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**Udog** · 10-30-2019, 07:41 AM

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

Six interesting college football games this week:

— Oregon -5 at USC

— Kansas State -5.5 at Kansas

— SMU at Memphis -5.5

— Georgia -6.5 vs Florida

— TCU @ Oklahoma State -3

— Miami @ Florida State -3.5

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Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Wrapping up last Saturday’s college football

13) Kansas State 48, Oklahoma 41— Wildcats scored on eight consecutive possessions in this massive upset; K-State had perfect balance; 213 passing yards, 213 rushing yards, as they scrambled the national playoff picture.

I’m guessing Saturday night was a fun one in the Little Apple.

12) LSU 23, Auburn 20— I’ve mentioned this a couple times, but Joe Burrow used to be the #3 QB at Ohio State— imagine ac college team having that much talent in their QB room?

Several years ago, I read a book called Meat Market, about recruiting in bigtime college football; it revolves around Ed Orgeron when he was head coach at Ole Miss. After reading that book, I wouldn’t have hired Orgeron as anything other than a defensive line coach/recruiter, but have to give him credit, he somehow got the LSU job and is running with it, primarily by giving up control of the offense to a 20-something who came in from the NFL’s Saints.

11) Minnesota 52, Maryland 10— Golden Gophers are 8-0 for first time since 1941; they’ve got a two-game lead in the Big 14 West.

10) Penn State 28, Michigan State 7— Spartans covered only once in their last 12 home games. Penn State is 8-0; they visit 8-0 Minnesota next week.

9) Kansas 37, Texas Tech 34— Never saw this before; Tech blocked the go-ahead FG with 0:13 left, but a Tech player lateraled the ball to a teammate, it was fumbled, and Kansas recovered with 0:02 left, where they kicked the game-winning FG, as Les Miles won his first Big X game with the Jayhawks.

8) Toledo 37, Eastern Michigan 34 (OT)— Bad beat for EMU (+2.5) backers; Eagles came into the game on a 19-5-1 ATS run as an underdog, but lost by half a point here.

7) Upsets:
Kansas State (+23.5) 48, Oklahoma 41
Colorado State (+14) 41, Fesno State 31
Oklahoma State (+10.5) 34, Iowa State 27
Kentucky (+10) 29, Missouri 7
San Jose State (+9.5) 34, Army 29
Illinois (+9.5) 24, Purdue 6
Rutgers (+7.5) 44, Liberty 34

6) Charlotte 39, North Texas 38— 49ers scored on a 34-yard pass play with 0:18 left, rallying back from a 35-21 4th quarter deficit. Total yardage was 589-539, Charlotte.

5) USC 35, Colorado 31- Trojans, Stanford and Cal are three Pac-12 teams that’ve all started three different QB’s this year, and before Halloween. Trojans trailed this game 31-21 after three quarters but rallied to improve to 5-3, 4-1 in Pac-12 tilts.

4) Oregon 37, Washington State 35— Ducks kicked FG at the gun for the win, giving Wazzu its fourth loss in five games, despite scoring 34+ points in three of the four losses. Oregon blew a 31-20 foutth quarter lead before pulling the game out at the end.

3) Kind of a funny moment in the Washington State-Oregon telecast Saturday night; Wazzu had the ball on its own 5-yard line, 3rd-and-25, with 2:00 left in first half, up 10-9. Analyst Brian Griese was preaching a conservative (draw play, punt) approach, while the play-by-play guy said they should throw and try and move the chains.

They threw the ball alright, and threw a pick-6. You could almost hear Griese smirking.

2) Navy 41, Tulane 38— Middies blew a 31-14 halftime lead, then kicked a 48-yard FG at the gun to send everyone home happy. Navy ran the ball for 385 yards, which usually means a win.

1) Memphis 42, Tulsa 41— Golden Hurricane missed a 29-yard field goal at the gun; sometimes its better to be lucky than good. 7-1 Memphis plays unbeaten SMU this week.

