Thursday Trends and Indexes 10/9 (MLB, NHL, Misc.)

[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Notes

MLB

MLB World Series Odds Updated

Four teams are one series away from appearing in the 2008 MLB World Series.

The Boston Red Sox eliminated the Los Angeles Angels in four games and is now favored to win the World Series. Oddsmakers have Boston at +185 with Tampa Bay +295, Philadelphia +325 and Los Angeles Dodgers +345.

One online sportsbook has a prop on whether the Tampa Bay Rays will win the World Series with yes available at +295 or No at -525.

Tampa Bay won the American League East and will have home field advantage over the Red Sox, but Boston is favored at -135 to win the American League Championship Series. Tampa got here by taking care of the Chicago White Sox in four games.

In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers were big underdogs over the favored Chicago Cubs but Los Angeles swept the tough luck Cubs 3-0. The Dodgers come in to the National League Championship Series as underdogs once again but much smaller. The Philadelphia Phillies are -115 in the series. The Phillies took care of the Milwaukee Brewers in four games.

On Thursday the Dodgers and Phillies will kick start the series. Philadelphia sends Cole Hamels to the mound to face Derek Lowe. The Phillies are -135 in game one with the total set at 7.5.

There are many intriguing stories for the 2008 MLB World Series, but none better than Manny Ramirez and Joe Torre taking on the Boston Red Sox.

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[Udog]

MLB
Dunkel


LA Dodgers at Philadelphia
The Phillies come into Game One of the NLCS having won 16 of their last 20 and were a perfect 4-0 against the Dodgers at home this season. Philadelphia is the pick (-130) according to Dunkel, which has the Phillies favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-130). Here are all of today's games

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9

Game 901-902: LA Dodgers at Philadelphia
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Lowe) 15.380; Philadelphia (Hamels) 16.622
Dunkel Line: Philadelphia by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Philadelphia (-130); 7 1/2;
Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (-130); Under

[Udog]

MLB
Long Sheet


Updated


Friday, October 10


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BOSTON (98 - 68) at TAMPA BAY (100 - 66) - 8:35 PM
DAISUKE MATSUZAKA (R) vs. JAMES SHIELDS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 2-11 (-10.5 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome this season.
BOSTON is 6-16 (-12.0 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf this season.
BOSTON is 46-47 (-13.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
TAMPA BAY is 100-66 (+29.7 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 59-24 (+29.1 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 20-6 (+15.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday this season.
TAMPA BAY is 43-29 (+16.3 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
TAMPA BAY is 59-25 (+27.9 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome this season.
TAMPA BAY is 64-44 (+19.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
TAMPA BAY is 63-30 (+27.1 Units) against the money line in games played on artificial turf this season.
TAMPA BAY is 74-41 (+30.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
TAMPA BAY is 60-39 (+15.7 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
TAMPA BAY is 54-36 (+18.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
SHIELDS is 15-3 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in home games this season. (Team's Record)
SHIELDS is 15-3 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in home games in games played in a dome this season. (Team's Record)
SHIELDS is 15-3 (+11.1 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on artificial turf this season. (Team's Record)
SHIELDS is 15-4 (+10.3 Units) against the money line after a win this season. (Team's Record)
SHIELDS is 15-3 (+11.6 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BOSTON is 98-68 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
BOSTON is 70-47 (+10.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
BOSTON is 152-100 (+21.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
MATSUZAKA is 24-6 (+14.5 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
MATSUZAKA is 11-2 (+8.5 Units) against the money line in road games this season. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
TAMPA BAY is 10-8 (+3.5 Units) against BOSTON this season
9 of 18 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.2 Units, Under=-1.4 Units)

DAISUKE MATSUZAKA vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
MATSUZAKA is 2-3 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 3.75 and a WHIP of 1.333.
His team's record is 3-5 (-5.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-3. (+2.0 units)

JAMES SHIELDS vs. BOSTON since 1997
SHIELDS is 2-4 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 5.23 and a WHIP of 1.234.
His team's record is 2-6 (-4.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-4. (-0.8 units)

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[Udog]

NHL
Dunkel


Calgary at Vancouver
The Flames will look for more offensive production behind off-season acquisitions Todd Bertuzzi and Michael Cammalleri as they open against a Vancouver team that has missed the playoffs in two of its last three seasons. Calgary is the underdog pick (+125) according to Dunkel, which has the Flames favored straight up by 1. Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+125). Here are all of today's games.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9

Game 1-2: Toronto at Detroit
Dunkel Ratings: Toronto 10.988; Detroit 13.028
Dunkel Line & Total: Detroit by 2; 5
Vegas Line & Total: Detroit (-295); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-295); Under

Game 3-4: Boston at Colorado
Dunkel Ratings: Boston 11.136; Colorado 12.565
Dunkel Line & Total: Colorado by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Colorado (-135); 5 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Colorado (-135); Over

Game 5-6: Calgary at Vancouver
Dunkel Ratings: Calgary 12.419; Vancouver 11.361
Dunkel Line & Total: Calgary by 1; 6
Vegas Line & Total: Vancouver (-135); 5
Dunkel Pick: Calgary (+125); Over

Game 7-8: Anaheim at San Jose
Dunkel Ratings: Anaheim 11.482; San Jose 12.563
Dunkel Line & Total: San Jose by 1; 5 1/2
Vegas Line & Total: San Jose (-145); 5
Dunkel Pick: San Jose (-145); Over

[pm530]

National Hockey League – Hot lines

NHL


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Ice Picks: NHL Bets
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Thursday, October 9

Boston Bruins at Colorado Avalanche (-128, 5.5)

Tony Granato believes his first stint as Colorado Avalanche coach could help make his second one more successful.

