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**Udog** · 09-29-2020, 08:57 AM

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

Six interesting spreads for Week 4 NFL games:
— Denver (-3) @ NJ Jets
— Indianapolis (-2.5) @ Chicago
— New Orleans (-4) @ Detroit
— Arizona (-3.5) @ Carolina
— Jacksonville @ Cincinnati (-3)
— Cleveland @ Dallas (-4.5)

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 204,905
Please wear a mask when you go out.

**********

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

13) Chiefs 34, Ravens 20;
— Chiefs won their first three games, scoring 34-23 -34 points.
— KC kicker made two 58-yard FG’s last week; he missed a PAT and a FG in this game.
— Last 4+ years, Chiefs are 11-2 ATS as a road underdog.
— Chiefs won last four series games, by 20-3-5-14 points.

— Lamar Jackson is 0-3 against the Chiefs, 21-1 vs everyone else.
— Baltimore converted 3-9 on third down, Kansas City 10-13.
— Ravens are 9-16 ATS in last 25 games as a home favorite.

12) Tennessee Titans are 3-0 this season, but they haven’t covered a spread yet; their three wins are by a total of six points. Titans have turned ball over only once, are +4 in turnovers.

11) I’m not a big fan of NFL teams trading star players for draft picks:
— Houston traded WR DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona, they’re 0-3, scoring 19 ppg.
— Arizona is 2-1, scoring 29 ppg.

— Minnesota traded WR Stefon Diggs to Buffalo; they’re 0-3, despite scoring 25 ppg. Vikings have converted only 9-25 third down plays.
— Buffalo is 3-0, scoring 31 ppg.

10) Nick Foles will be Chicago’s starting QB when the 3-0 Bears host Indianapolis Sunday; he came off the bench Sunday and led the Bears to a 30-26 comeback win in Atlanta.

9) College football spread results in conference games so far:
— Home favorites 7-10-1 against the spread
— Home underdogs 7-5 against the spread

8) Arkansas landed Florida transfer Felipe Franks as its new QB this fall, ending a two-year debacle where eight (8!!!) different kids played QB for the Razorbacks- one of them is the grandson of Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones.

Arkansas has lost its last 20 SEC games; Franks needs a lot of help.

7) Sam Pittman is the new football coach at Arkansas; like a lot of football coaches, Pittman has lived a little bit of a nomadic existence. Here are the coaching stops he’s made:

1984-85: Pittsburg State (GA)
1986: Offensive coordinator at a high school in Oklahoma
1987-88: Head coach at a high school in Missouri
1989-90: Head coach at a different high school in Missouri

1991: Offensive line coach at a junior college
1992-93: Head coach at that junior college
1994-95: Offensive line coach at Northern Illinois
1996: Offensive line coach at U of Cincinnati

1997-98: Offensive line coach at Oklahoma
1999: Assistant head coach, Western Michigan
2000: Offensive line coach, Missouri
2001: Offensive line coach, Kansas

2003-06: Offensive line coach, Northern Illinois
2007-11: Offensive line coach, North Carolina
2012: Offensive line coach, Tennessee
2013-15: Offensive line coach, Arkansas

2016-9: Offensive line coach, Georgia
2020: Head coach, Arkansas

This man must be great at packing; he’s paid his dues. Have to root for the guy.

6) I try to keep politics out of this space, but seriously? Donald Trump supposedly spent $70,000 on personal hairstyling “for television” and wrote it off on his taxes as a business expense. He paid $70,000 for that mess? I call BS on that.

As a bald man, I have to laugh; what a fraud he is.

5) Lakers-Heat NBA final is first time ever the NBA final is between two teams who both missed the playoffs the year before.

4) 5th-seeded Miami is lowest-seeded NBA team to make the finals since the 1995 Rockets, who beat Orlando in the finals that year.

3) If Seattle has a WNBA team, why can’t they have an NBA team? One of the great injustices in pro sports history was Seattle losing the SuperSonics- they supported the team, but they refused to build a new arena they didn’t need, so the league took their team away.

