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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:12 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Saturday, October 24

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Tide try to roll past the Volunteers, the Horned Frogs meet the Cougars, and the Yankees and Angels battle in Game 6.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

Alabama will be looking to keep a grip on the No. 1 spot in the rankings on Saturday afternoon when they host Tennessee. The Crimson Tide (7-0 SU, 5-2 ATS) got past South Carolina 20-6 last week, with Mark Ingram rushing for 246 yards and a touchdown in that victory. The Volunteers (3-3 SU, 3-3 ATS) had no trouble with Georgia in their last game, winning 45-19 on the strength of four TD strikes from Jonathan Crompton. Alabama is a 15-point favorite for this contest.

Meanwhile, No. 10 TCU will take on No. 16 BYU in the top ranked matchup on Saturday's college football slate. The Horned Frogs (6-0 SU, 3-2 ATS) kept their perfect record intact with a 44-6 pasting of Colorado State in their last game; Andy Dalton threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns in that win. The Cougars (6-1 SU, 3-4 ATS) got past San Diego State 38-28 last time out; Max Hall threw for 346 yards and three TDs on that day. TCU is a 2.5-point favorite for Saturday.

Elsewhere, it's No. 2 Florida (-23) at Mississippi State, No. 3 Texas (-12) at Missouri, Oregon State at No. 4 USC (-21), Louisville at No. 5 Cincinnati (-18), No. 6 Boise State (-24.5) at Hawaii, No. 7 Iowa at Michigan State (-1.5), Clemson at No. 8 Miami (-4.5), and Auburn at No. 9 LSU (-7.5). Also, No. 25 Oklahoma will visit No. 24 Kansas, with the Sooners pegged as the 8-point road favorites.

As well, there are two Canadian Football League games on the Saturday slate, with Montreal (-3.5) at Winnipeg, and also British Columbia at Saskatchewan (-7).

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Yankees will try to close out the ALCS once again on Saturday night when they host the Angels in Game 6 with a 3-2 series lead. Andy Pettitte will get the ball for New York in this contest; lefthander Pettitte picked up a no-decision in the third game of the series, surrendering three earned runs on seven hits over his 6 1-3 innings of work. The Angels will counter with Joe Saunders on Saturday; lefthander Saunders gave up two earned runs over his seven innings in Game 2.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

Finally, there's a full slate of 15 games around the National Hockey League on Saturday night, including the Rangers on the road against the Canadiens. New York lost their second straight game on Thursday night, falling 4-2 to the division-rival Devils. Henrik Lundqvist made 21 saves in that defeat. Montreal picked up their second straight victory on Thursday night, rolling to a 5-1 home win over the Islanders. Jaroslav Halak stopped 21 of the 22 Islanders shots in that Habs win.

Also on the ice on a busy Saturday: Toronto at Vancouver, San Jose at Atlanta, Florida at Philadelphia, Boston at Ottawa, Washington at the Islanders, New Jersey at Pittsburgh, Buffalo at Tampa Bay, Dallas at St. Louis, Carolina at Minnesota, Nashville at Chicago, Los Angeles at Phoenix, Detroit at Colorado, Columbus at Anaheim, and Edmonton at Calgary. The Oilers earned a 6-4 win over the Blue Jackets on Thursday night, with Ales Hemsky picking up five points.

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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:12 AM

Bettor's best friend: Today's helpful tips

Saturday, October 24

Gators skinned

Florida’s defense likely will be missing its bite against Mississippi State on Saturday. Coach Urban Meyer said he doesn’t know if starting linebacker Brandon Spikes or defensive tackles Jaye Howard or Lawrence Marsh will play against the Bulldogs. Florida, which hasn’t won in Starkville since 1985, is favored by 22.5-points with a total of 50.

Grounded Jet

The Jets offense will be missing its spark on Sunday against the Raiders. New York will be without Jerricho Cotcherry, the team’s leading receiver with 24 catches for 360 yards with a score, who is sidelined for the second straight week with a hamstring injury. The Jets are listed at +6 with a total of 34.5.