**Udog** · 10-30-2019, 08:47 AM

Nats pound Astros to force Game 7

HOUSTON (AP) Max Scherzer, this is your moment. And baseball fans, this is what you hoped for.

A World Series mostly devoid of drama suddenly involves the two most compelling words in sports: Game 7.

Mad Max, in so much pain over the weekend he could hardly move, starting for the Washington Nationals.

''Everybody has the belief in me and the doctors that I could get right and be ready,'' Scherzer said.

Zack Greinke, acquired by Houston in late July for exactly these situations, pitching for the Astros.

''A little excited about it at the moment, but we'll see,'' Greinke said.

The wild-card Nationals, trying to rewrite franchise history with their first championship. The 107-win Astros, aiming to build a legacy by taking their second crown in three years.

''Maybe not how we drew it up in terms of how we got there, but it doesn't take away the opportunity we have to win the World Series,'' Astros manager AJ Hinch said.

A pair of teams that began spring training under sunny skies in February, working out side-by-side in the complex they share in Florida, now meeting in late October under the retractable roof at Minute Maid Park for the biggest prize of all.

And this: What to expect from Scherzer on Wednesday night?

Unable to pitch Game 5 on Sunday night because of nerve irritation near his neck that required a cortisone shot, the three-time Cy Young Award winner is set to start this all-or-nothing showdown.

''The cortisone shot worked. That relieved the pressure on the nerve,'' Scherzer said.

Scherzer tossed in the outfield before Game 6 - a charged, 7-2 win by the Nationals - and even loosened up in the bullpen in the seventh inning Tuesday night.

''Max is starting tomorrow,'' manager Dave Martinez said. ''We got him up knowing that if the game is tied or we were up a run we might have to use him. He wanted to go down there and just throw and get loose. We scored some more runs and I immediately shut him down.''

Whether the Game 1 winner, known for his incredible intensity, will be able to cut loose at full force, we'll soon see.

''We don't know if he's healthy or not. We're going to find out in the first inning,'' Astros star Carlos Correa said.

If Scherzer returns and wins, it might well go down in sports lore, along with Curt Schilling's bloody sock, Kirk Gibson hobbling around the bases and the night Willis Reed limped back on the court at Madison Square Garden.

''They'd probably make a movie about it. I bet, if he could, he could come back from the dead,'' teammate Adam Eaton said.

The Nationals rallied to extend the only World Series where the road team has taken the six first games. So much for the home-field advantage.

''Doesn't look like there is one right now, but I hope there's one tomorrow. We're waiting until the last game to have it on our side,'' Hinch said.

Everyone available, probably.

Astros ace Gerrit Cole, certainly. And maybe Justin Verlander after going five innings Tuesday night.

''It's a Game 7, all hands on deck. If AJ asks, I'm sure I'll figure out a way,'' Verlander said.

Houston played in the previous Game 7 of the World Series, when George Springer and crew hammered Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium in 2017.

Road teams took the two prior Game 7s, too - Joe Maddon's Cubs at Cleveland in 2016 and Madison Bumgarner and the Giants at Kansas City in 2014.

Greinke gave up one run over 4 2/3 innings in his first World Series start when the Astros took Game 3. Acquired from Arizona at the trade deadline, the six-time All-Star is 0-2 with a 5.30 ERA in four starts this postseason.

Did he ever imagine pitching a Game 7?

''Probably, but can't remember doing that at the moment,'' he said.

Healthy, Scherzer went 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA this postseason in four starts and one relief appearance.

No time to dwell on those stats. His biggest start is looming.

''That's what you live for,'' he said. ''For me, I need to get in my pregame routine right now, and that's where I'm at mentally, here we go.''

**Udog** · 10-30-2019, 08:55 AM

913WASHINGTON -914 HOUSTON
WASHINGTON is 26-8 SU (17.3 Units) in road games vs. poor baserunning teams - averaging 0.5 or less SB's/game in the second half of the season in the current season.

