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**Udog** · 10-24-2017, 08:26 AM

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

— Mets named Indians pitching coach Mickey Calloway their new manager.

— Red Sox will name Astros bench coach Alex Cora their new manager.

— Last year’s Houston Rockets tried 40+ 3-pointers in half of their 82 games; the team with next highest number in one season was 12 games- the Rockets in 2015.

— UTEP, Oregon State, Georgia Southern have all fired their football coach, and the World Series hasn’t even started yet.

— When Chargers shut Denver out 21-0 Sunday, it was the first time the Broncos had been shut out since 1992.

— Eagles 34, Redskins 24— Kirk Cousins is now 0-9 on weeknights, 0-6 on Monday nights.

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

13) Statistics are fun, they can be educational, but they can also be really misleading; take the Carolina Panthers’ defensive stats, which should be really good this week, because Carolina’s offense was so terrible that Chicago scored two defensive TD’s early on, then just sat on their 14-0 lead and didn’t even try to score with the ball. Bears had five first downs, gained 153 yards on 37 plays for the whole game, but they won by two TD’s. Very unusual.

12) I’d be curious to know in all the fantasy football leagues around the country, what the teams’ records were in Week 7 that had Aaron Rodgers on them? I had Rodgers on my team when he got hurt in 2013; lets just say things didn’t go too well from that point on.

11) We post the six most popular picks in the Westgate SuperContest each week; thru seven weeks, those picks are just 15-27 vs spread, which means sports books are making a killing so far this season. Handicapping the NFL is a minefield that is very tough to navigate.

10) Cleveland Browns’ tackle Joe Thomas played 10 years and six games without missing a single play, a streak more impressive than Cal Ripken’s iron man streak, but he got hurt Sunday and is now out for the season with a triceps injury. Thomas is a future Hall of Famer.

9) Cubs fired pitching coach Chris Bosio; they won the World Series last year, did Bosio get a lot dumber all of a sudden?

San Francisco Giants also re-assigned most of their coaches, including pitching coach Dave Righetti, who had been in that job since 2000. Giants won three World Series in this decade; maybe they should re-assign the person who put together such an aging roster this past season.

8) Army’s football team has already accepted a bowl bid, to the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec 23. At 6-2, the Cadets are having a breakthrough season.

7) Ole Miss QB Shea Patterson is out for the year after getting hurt against LSU Saturday nite. Been a rough year for the Rebels, who are playing with an interim head coach.

6) Dallas Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey tweaked a leg muscle in San Francisco Sunday; one of the Cowboys’ safeties (Jeff Heath) kicked a field goal, banking it in off the right upright. Cowboys are holding tryouts for a backup kicker this week.

5) This is how competitive pro golf is around the world: In fall of 2016, 30 guys won their cards for the European Tour for 2017 at Q-School. Of those 30 guys, only two have their cards for 2018.

4) Michigan State has a running back named LJ Scott who is pretty good, but he’s been arrested seven times, all for roughly the same thing— unpaid traffic tickets, driving without a license or with a suspended license. How do they keep letting him play? It is mostly harmless stuff, but it shows a lack of respect for rules and sends a bad message that he is playing.

Back in the day, my man Jerry Tarkanian would’ve done this: assign a staff member to take care of his traffic issues for him. Drive him to DMV to pay his fines and renew his license. The better the kid was, the more important it was to keep him eligible and out of trouble.

3) I’m watching 76ers-Pistons game as I type this; game is in Detroit’s new downtown arena and the crowd there is really small. Does every NBA team make money?

2) Denver Broncos have played two road games, scoring one TD on 23 drives; should they explore trading for Eli Manning? Giants are on their bye week; Denver could use a QB. Giants might need to start a rebuilding process.

1) Cleveland Browns should sign Colin Kaepernick; it would diffuse his lawsuit against the NFL, then people could see in plain view whether he is still good enough to keep playing in the league. Plus, there is no way he is worse than the three suspects who’ve been playing QB for the Browns this season. Then they can draft a top-flight QB prospect next April and move on.

**Udog** · 10-24-2017, 08:28 AM

MLB
Dunkel

Tuesday, October 24

Houston @ LA Dodgers

Game 901-902
October 24, 2017 @ 8:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
(Keuchel) 18.368
LA Dodgers
(Kershaw) 16.851
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Houston
by 1 1/2
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Dodgers
-175
7
Dunkel Pick:
Houston
(+155); Over

MLB
Long Sheet

Tuesday, October 24

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HOUSTON (108 - 65) at LA DODGERS (111 - 59) - 8:05 PM
DALLAS KEUCHEL (L) vs. CLAYTON KERSHAW (L)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 51-51 (-17.2 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 78-33 (+27.4 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
KERSHAW is 26-4 (+15.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
KERSHAW is 35-7 (+19.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KERSHAW is 28-4 (+19.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
HOUSTON is 108-65 (+14.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 54-32 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
HOUSTON is 42-18 (+20.1 Units) against the money line in an inter-league game over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 38-22 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
HOUSTON is 33-20 (+9.1 Units) against the money line in road games after a win this season.
HOUSTON is 39-25 (+9.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
LA DODGERS are 104-122 (-34.3 Units) against the money line in an inter-league game since 1997.
LA DODGERS are 147-105 (-12.2 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

DALLAS KEUCHEL vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
No recent starts.