12 years later, Seattle has a new arena (they’re getting an NHL team); next time an NBA team needs to move, Seattle should be the first option.

2) Surprising news: LA Clippers told coach Doc Rivers to take a hike after seven years; Clippers lost to Denver in the playoffs, blowing a 3-1 series, when they led by 10+ points in each of those last three losses.

Rivers had a 356-208 regular season record with the Clippers , was 27-32 in playoff games; he won the 2008 NBA title coaching Boston. If he still wants to coach, he won’t be unemployed for long.

1) If the baseball playoffs started today (they do):
AL East: Tampa Bay, New York
AL Central: Minnesota, Cleveland
AL West: Oakland, Houston
AL wild cards: Chicago, Toronto

NL East: Atlanta, Miami
NL Central: Chicago, St Louis
NL West: Los Angeles, San Diego

**Udog** · 09-29-2020, 08:59 AM

MLB public betting, line movement September 29
Patrick Everson

Aaron Hicks and the Yankees open their wild-card series against the Indians on Tuesday night. DraftKings Sportsbook opened host Cleveland a slim -112 favorite and flipped to New York -110.

MLB betting odds are on the board for the playoffs, which begin with a four-game Tuesday schedule featuring the AL wild-card series openers. The New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians meet under the lights, while the defending AL champion Houston Astros open the day’s action against the Minnesota Twins.

DraftKings Sportsbook provided insights on MLB opening lines and early line movement, sharp money and public betting for Tuesday’s games.

MLB line movement

New York had a very up-and-down cycle the past month and a half, first falling into a 5-15 rut, then winning 10 in a row before going 2-6 to end the regular season. Series host Cleveland is on a roll, going 9-2 in its last 11 games. DraftKings opened the 7 p.m. ET Game 1 at Indians -112/Yankees -104, but that line flipped to Yankees -110/Indians -106 by Monday afternoon.

Houston went 2-5 in its last seven games, while Minnesota went the opposite at 5-2 while winning the tightly contested AL Central. The series host Twins opened -150 at DraftKings and moved to -165 Monday afternoon, with the Astros +140 underdogs in a 2 p.m. ET first pitch.

The Chicago White Sox and Oakland A’s open their wild-card series in a 3 p.m. ET clash at Oakland. DraftKings opened Game 1 at White Sox -130/A’s +112, and there was no movement through Monday afternoon.

The Toronto Blue Jays and top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays get started with a 5 p.m. ET contest. DraftKings opened late Monday afternoon at Rays -200/Blue Jays +170.

MLB public betting

Early action Monday at DraftKings showed the Yankees were a popular play, with New York landing 74 percent of bets and 65 percent of cash on the moneyline against Cleveland. Astros-Twins monyeline was seeing two-way action early, with 52 percent of tickets on Houston and money split 50/50.

And the White Sox were attracting 80 percent of tickets and 87 percent of cash on the moneyline against the A’s, through Monday afternoon.

**Udog** · 09-29-2020, 09:01 AM

MLB
Weather Report

Tuesday, September 29

**Udog** · 09-29-2020, 09:07 AM

931NY YANKEES -932 CLEVELAND
NY YANKEES are 4-12 SU (-10.5 Units) in road games vs. poor baserunning teams - averaging 0.5 or less SB's/game in the current season.

933HOUSTON -934 MINNESOTA
HOUSTON is 19-33 SU (-17.7 Units) vs. an overused bullpen that pitches more than 3.2 innings per game in the current season.

935TORONTO -936 TAMPA BAY
TAMPA BAY is 34-18 SU (14.2 Units) in home games after a game where the bullpen gave up no earned runs in the last 3 seasons.

937CHI WHITE SOX -938 OAKLAND
CHI WHITE SOX is 20-6 SU (14.5 Units) vs. a starting pitcher whose gives up 5.5 or less hits/start in the current season.