Ivy league quarterback

Ryan Fitzpatrick better have studied up on his playbook. The former Harvard star will start in place of the injured Trent Edwards at Carolina Sunday. Good luck getting his passes off, though. Buffalo also will be without starting right tackle Jonathan Scott, who is out with an ankle injury. The Bills are 7-point underdogs with a total of 37.

Tiger power

If you are thinking that LSU -7.5 is a bit much against visiting Auburn, you’re right. The past five meetings have been decided by fewer than four points per game, including 26-21 Auburn win last year. Since 2003, no meeting has been decided by more than six points.

Oilers running dry

There is no shortage of cough medicine and bags of ice in the Oilers locker room. Gilbert Brule and Mike Comrie each have been battling the flu, missing skating sessions as they try to overcome their colds. The team also is missing dinged-up Fernando Pisani (back), Marc Pouliot (pubitis), Sheldon Souray (concussion), Steve Staios (concussion) and Ryan Stone (knee). The Oilers play Calgary Saturday night and are listed at +162 with an over/under of 5.5 goals.

Kings of scoring

Not only is Los Angeles among the league leaders in goals scored, the Kings also find themselves in dead-last in the league in goals allowed. Goalie Jonathan Quick has been anything but, stopping just 0.893 percent of the shots against him and posting a hurting, 3.01 goals-against average. The Kings play at Phoenix, which has won six of its first eight games, on Saturday, and are listed at +115 with a total of 5.5 goals.

Rapid play

Desperation is one of our favorite plays. And you can’t get much more desperate than the Colorado Rapids, which stand one victory over Real Salt Lake away from the postseason. Each of the past two years, the Rapids have lost on the season’s penultimate day to keep them out of the playoffs. This year, the Rapids are at home and have the services of midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy and central defender Julien Baudet, who missed last week's game against Dallas due to suspension. The Rapids are a great value at +255, with a total of 2.5 goals.

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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:13 AM

Six-pack for Saturday

-- MLB removed CB Bucknor from World Series umpiring crew after series of bad calls during playoffs; most were not made by Bucknor.

-- NBA refs and the league came to an agreement Friday; they'll start when the regular season starts Tuesday.

-- 17 current NBA refs were once replacement refs.

-- Orlando Magic finished preseason 8-0, best record in NBA.

-- JR Rider is 38 years old and making a comeback, playing for a team in Texas in the 50+ team ABA, the lower of hoop's minor leagues.

-- As an A's fan, I spend every summer of my life rooting against Mike Scioscia's Angels; I know really well how terrific a manager he is, which is why I laugh when I hear people criticize him after Thursday's playoff game. Not every move is going to work, people.

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Saturday's List of 13: Our college football List of 13........

13) Idaho-- America's Team is 6-1, 7-0 against spread, and already bowl eligible; they play in Reno this week, where Wolf Pack covered 17 of its last 20 games as a home favorite.

12) Oklahoma is 3-3, their QB is out for the year and they just lost to their archrival in a poorly-played game. Good news is that Bob Stoops won't lose a January bowl game this season; he won't play in one.

11) TCU-- Already won at Air Force, Virginia, Clemson, win in Provo Saturday makes Horned Frogs darkhorse contender for a national title.

10) Sun Belt Conference-- Troy won 42-33 at Florida International and Florida Atlantic won 44-40 at North Texas, as defense took a rest in one of the more interesting leagues in the country.

9) Miami, OH-- Last in country in wins (0), turnover margin (-20).

8) Iowa-- Same people who doubted Kirk Ferentz was earning his hefty paycheck last year are now worrying he'll bolt Hawkeyes for the NFL.

7) Notre Dame-- Got every conceivable assistance from the officials, but lost again to USC, as freshman QB lit Irish defense up for 390 yards.

6) Boston College is unbeaten at home, a pinata on the road, losing badly at both Clemson and Virginia Tech. They need better QB play.

5) Cincinnati-- Rooting like hell for Oregon State the rest of the year, as Bearcats have already won in Corvallis, so anything Beavers do well the rest of the season reflects well on Cincinnati, too.