MLB
Dunkel

Wednesday, October 30

Washington @ Houston

Game 913-914
October 30, 2019 @ 8:08 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Washington
(Scherzer) 18.847r
Houston
(Greinke) 17.803
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 1
9
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Houston
-135
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(+115); Over

MLB
Long Sheet

Wednesday, October 30

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WASHINGTON (104 - 74) at HOUSTON (117 - 62) - 8:08 PM
MAX SCHERZER (R) vs. ZACK GREINKE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 100-86 (-18.1 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons.
GREINKE is 153-83 (+47.3 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 117-60 (+39.1 Units) against the money line in home games in night games since 1997. (Team's Record)
GREINKE is 23-7 (+14.9 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
WASHINGTON is 104-74 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 11-5 (+8.8 Units) against the money line in October games this season.
WASHINGTON is 38-27 (+11.0 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters this season.
WASHINGTON is 11-5 (+8.8 Units) against the money line in playoff games this season.
WASHINGTON is 58-49 (+7.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
WASHINGTON is 36-25 (+14.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
HOUSTON is 11-14 (-18.4 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday this season.
HOUSTON is 79-51 (-25.0 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 76-50 (-11.0 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
HOUSTON is 71-53 (-19.3 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 98-78 (-20.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 23-24 (-21.1 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
WASHINGTON is 3-3 (+1.8 Units) against HOUSTON this season
5 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.8 Units)

MAX SCHERZER vs. HOUSTON since 1997
SCHERZER is 4-1 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 3.72 and a WHIP of 1.065.
His team's record is 5-2 (+1.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-3. (+0.7 units)

ZACK GREINKE vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
GREINKE is 6-1 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 1.32 and a WHIP of 0.929.
His team's record is 8-2 (+5.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-9. (-8.7 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, October 30

Game 7
Nationals @ Astros
Scherzer is 3-0, 2.16 in his last five games (4 starts); he is 3-1, 3.38 in seven games (6 starts) vs Houston, and is 7-5, 3.36 in 21 playoff games (17 starts).

Greinke is 0-2, 5.30 in his last four starts; he is 6-1, 1.27 in nine starts vs Washington, and is 3-6, 4.31 in 15 playoff starts.

Washington is in its first World Series; they’re 19-5 in last 24 games overall, obviously losing three of their last four games- they won the three games played here.

Astros won 2017 World Series; they lost their last three home games. Houston is 16-8 in its last 24 games overall. Road team is 6-0 in this World Series, first time that ever happened.

MLB

Wednesday, October 30

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Trend Report
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Houston Astros
Houston is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games
Houston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games at home
Houston is 5-17 SU in its last 22 games when playing Washington
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston's last 7 games when playing Washington
Houston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington
Houston is 1-11 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Washington
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston's last 5 games when playing at home against Washington
Washington Nationals
Washington is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games
Washington is 19-5 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 8 games
Washington is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 6 games on the road
Washington is 17-5 SU in its last 22 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games when playing Houston
Washington is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Houston
Washington is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Houston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington's last 5 games when playing on the road against Houston

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**Udog** · 10-31-2019, 07:23 AM

Nationals stun Astros to capture 1st title

HOUSTON (AP) Howie Kendrick sure has a knack for the dramatic.

At 36 - eight years removed from his only All-Star appearance - his go-ahead, two-run homer off Will Harris in the seventh inning lifted the Washington Nationals over the Houston Astros 6-2 Wednesday night in Game 7 for his team's first World Series title.

Steady-handed and battle-tested, Kendrick came through at the biggest moments of the Nationals' October run.

''He's been one of the heart and souls of this team,'' Nationals manager Dave Martinez said.

Kendrick's grand slam against Joe Kelly broke a 10th-inning tie in the decisive Game 5 of the Division Series, giving the Nationals a 7-3 win - just the second extra-inning slam in postseason history.