MLB
Dunkel

Tuesday, September 29

Houston @ Minnesota

Game 933-934
September 29, 2020 @ 2:08 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Houston
(Greinke) 13.320
Minnesota
(Maeda) 17.436
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 4
10
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
-160
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Minnesota
(-160); Over

Chicago White Sox @ Oakland

Game 937-938
September 29, 2020 @ 3:08 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago White Sox
(Giolito) 15.404
Oakland
(Luzardo) 13.897
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago White Sox
by 1 1/2
12
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago White Sox
-120
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago White Sox
(-120); Over

Toronto @ Tampa Bay

Game 935-936
September 29, 2020 @ 5:07 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Toronto
(Shoemaker) 16.737
Tampa Bay
(Snell) 18.363
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Tampa Bay
by 1 1/2
7
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Tampa Bay
-185
7 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Tampa Bay
(-185); Under

NY Yankees @ Cleveland

Game 931-932
September 29, 2020 @ 7:08 pm

Dunkel Rating:
NY Yankees
(Cole) 14.261
Cleveland
(Bieber) 15.131
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 1
5
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
NY Yankees
-115
6 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(-105); Under

MLB
Long Sheet

Tuesday, September 29

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NY YANKEES (33 - 27) at CLEVELAND (35 - 25) - 7:00 PM
GERRIT COLE (R) vs. SHANE BIEBER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY YANKEES are 12-18 (-14.0 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
NY YANKEES are 5-10 (-10.7 Units) against the money line in road games in September games this season.
NY YANKEES are 9-13 (-9.8 Units) against the money line in road games in night games this season.
NY YANKEES are 41-42 (-15.4 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
NY YANKEES are 9-18 (-16.4 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
NY YANKEES are 10-14 (-9.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
CLEVELAND is 219-168 (-32.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 42-37 (-19.2 Units) against the money line in September games over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 140-112 (-30.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 122-96 (-29.8 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 3 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 71-84 (-30.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.

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

GERRIT COLE vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
COLE is 3-1 when starting against CLEVELAND with an ERA of 2.50 and a WHIP of 0.750.
His team's record is 3-2 (+0.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-3. (-1.5 units)

SHANE BIEBER vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
BIEBER is 1-0 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 8.30 and a WHIP of 1.615.
His team's record is 1-1 (-0.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-0. (+2.0 units)

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HOUSTON (29 - 31) at MINNESOTA (36 - 24) - 2:00 PM
ZACK GREINKE (R) vs. KENTA MAEDA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 29-31 (-12.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 9-21 (-15.7 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
HOUSTON is 10-17 (-14.1 Units) against the money line in September games this season.
HOUSTON is 17-21 (-10.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
HOUSTON is 52-43 (-11.0 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 137-88 (+22.5 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 23-7 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
MINNESOTA is 301-270 (+45.9 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday since 1997.
MINNESOTA is 106-63 (+23.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 57-31 (+19.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
HOUSTON is 29-6 (+18.4 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off over the last 2 seasons.
GREINKE is 50-27 (+20.1 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday since 1997. (Team's Record)

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

ZACK GREINKE vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
GREINKE is 4-9 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 4.65 and a WHIP of 1.443.
His team's record is 5-15 (-11.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 8-11. (-4.6 units)

KENTA MAEDA vs. HOUSTON since 1997
MAEDA is 0-1 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 8.44 and a WHIP of 1.501.
His team's record is 0-1 (-1.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

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TORONTO (32 - 28) at TAMPA BAY (40 - 20) - 5:00 PM
HYUN-JIN RYU (L) vs. BLAKE SNELL (L)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 40-20 (+11.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 31-15 (+17.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 29-14 (+10.2 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 142-84 (+37.1 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 3 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 13-4 (+9.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SNELL is 22-10 (+14.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
TORONTO is 55-61 (+9.4 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 6-4 (-0.5 Units) against TORONTO this season
7 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.8 Units)

HYUN-JIN RYU vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
RYU is 0-0 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 3.72 and a WHIP of 1.034.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.2 units)

BLAKE SNELL vs. TORONTO since 1997
SNELL is 4-3 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 2.95 and a WHIP of 1.187.
His team's record is 8-5 (-0.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-6. (-0.3 units)

