Red Sox (878) and the Indians (777) were first and second in the AL in runs, respectively, during the regular season. Boston took the season series 4-2 and went 2-1 against Terry Francona’s club at Progressive Field.

The Red Sox played great on the road this season, going 46-35, but the Indians were incredibly difficult to beat at home. Cleveland went 53-28 at their park.

Bauer will have his work cut out for him against an offense that was absolutely brilliant in 2016. RF Mookie Betts (.318, 31 HR, 113 RBI) and 2B Dustin Pedroia (.318, 15 HR, 74 RBI) tied for second in the league in hitting, and DH David Ortiz (.315, 38 HR, 127 RBI), Betts and 1B Hanley Ramirez (.286, 30 HR, 111 RBI, .361 OBP) finished first, fourth and fifth in RBIs, respectively.

Ortiz is one of the most clutch postseason players in baseball history. In 82 postseason games, he’s hit .295 with 17 homers, 21 doubles, 60 RBIs and a .409 on-base percentage. In his final October before retirement, you can expect him to be as determined and locked in as ever.

No one on Boston’s roster has more than six career at-bats against Bauer, but Betts (3-for-5 with 1 HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI) and Ortiz (4-for-5 with 1 HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI) have owned him in limited plate appearances.

In two career starts against the Red Sox, Bauer is 0-2 with an astronomical 12.14 ERA. He faced them once this season, in May, and surrendered four earned runs in five innings.

3B Jose Ramirez (.312, 11 HR, 76 RBI, 22 SB) and SS Francisco Lindor (.301, 15 HR, 78 RBI, 19 SB) had very solid seasons, and DH Carlos Santana (.259, 34 HR, 87 RBI) and 1B Mike Napoli (.239, 34 HR, 101 RBI) supplied the power.

The Indians have seen a ton of Porcello, who pitched in the AL Central with the Indians from 2009-2014. 2B Jason Kipnis (.275, 23 HR, 82 RBI) has hit him well, going 10-for-31 with a homer and eight RBIs, and Santana (12-for-41 with 3 HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI) and Napoli (6-for-18 with 2 2B, 1 3B) have also seen the ball well against him.

Porcello faced the Indians once this season, back in May, and surrendered two runs in 5 2/3 innings to earn the win. In 22 career starts against Cleveland, Porcello is 10-4 with a 3.35 ERA

[StarDust Bum]

LEADING OFF: Jays, Rangers ready to slug it out
October 5, 2016

A look at what's happening all around the majors Thursday:

SLUGGING IT OUT

Jose Bautista and the Toronto Blue Jays have slugged their way back to the AL Division Series, and now they get an opponent clearly not afraid to swing back. The Jays and Rangers open a rematch of last year's ALDS, which included Bautista's homer and emphatic bat flip in Game 5. The celebration irked Texas, and second baseman Rougned Odor punched Bautista in the face following Bautista's hard slide the last time the teams met on May 15. Toronto right-hander Marco Estrada and Texas lefty Cole Hamels will pitch in Game 1.

HELLO OLD FRIEND

Indians manager Terry Francona is entering his seventh postseason, but he's yet to get a task quite like this - competing against his former team. Boston and Cleveland begin their ALDS, pitting Francona against a close friend in Red Sox manager John Farrell and former players like David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia. ''I don't think I'd want to ignore it,'' Francona said Wednesday of his ties to the Red Sox. ''There's a lot of history there, a lot of people I really care about. But I've been here four years. It's not a bad thing when you move on. Sometimes it's just time to move on.'' Boston's 22-game winner Rick Porcello starts Game 1 against Cleveland righty Trevor Bauer.

KEYSTONE DECISION

Daniel Murphy still hasn't revealed whether he'll be ready for Game 1 of Washington's NLDS against the Dodgers on Friday. Murphy is recovering from a strained muscle in his buttocks and hasn't played since Sept. 17. The second baseman worked out with teammates, running the bases while taking live batting practice and grounders on Wednesday. Afterward, he said he ''felt really good,'' and Nationals manager Dusty Baker's said ''he's moving around with more confidence.''

ROBO-CALL

Robot umps could be coming to the major leagues ... one day. Commissioner Rob Manfred said at Citi Field on Wednesday that he can envision a day when mechanical umpires could be tested to call balls and strikes. ''As technology continues to improve and those sorts of adjustments can be made real time, that technology will become more feasible for use on the field,'' Manfred said. ''I don't believe we are there yet.''

[StarDust Bum]

Bat flip, punch and now Blue Jays-Rangers ALDS rematch
October 5, 2016

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) There was Jose Bautista's emphatic bat flip after his tiebreaking homer in the ALDS-clinching game last October, and then Rougned Odor's punch in May that ignited a bench-clearing brawl the last time the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays played.

Now comes the rematch in another AL Division Series between teams clearly with some bad blood between them.