''The grand slam is still the biggest moment because we wouldn't be here without that,'' Kendrick said as teammates sprayed beer and bubbly on him in the boisterous visitors' clubhouse. ''So for me, that's still got to be the top moment in my career, but this is truly special.''

Kendrick hit .333 with four doubles and four RBIs in a League Championship Series sweep of St. Louis, earning MVP.

He was 5 for 22 with one RBI in the World Series when he came to the plate in the seventh inning of Game 7. Anthony Rendon had just homered off Zack Greinke, cutting the Nationals' deficit to 2-1.

Juan Soto walked on five pitches and Harris relieved. Kendrick swung over a curveball at the knees and drove a cutter on the low, outside corner down the right field line. George Springer sprinted toward the corner. Harris watched. The crowd was silenced, hoping the ball would be caught or curve foul.

Instead, it bounced off the foul pole screen.

Kendrick shouted his way around the bases and danced in the dugout with his younger teammates. For one last time this season, Kendrick and Adam Eaton celebrated by shifting gears and slamming the gas pedal in their imaginary car. Forget about over the hill - Kendrick showed he still had plenty in the tank.

He became the second player to hit a home run in a winner-take-all Series game from the seventh inning on that took his team from a deficit into the lead, following an eighth-inning drive by Pittsburgh's Hal Smith in Game 7 of the 1960 Series against the New York Yankees.

He's also the only player 36 or older to hit a go-ahead homer in the seventh inning or later of a winner-take-all postseason game. Of course, he's done it twice, both this year.

Kendrick singled in the eighth, reaching for the third time.

''There's guys in a big moment you want up there,'' Martinez said.

Kendrick immediately donated the ball, with a yellow streak of paint from hitting the screen, to the Hall of Fame, a part of his career to be celebrated at Cooperstown.

He first came up to the major leagues with the Angels in 2006. He thought back to a three-week demotion to the minors in 2009, when he was hitting just .231.

''Probably the lowest I was at in my career,'' Kendrick said. ''And Torii Hunter told me, he goes, man, when you come back you're going to be a completely different guy. And it feels like ever since that time I've been a better player, a more confident player and just more of a teammate, more of a veteran guy.''

Kendrick signed with the Dodgers after the 2015 season, then got dealt to Philadelphia in November 2016.

''I was kind of thinking about retirement,'' he said.

He kept on playing and was traded to Washington in July 2017 and re-signed with the Nationals during the offseason.

His first full season with Washington ended early in 2018, when he tore his right Achilles tendon while retreating to catch a fly ball to left field against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 19. Even then, he didn't get too down.

''There's no point in being mopey about it,'' he said. ''It won't heal as fast. So the happier I am, the faster I'll heal.''

Kendrick caught Martinez's attention during training camp.

''When he showed up at spring training we thought he wasn't going to be able to do much,'' the manager recalled. ''I had to kind of ease his way, to say, `Hey, look, one, you're not a spring chicken anymore.'''

Kendrick wound up hitting .344 with 17 homers and 62 RBIs in 121 games, missing time in August with a strained left hamstring.

Little did he know his signature moments were ahead. Two of them.

''It makes it all the work worth it,'' he said.

**Udog** · 10-31-2019, 07:25 AM

Strasburg named World Series MVP

HOUSTON (AP) The shutdown that shook baseball paid off for Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals.

It just took seven seasons.

Strasburg was voted MVP of the World Series following the Nationals' 6-2 win over the Houston Astros in Game 7 on Wednesday night, the first title in the 51 seasons of the Washington/Montreal Expos franchise.

Ending the most prolific of 10 big league seasons for the 31-year-old right-hander, Strasburg went 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA in five postseason starts and one relief appearance, including victories in Games 2 and 6 of the Series.

Long after Strasburg was shut down because of an innings limit following Tommy John surgery, he helped lead the Nationals to the championship.