Granato, a 13-year NHL veteran, returns to the main post behind the Colorado bench after replacing Joel Quenneville, who led the Avalanche to 95 points and the Western Conference semifinals after they missed the playoffs for the first time in 11 seasons in 2006-07.

With Joe Sakic back for a 20th season to join veterans Milan Hejduk, Ryan Smyth, newcomer Darcy Tucker and young stars Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski, Granato hopes to instill more tempo on offense for a team that was in the middle of the pack with 231 goals last season.

The Avalanche franchise is 16-5-7 record during season openers, topping all NHL teams with a .696 winning percentage, but faces Boston for the first time since winning 2-0 there on March 6, 2007.

The Bruins are eager to prove their 94-point season under coach Claude Julien was not a fluke.Despite losing star Patrice Bergeron for almost the entire season due to a serious concussion, Boston won 41 games to finish second in the Northeast Division and secure its first playoff berth since 2003-04. Though the Bruins lost in seven games to Montreal in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the 18-point improvement from 2006-07 should continue to open the eyes of their opponents.

"Getting Bergeron back, he's a big piece," said center Marc Savard, the Bruins leading scorer last season with 78 points. "What we are known for now is being a solid team defensively and working hard every night. So, hopefully, more goals come. But as long as we get wins, that is the bottom line."

Pick: Avalanche



Calgary Flames at Vancouver Canucks (-121, 5)

The Calgary Flames have fallen into a familiar routine over the last three seasons - slow starts, strong finishes and first-round playoff exits.

Former Vancouver Canucks star Todd Bertuzzi may end up breaking that pattern. He's already gotten the backing of the Flames' fan base.

Bertuzzi had 14 goals and 40 assists with Anaheim last season, and he joins a strong group led by winger Jarome Iginla and defensemen Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr. With Calgary in a win-now mode under Keenan, the Flames will expect Cammalleri to return to the 34-goal, 80-point form he showed in 2006-07 with Los Angeles.

Vancouver (39-33-10), meanwhile, will again go as far as goaltender Roberto Luongo can take them.

He's coming off his third straight season of at least 35 wins, but lost seven of his last eight starts last season as the Canucks missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.

Finding a way to give Luongo enough support will again be Vancouver's biggest challenge after managing 213 goals last season.With captain Markus Naslund and second-line center Brendan Morrison gone via free agency, the Canucks need veteran Pavol Demitra to rediscover the scoring touch that produced at least 35 goals three times over eight seasons with St. Louis.

Demitra, signed as a free agent after two seasons with Minnesota, had a career-high 93 points in 2002-03 for the Blues. He had only 15 goals and 39 assists in 68 games with the Wild last season.

Pick: Calgary

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Hot lines

MLB


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Hot lines: Thursday, NLCS Game 1
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Los Angeles Dodgers at Philadelphia Phillies (-133, 7.5)

Possibly baseball's biggest story in recent weeks continues Thursday, with Ramirez and the Dodgers seeking the first of four wins needed to return to the World Series while the Phillies hope Ryan Howard and Chase Utley get off to a good start in the NLCS.

No deal was bigger this season than Boston sending Ramirez to Los Angeles at the July 31 trade deadline, and the move has helped push the Dodgers within one series win of its first trip to the World Series since 1988.

"I think he fit us perfectly because of our youth," said Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe, who starts Game 1. "It was great for our young hitters to see how a superstar goes about his daily business, how hard he prepares, how he doesn't let one pitch or one at-bat affect him."

A 19-8 record from Aug. 30 through the end of the regular season gave Los Angeles the NL West title and Ramirez was the spark, in the clubhouse and at the plate. He hit .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 regular-season games with the Dodgers.

Some good news for both lefty-hitting stars is the Dodgers are starting right-handers in the first three games - Lowe, Chad Billingsley and Hiroki Kuroda. Plus, Los Angeles' top two relievers are righties Jonathan Broxton and Takashi Saito, who both could serve in the closer's role depending on the game situation, according to Torre.

Lowe (1-0, 3.00 ERA) has not lost in the postseason since he was with Ramirez in Boston, dropping both of his starts against New York in the 2003 ALCS. Since then, he's 4-0 with a 2.93 ERA in six playoff appearances after pitching six sharp innings to beat the Cubs in last Wednesday's 7-2 win in Game 1.

The only two times Cole Hamels (1-0, 0.00) has faced the Dodgers came in August, pitching seven innings of two-run ball in both outings, and he'll look to continue that success Thursday. The third-year ace was brilliant in winning Game 1 against the Brewers last Wednesday, giving up two hits in eight scoreless innings of a 3-1 win.

Hamels has allowed more than two earned runs only once in his last 11 starts overall.

Pick: Phillies

He will be challenged from the outset. The top of the Dodgers lineup - Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin and Ramirez - combined to go 13-for-35 (.371) with 10 RBIs in the division series while No. 5 hitter James Loney had some key hits to drive in a team-high six runs.

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[thaikarate1]

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