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CHI WHITE SOX (35 - 25) at OAKLAND (36 - 24) - 3:00 PM
LUCAS GIOLITO (R) vs. SEAN MANAEA (L)
Top Trends for this game.
GIOLITO is 2-10 (-10.7 Units) against the money line in September games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
OAKLAND is 132-89 (+25.8 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 28-12 (+15.8 Units) against the money line at home when the money line is +125 to -125 over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 73-37 (+22.9 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 152-114 (+27.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 49-34 (+20.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
MANAEA is 15-3 (+11.9 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHI WHITE SOX are 107-114 (+16.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
CHI WHITE SOX are 14-0 (+14.0 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters this season.
GIOLITO is 14-5 (+12.0 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
MANAEA is 3-14 (-11.6 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday since 1997. (Team's Record)

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

LUCAS GIOLITO vs. OAKLAND since 1997
GIOLITO is 1-1 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 4.15 and a WHIP of 1.154.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.2 units)

SEAN MANAEA vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
MANAEA is 1-0 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 1.29 and a WHIP of 0.714.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, September 29

Best-of-3 series
American League
Astros (29-31) @ Twins (36-24)
Greinke is 0-3, 6.53 in his last four starts.
— Astros are 4-8 in his starts this year, 0-6 on the road.
— Under is 6-4-2 in his starts.
— Greinke is 3-6, 4.21 in 16 career postseason starts.
— He is 5-9, 4.64 in 24 games (20 starts) vs Minnesota.

— Houston is 9-23 on the road this year; they’re 3-8 in last 11 road tilts.
— Astros are 7-8 in their last 15 games overall.
— Houston is in playoffs for 4th year in a row; they won World Series in 2017, lost World Series last season.
— Under is 6-2-1 in their last nine games.

Maeda is 2-0, 3.00 in his last four starts.
— Twins are 8-3 in his starts, 5-0 at home.
— Under is 6-1 in his last seven starts.
— Maeda is 2-1, 3.31 in 24 postseason games (only 3 starts, 32.2 IP)
— He allowed five runs in 5.1 IP in his only career start vs Houston.

— Minnesota is 24-7 at home this season.
— Twins won five of their last seven games overall.
— Minnesota is in playoffs for third time in four years; they haven’t made the ALCS since 2002.
— Over is 4-2-1 in their last seven games.

White Sox (35:35) @ A’s (36-24)
Giolito is 2-1, 4.71 in five starts since he threw a no-hitter August 25.
— White Sox are 7-5 in his starts, 4-1 on the road.
— Under is 8-4 in his starts this season.
— Giolito is 1-1, 4.15 in two career starts vs Oakland.
— He’s never pitched in the postseason.

— Chicago is in playoffs for first time since 2008.
— White Sox are 14-0 this season vs lefty starters.
— Chicago lost seven of its last eight games overall.
— Last four White Sox games went over the total.

Luzardo is 1-1, 4.03 in his last four starts; he allowed three runs in three IP in an odd relief appearance last week.
— Oakland is 5-4 in his starts, 5-1 at home.
— Under is 6-3 in his starts this season.
— Luzardo threw three scoreless innings in relief in the Wild Card game LY, his only postseason experience.
— He’s never pitched against the White Sox.

— A’s are in playoffs for third year in a row- they haven’t advanced in playoffs since 2006.
— Oakland lost five of its last eight games overall; their best player, 3B Chapman is out for the year.
— A’s are 22-10 at home this season.
— Under is 3-1-1 in their last five games.

Blue Jays (32-28) @ Rays (40-20)
Shoemaker is 0-1, 5.02 in six starts this season.
— Toronto is 2-4 in his starts, 1-3 on the road.
— Over is 4-2 in his starts.
— Shoemaker allowed one (unearned) run in six IP in his only postseason start, six years ago.
— He is 4-0, 2.56 in seven career starts vs Tampa Bay.

— Toronto is in the playoffs for first time since 2016.
— Blue Jays are used to being on the road; they played “home” games this year in Buffalo.
— Toronto is 15-19 on the road this season.
— Blue Jays won six of their last eight games overall.
— Over is 11-4 in their last fifteen games.