''I slept like a baby when we made the decision,'' Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said Wednesday. ''I knew more information than the people criticizing. I've got a pretty thick skin being in the game this long.''

Selected by Washington with the first pick in the 2009 amateur draft, Strasburg made his first Nationals start a year later and grabbed attention with 14 strikeouts, the most in a big league debut since Houston's J.R. Richard in 1971. But after Strasburg's 12th start came the shocking news, three of the most dreaded words in baseball: Tommy John surgery.

Strasburg returned for five abbreviated starts in September 2011 and was 15-6 with a 3.16 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 159 1/3 innings when the Nationals cut short his 2012 season on Sept. 8, citing the need to protect his arm. Washington finished with a big league-best 98 wins but without its ace lost to St. Louis in a five-game Division Series.

''What if?'' became the team motto, at least for Nationals fans.

Not for Strasburg.

''I think you try not to look in the past and you try not to look in the future,'' he said during a break in the post-game celebration. ''I think it's much more of a challenge to not kind of see how it's going to all play out, especially over this last month. But, again, it just comes back to trying to be in the moment and giving everything you have.''

Strasburg's October is unmatched, the first pitcher to go 5-0 in a single postseason - Arizona's Randy Johnson was 5-2 in 2001 and Angels reliever Francisco Rodriguez 5-1 the following year. Stras, as teammates call him, struck out 47 and walked four in 36 1/3 innings. He gave up four runs over 14 1/3 innings in an analytic era of quick hooks.

''Through all the adversity I think I've learned a lot about myself. When you have the ups and downs, I think you can learn just as much from the downs as you can the up,'' he said. ''I've learned that I'm a perfectionist. I've learned that I'm a control freak. And in this game it's very hard to be perfect. It's very hard to control things.

''But the one thing that you can control is your approach and how you handle your business off the field. And when you go out there and compete, it's just about execution. And you put in all the work in the offseason, in between starts, to go out there and try and be the best version of yourself. And that's something you can control every time.''

Intense and quiet, Stras and Mad Max Scherzer are the yin and yang of the Nationals' championship rotation.

''Max is a little bit more outgoing - rambunctious maybe is the word. And Stras is a little more subtle in his behavior,'' manager Dave Martinez said before Game 7. ''In case you didn't notice yesterday when the game was over, there was a group hug for Stras. They all got together and gave him a big hug. ... When Max does it and pitches, he wants all those hugs.''

Having finished the third season of a contract guaranteeing $175 million over seven years - and earning an extra $250,000 for the World Series MVP honor - Strasburg can opt out of his deal, give up $100 million and become a free agent. He is coming off his most durable season, going 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA and 251 strikeouts in an NL-high 209 innings, boosting his record to 112-58 in 10 seasons.

In 2015, the New York Mets let Matt Harvey pitch 216 innings in his return from Tommy John surgery, and they reached the World Series before losing to Kansas City in five games. He hasn't had a winning season since and his career is uncertain going into 2020.

Strasburg was protected and endures.

''Sometimes the hardest decisions aren't the most popular decisions,'' Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said. ''I think the most important thing is the organization really did have the best interests in mind for the player. And I think sometimes that gets lost in the equation. So I respect the heck out of them for doing that for Stephen.''

**BettorsChat** · 10-31-2019, 12:03 PM

Should have left Greinke in after giving up the HR as he had only given up 2 hits and 1 run

**Udog** · 11-01-2019, 01:51 PM

Originally posted by BettorsChat View Post

Should have left Greinke in after giving up the HR as he had only given up 2 hits and 1 run

It's Friday afternoon and there still hasn't been any word out of Houston as to why he did that. I'm really curious what his reasons were.

**BettorsChat** · 11-02-2019, 11:10 AM

Originally posted by Udog View Post

It's Friday afternoon and there still hasn't been any word out of Houston as to why he did that. I'm really curious what his reasons were.

And they put in a reliever who was worn out vs putting in Osuna

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Wednesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 10/30

Wednesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 10/30

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