CLAYTON KERSHAW vs. HOUSTON since 1997
KERSHAW is 3-2 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 2.38 and a WHIP of 1.019.
His team's record is 4-4 (-2.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-4. (-0.2 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, October 24

Houston @ Los Angeles
Astros are in World Series for 2nd time; last time was in 2005 when they were NL champs and lost to the White Sox. Dodgers are in their first World Series since 1988. Expected to be very hot for the 5:00 local time first pitch in LA- may be 100 degrees. No DH for the games in LA.

Keuchel is 4-2, 2.55 in his last six starts; over is 6-3 in his last nine starts. Houston is 10-3 in his road starts this season- he didn’t pitch against the Dodgers this year. Keuchel is 4-1, 2.59 in six career playoff games (5 starts).

Kershaw is 3-0, 3.38 in his last five starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight starts. Dodgers are 14-2 in his home starts this season, Kershaw didn’t pitch against Houston this year; he is 6-7, 4.40 in 21 career playoff games (17 starts).

MLB

Tuesday, October 24

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Trend Report
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HOUSTON @ LA DODGERS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 6 games when playing LA Dodgers
Houston is 13-5 SU in its last 18 games
LA Dodgers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
LA Dodgers is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games

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**Udog** · 10-24-2017, 08:30 AM

World Series Game 1 betting preview and odds: Astros at Dodgers

Houston Astros at Los Angeles Dodgers (-170, 7)

The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't won a World Series since 1988, while the Houston Astros have never been crowned champions in their 56-season history. The teams begin their attempts to end their respective droughts when Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw pitches against Houston's Dallas Keuchel in Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers are in the World Series for the first time since their memorable 1988 slaying of the Oakland Athletics, a series best known for limping Kirk Gibson's decisive Game 1 homer. The Astros lost to the Chicago White Sox in the 2005 World Series and this season's 101-win squad knocked out the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees to reach the Series. "Our guys are battle tested now," Astros manager A.J. Hinch told reporters. "We had no question coming in. I think more people had questions about us than we questioned ourselves. Now we chase the ultimate prize. There's two teams standing. It's a race to four wins now." The Dodgers, who won 104 regular-season games, rolled through the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs with standout third baseman Justin Turner excelling by going 12-for-31 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in the eight games.

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

LINE HISTORY: The Dodgers opened Game 1 as -155 home chalk and have since been moved to the current number of Dodgers -170. The total, not surprisingly, hit the board at a very low 7.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros LH Dallas Keuchel (2-1, 2.60 ERA) vs. Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (2-0, 3.63 ERA)

Keuchel has struck out 25 in 17 1/3 innings over three starts this October and is a solid 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA in six career postseason appearances (five starts). The 29-year-old former Cy Young Award winner scanned the Dodgers' lineup and had no trouble anointing it as the best he'll face all season. "Just seems like production top to bottom, even some of their extra guys, has been there all year," Keuchel said at his Monday press conference. "They are going to be the deepest team we played, hands down. My job is to go out there and get the job done."

Kershaw has served up six homers in three starts this postseason but his career ledger has improved to 6-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 21 appearances (17 starts). The 29-year-old three-time Cy Young winner is 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA in eight career starts against the Astros and has experienced struggles with Astros star second baseman Jose Altuve (6-for-15, four doubles). "He hits everything pretty well. I think he's super aggressive but at the same time he hits a lot of pitches," Kershaw said of Altuve during his Monday press conference. "... He's a tough out. I think he's one of the toughest outs in the game. You just can't give in to him."

TRENDS:

* Astros are 1-6 in their last seven playoff road games.
* Dodgers are 7-1 in their last eight playoff games.
* Over is 7-1 in Astros last eight games vs. a left-handed starter.
* Over is 5-1-1 in Dodgers last seven home games.

CONSENSUS:

The public is siding with Kershaw and the Dodgers in Game 1, with 63 percent of wagers on Los Angeles. Even with the low number of 7, bettors think Kershaw and Keuchel will be on their games, with 59 percent of the public on the Under.

WALK-OFF NOTES:

* The Dodgers' bullpen didn't allow a hit in 29 at-bats in the National League Championship Series against the Cubs and has a 0.94 ERA this postseason.

* Los Angeles SS Corey Seager (back) made the World Series roster and said Monday he's ready to play nine innings.

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Tuesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 10/24

Tuesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 10/24

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