''I don't think it's fabricated,'' Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar said Wednesday.

''We knew it was going to happen,'' Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said of facing Toronto again. ''That's baseball.''

The year's best-of-five ALDS starts Thursday in Texas, where on May 15 second baseman Odor punched Bautista. The scuffle began after Bautista, on base after getting hit in the ribs by a pitch, made a late and hard slide trying to break up a double play at the end of a contentious series.

''It's unfortunate that it got out of hand last time, but it did, so it's in the past and hopefully stays there,'' Bautista said. ''I'm not looking for revenge, I'm looking to win ball games. That's entirely what my focus is on, and hopefully I get to keep it there.''

With all that recent history , close attention will be paid to every inside fastball, hard slide or any emotional outburst.

But these are also two teams with much more on the line than retribution after falling short of their World Series goal last year, and now with another chance.

''Games are too important. I wouldn't expect anything,'' Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. ''But nobody seems to want to let it go. ... Every time you turn on the TV, it's a replay after replay after replay. But too much at stake. Two great ball clubs, two very competitive ball clubs, two emotional ball clubs. But in no way I would expect anything like that.''

After their 5-2 wild-card game victory over Baltimore on Tuesday night when Edwin Encarnacion hit a game-ending three-run homer in the 11th inning, the Blue Jays had a brief workout Wednesday at the Rangers' ballpark. It was their first time there since that Sunday afternoon fight more than 4 1/2 months ago.

There could be some edgy moments when both teams are on the field with the postseason adrenaline flowing.

''I think it's going to bring a lot more excitement to the games,'' Andrus said. ''It's easy right now to say nothing's going to happen or might happen. But when you're out there and playing, and all the emotion any inning can bring, anything can happen.''

Major League Baseball disciplined 14 players and staff over the melee in May, with Odor (seven games), Bautista (one game) and Andrus (one game) the only players suspended.

Odor, who was playing ping-pong when the Rangers clubhouse was first open to reporters Wednesday, repeatedly said that he was focused on helping his team win the series. He said the Rangers would play like they have all year in winning an AL-high 95 games.

When asked how much what happened in May would be a distraction, Odor responded, ''I think that's over already. I don't worry about that.''

Asked if that was the best punch he had ever throw, he said, ''I don't worry about that.''

And, yes, Bautista has looked forward to being back in Texas, but not for the reasons many people would expect.

''In this situation, yeah,'' Bautista said of the playoffs. ''Other than that, I haven't really given it much thought.''

FOR STARTERS: Game 1 matches a pair of All-Star pitchers, with left-hander Cole Hamels (15-5, 3.32) going for the Rangers, and right-hander Marco Estrada (9-9, 3.48) for the Blue Jays. Hamels, the 2008 World Series and NL Championship Series MVP with Philadelphia, didn't face Toronto during the regular season. Estrada started twice against Texas, going six innings for no-decisions in both extra-inning games (1-1).

ON THE LINE: Toronto had to win its last two regular-season games against Boston just to make the playoffs, then had to beat Baltimore in the wild-card game to advance. Texas clinched the AL West title with eight games left in the regular season.

CHOO COMEBACK: Rangers RF Shin-Soo Choo has been on the disabled list four times this season and missed 39 games with a fractured left forearm before returning for the team's final regular-season series last weekend. He also took part in a simulated game Tuesday, and worked out again Wednesday. ''Choo is in a good place right now,'' Texas manager Jeff Banister said. ''I think he answered the question three games in a row, outfield, where his body is. He's in shape. His legs are good.''

CLOSING TIME: Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna left the AL wild-card game with a sore shoulder. Gibbons said Osuna was feeling better Wednesday, but the manager wasn't sure about the 21-year-old right-hander's availability for ALDS Game 1. ''We don't think it's a big deal but it's probably wise to be a little cautious this time of year,'' Gibbons said.

[StarDust Bum]

MLB MONEYLINE

4:35 pm 10/6/2016
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MLB RUNLINE


4:35 pm 10/6/2016
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MLB OVERS


8:05 pm 10/6/2016
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MLB UNDERS


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MLB POWER LINES

Power Line ratings are calculated using both teams' ratings and home field advantage. The Top Power Lines tool offers a way to view and compare current Power Lines in one simple report, as well as the Power Line Edge, where the Power Line differs significantly from the current line.

4:35 pm 10/6/2016
(937) TORONTO @(938) TEXAS
Play Line: TORONTO 125
BTB PowerLine: TORONTO -109
Edge On: TORONTO 34

8:05 pm 10/6/2016
(935) BOSTON @(936) CLEVELAND
Play Line: CLEVELAND 130
BTB PowerLine: CLEVELAND +118
Edge On: CLEVELAND 12

[StarDust Bum]

AL Divisional Series

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.