Snell is 1-1, 2.20 in his last three starts; he is 2.35 in two starts vs Toronto this year.
— Rays are 7-4 in his starts this year, 3-2 at home.
— Over is 7-3-1 in his starts this year.
— Snell is 4-3, 2.81 in 13 career starts vs Toronto.
— He allowed one run in 5.1 IP in three postseason games (one start).

— Tampa Bay is in playoffs for second year in a row.
— Rays are 20-9 at home this season.
— Tampa Bay won nine of its last 11 games overall.
— Under is 10-3 in Rays’ last 13 games.
— Rays are 6-4 vs Toronto this season, 4-3 in the Trop.

New York (33-27) @ Indians (35-25)
Cole is 3-0, 0.86 in his last three starts.
— New York is 8-4 in his starts this year, 4-2 on the road.
— Over is 6-4-2 in his starts this year, 3-2-1 on road.
— Cole is 2-1, 2.79 in four career starts vs Cleveland.
— He is 6-4, 2.60 in ten career postseason starts.

— New York is in playoffs for 4th year in a row, 22nd time in 26 years
— New York 11-18 on the road this season.
— They lost six of their last eight games overall.
— Under is 3-1 in their last four games.

Bieber is 8-1, 1.77 in 12 starts this year.
— Cleveland is 10-2 in his starts this year, 4-0 at home.
— Under is 10-2 in Bieber’s starts.
— Bieber allowed nine runs in 8.2 IP in two starts vs New York.
— He hasn’t pitched in the postseason.

— Indians are in playoffs for 4th time in five years.
— Cleveland Is 18-12 at home this year.
— Indians are 9-2 in last 11 games, to jump up to the #4 seed.
— Under is 4-2 in their last six games.

MLB

Tuesday, September 29

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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Houston @ Minnesota
Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Houston's last 13 games
Houston is 15-7 ATS in its last 22 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Houston
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Houston

Chi White Sox @ Oakland
Chi White Sox
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 6 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games
Oakland
Oakland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox
Oakland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chi White Sox

Toronto @ Tampa Bay
Toronto
Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games

NY Yankees @ Cleveland
NY Yankees
The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Yankees's last 6 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Yankees's last 5 games on the road
Cleveland
Cleveland is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing NY Yankees
Cleveland is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games

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

**Udog** · 09-29-2020, 09:10 AM

AL Wild Card Cheat Sheet
Kevin Rogers

The 60-game Major League Baseball season flew by and what remains are 16 teams playing for the World Series. This year's postseason is unique from several standpoints as the most teams ever will participate for the crown, while the final three rounds will be played at neutral sites.

The opening round involves a best-of-three series with the higher seed as the host. The three division champions in each league are the top three seeds, while the next three seeds are the second-place finishers from each division.

The final two teams to qualify for the playoffs in each league are the Wild Card teams, as Houston found a way to sneak into the postseason in spite of a 29-31 record.

#1 Tampa Bay Rays vs. #8 Toronto Blue Jays

TB: 40-28 SU, 21-9 Home, 27-30-3 O/U
TOR: 32-28 SU, 15-15 Road, 29-28-3 O/U

Series Price

Tampa Bay -230
Toronto +195

Series Schedule

Game 1 - Tuesday, Sept. 29 - 5 p.m. ET (TBS)
Game 2 - Wednesday, Sept. 30 - 4 p.m. ET (TBS)
Game 3 - Thursday, Oct. 1 (If Necessary)

The Rays are back in the postseason for the second straight year, but this time, Tampa Bay owns the top seed in the American League. This series is the only one out of the eight first round matchups that involves two division rivals.

Tampa Bay captured six of 10 regular season meetings with Toronto, including a 4-2 mark at Tropicana Field. The Rays closed the campaign by winning 12 of their final 16 games, but the Blue Jays beat the Rays in each of their three series openers this season, including twice in St. Petersburg.

The Blue Jays were one of the biggest surprises in the American League this season with their young roster, while winning six of eight games down the stretch. However, Toronto posted a 12-15 record against playoff teams, including a 5-10 road mark.