[StarDust Bum]

Thursday’s six-pack

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

— Baltimore is 2-12-2 in last 16 games as a favorite.

— Bengals are 30-18-5 in last 43 games against NFC teams.

— Dolphins are 2-9 vs spread in their last 11 games.

— Carolina is 11-3 in last 14 games as a divisional home favorite.

— Steelers covered seven of their last nine games.

— Falcons covered eight of last nine as an underdog.


Thursday’s List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud

13) Former NBA coach Hubie Brown is 83 years old, still very sharp; he’s back on ESPN this year covering games. You can learn a lot listening to him.

Flashback to October, 1984: Knicks-Bulls have preseason game in Glens Falls on a Monday night (snowed like hell at Packers-Broncos game that night). I’m working midnight-to-8 at the time, so during the day, my friend Paul and I drive 45 miles north and walk into the Glens Falls Civic Center just before the Knicks start their walk-thru practice.

No one kicks us out, so while Hubie Brown is running practice, the two of us are sitting at the end of the bench; when I stretch my legs, my feet are actually on the court. Pretty good Monday afternoon for us; that night, we watched a Chicago rookie named Michael Jordan play.

After the practice, I talked to both coach Brown and Bernard King, the Knicks’ star- they couldn’t have been nicer to me. That night, Jordan wore the original red/black Air Jordans that were later banned by the league, for a reason that I’ve long ago forgotten.

12) Then there is Hawk Harrelson, who at age 75, still works half the White Sox games- he does the road games. He is tough to listen to, rooting like hell for the Sox while preaching old-style philosophies and dismissing a lot of modern ideas.

On his Twitter page, it says: “hater of sabermetrics”. How can you hate something that helps you understand stuff better? Maybe you can disagree with how much it is used or the dismissal of traditional scouting techniques, but there is a middle road there that needs to be travelled.

To hate sabermetrics is to dismiss knowledge that can help us learn things. Knowledge is good. Hating knowledge is ignorant.

11) Oklahoma City Thunder are in Spain this week; they lost to Real Madrid the other day, then beat Barcelona by 3 yesterday. European basketball is very good, a higher quality than Division I college ball in this country- the players are lot older. Thunder didn’t go all out to win; Westbrook sat in 4th quarter of both games, but was surprising to see two games with such close scores.

10) Minnesota Vikings are on a 17-2 spread run, 4-0 this year; they’re +10 in turnovers this year, even with a QB playing who wasn’t on the team ten days before their season started.

9) New York Giants have only one takeaway in four games, have a -8 turnover ratio; how they deal with Odell Beckham going forward will be interesting to watch.

When Tom Coughlin backed away from disciplining Beckham during the Carolina game LY, it was a red flag; Coughlin had a reputation as a discipline guy. New coach Ben McAdoo seems less likely to pick that battle to fight.

8) Jesse Palmer told a story on TV Saturday night about when he played at Florida, a bunch of Gator players met Arnold Palmer at a social gathering before Florida’s bowl game in Orlando.

According to Jesse Palmer, Arnold Palmer said to the players, “You guys are are probably going to win, but no way will you cover (the point spread)”. Jesse Palmer actually asked Brent Musberger if he should tell the story on the air; since their game was a blowout, he did.

By the way, Florida won by 15, covering as a 13.5-point favorite.

7) Toronto catcher Russell Martin has played for four major league teams and has been in the playoffs nine times in his 11 major league seasons.

6) Tuesday night was Marcus Stroman’s 60th major league start; it was only the second time in those 60 starts that he retired the first nine hitters in order.

5) Blue Jays are 26-33 this season in games where the game-winning run scored after the sixth inning; those 59 games are six more than any other team has played. Twins/White Sox played in next-highest amount (53).

4) Monmouth Hawks upgraded their basketball schedule this year, after they missed out on an at-large bid to the NCAAs last year. Games against North Carolina, Memphis, South Carolina and Syracuse won’t help their W-L record, but should toughen them up for MAAC games and increase their strength of schedule. MAAC also-rans don’t often get at-large bids.

3) **** of America in Minneapolis, our country’s biggest ****, will be closed Thanksgiving Day, so employees can have the day off. Good for them.

2) Blue Jays 5, Orioles 2 (11)— Buck Showalter got thrashed on social media for not using his closer Britton in this game; My thing is this— Showalter performed a near-miracle getting the Orioles into the playoffs. Their starting pitching just isn’t that good, but he got them to the Wild Card game. He is a tremendous manager

For me to criticize the way he runs his team would take a lot of onions— no thanks.

1– Giants 3, Mets 0– One of the great things about postseason baseball is that obscure players become heroes with one swing of the bat. Conor Gillespie is a career .256 hitter with 31 HRs in 1,334 plate appearances in seven years; his 3-run homer in the ninth inning moves the Giants on to Chicago for the NLDS against the Cubs, which begins Friday.