#2 Oakland Athletics vs. #7 Chicago White Sox

OAK: 36-24 SU, 21-9 Home, 26-32-2 O/U
CHW: 35-25 SU, 17-13 Away, 27-31-2 O/U

Series Price

Chicago -115
Oakland -105

Series Schedule

Game 1 - Tuesday, Sept. 29 - 3 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 2 - Wednesday, Sept. 30 - 3 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 3 - Thursday, Oct. 1 (If Necessary)

Both these teams stumbled down the stretch in spite of finishing with two of the best records in the American League. Oakland picked up its first AL West championship since 2013 and is making its third consecutive playoff appearance. However, the A's haven't won a postseason series since 2006, as they have been eliminated in their first round of play six straight times in this span.

Oakland lost five of its final eight games to close the season, but the A's had a comfortable lead atop the division over the Astros. The A's put together a 9-7 record against postseason squads, although seven of those victories came against Houston, who finished below .500 on the season.

The White Sox had elevated expectations this season and lived up to them. Chicago is back in the playoffs for the first time since grabbing the AL Central title in 2008 as the Sox posted a winning record for the first time since 2012. However, the Sox went 2-8 in their final 10 games to fall short of the division title, while going 14-22 against playoff teams in 2020.

#3 Minnesota Twins vs. #6 Houston Astros

MIN: 36-24 SU, 23-7 Home, 20-36-4 O/U
HOU: 29-31 SU, 9-21 Road, 29-28-3 O/U

Series Price

Minnesota -170
Houston +150

Series Schedule

Game 1 - Tuesday, Sept. 29 - 2 p.m. ET (ABC)
Game 2 - Wednesday, Sept. 30 - 1 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Game 3 - Thursday, Oct. 1 (If Necessary)

The Twins are back-to-back AL Central champions since 2009 and 2010 as Minnesota seeks its first playoff series win since 2002. Luckily, the Twins avoid the Yankees in the first round, who have eliminated Minnesota in the playoffs six times dating back to 2003.

Minnesota owned the top home record in baseball this season, which includes an impressive 13-5 mark against teams headed to the postseason. The Twins didn't face the Astros this season, but won three of four home matchups at Target Field in 2019. However, none of the four starting pitchers for Houston in that series will take the mound in this series, as Game 1 starter Zack Greinke was traded to the Astros three months after these teams hooked up.

The Astros saw their streak of three consecutive AL West titles end this season, but Houston still crawled into the postseason despite its first losing record since 2014. Houston lost ace Gerrit Cole in free agency to the Yankees and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander made one start before getting shut down due to an elbow injury. The Astros have their work cut out for them as they won only nine road games, including a 2-10 away mark against playoff squads.

#4 Cleveland Indians vs. #5 New York Yankees

CLE: 35-25 SU, 18-12 Home, 21-35-4 O/U
NYY: 33-27 SU, 12-18 Road, 29-27-4 O/U

Series Price

New York -130
Cleveland +110

Series Schedule

Game 1 - Tuesday, Sept. 29 - 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 2 - Wednesday, Sept. 30 - 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Game 3 - Thursday, Oct. 1 (If Necessary)

The Yankees are back in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, although they failed to win the AL East three times in this span. New York survived a rash of injuries to several star hitters, including Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, and Giancarlo Stanton as the Yankees lost six of their final eight games following a nine-game winning streak in September.

The Indians rebounded from an eight-game September skid to win nine of their last 11 contests to finish ahead of the White Sox for second place in the AL Central and one game behind Minnesota for the top spot. Cleveland's starting rotation put together terrific numbers as three hurlers finished with an ERA of 3.00 or lower, led by AL Cy Young favorite Shane Bieber, who posted an 8-1 record and 1.63 ERA.

Cleveland compiled a 12-5 home record against playoff teams this season, while New York stumbled to a 3-10 road mark when facing postseason squads.

Announcement

Tuesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 9/29

Tuesday's MLB Trends and Indexes - 9/29

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