4) SMU-- Gradually improving in Year 2 under June Jones; two of their losses this season are in overtime. Good test this week in Houston.

3) Georgia-- They finally get a week off; next week they're playing the Gators in Jacksonville, which could be season saver for Richt's team.

2) Washington-- Hated Ducks come to Seattle Saturday, but Oregon is off a bye, and Huskies have been playing lot of close games lately.

1) UConn-- Our thoughts and prayers go out to the UConn family after the tragic death of Jasper Howard last week. There are no words that do such a horrible event justice.

From: Armadillo
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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:14 AM

CFL
Dunkel Index

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24

Game 455-456: Montreal at Winnipeg
Dunkel Ratings: Montreal 120.656; Winnipeg 113.167
Dunkel Line: Montreal by 7 1/2; 52
Vegas Line: Montreal by 3 1/2; 48 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Montreal (-3 1/2); Over

Game 457-458: BC at Saskatchewan
Dunkel Ratings: BC 109.894; Saskatchewan 114.378
Dunkel Line: Saskatchewan by 4 1/2; 51
Vegas Line: Saskatchewan by 7; 54
Dunkel Pick: BC (+7); Under

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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:15 AM

CFL
Long Sheet

Week 17

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Saturday, October 24
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MONTREAL (13 - 2) at WINNIPEG (6 - 9) - 10/24/2009, 2:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
MONTREAL is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in road games versus division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
MONTREAL is 6-3 against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
WINNIPEG is 5-4 straight up against MONTREAL over the last 3 seasons
6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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BRITISH COLUMBIA (8 - 7) at SASKATCHEWAN (8 - 6 - 1) - 10/24/2009, 5:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 135-102 ATS (+22.8 Units) in all games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 135-102 ATS (+22.8 Units) in all lined games since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 123-92 ATS (+21.8 Units) in games played on turf since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 79-50 ATS (+24.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent since 1996.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points over the last 3 seasons.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 6-5 against the spread versus SASKATCHEWAN over the last 3 seasons
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 7-4 straight up against SASKATCHEWAN over the last 3 seasons
8 of 11 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:16 AM

CFL
Write-up

Week 17 CFL games

Saturday, October 24

Montreal (13-2) @ Winnipeg (6-9)-- Alouettes won their last six games, covering four of last five; they won 39-12 at Winnipeg in Week 7 (-8), then again 33-14 at home five weeks later (-14), with eight takeaways in the two games. Als are 4-2 as road favorite this year. Bombers had three game win streak snapped by BC last week; they're 3-4 at home so far in '09, 2-2 as home dog. Winnipeg ran ball for 174-136-123 yards in last three games. Six of last seven Montreal games stayed under the total.

BC Lions (8-7) @ Saskatchewan (8-6-1)-- Lions won last three games, all by three points and weren't favored in any of them- they covered four of last five road games, are 4-1 as road dog this season. Home side won first two series games; Riders (-2) won here 28-24 in season opener, BC got revenge with 35-20 win five weeks later (+1), then beat Riders 19-16 in Week 14 (even). Roughriders are 1-3 against spread as home favorite this season. Seven of last eight Lion games stayed under the total.

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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:16 AM

CFL

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Trend Report
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Saturday, October 24

2:30 PM
MONTREAL vs. WINNIPEG
Montreal is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games when playing on the road against Winnipeg
Winnipeg is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Winnipeg is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home

5:30 PM
BRITISH COLUMBIA vs. SASKATCHEWAN
British Columbia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Saskatchewan
British Columbia is 8-16 ATS in its last 24 games when playing Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against British Columbia
Saskatchewan is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against British Columbia

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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:17 AM

CFL

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Canadian Bacon: CFL Week 17 preview and picks
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Saturday, October 24

Montreal Alouettes at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (+3.5)

The Alouettes are looking for their seventh win in a row and could match a team record with 14 wins in a season - a feat established in 2004 under Don Matthews. The perspective of a 16-2 record, the best in CFL history, also remains very attractive. But No. 1 QB Anthony Calvillo has a calf injury and might have to sit this one in favor of backup Adrian McPherson. McPherson completed 10-of-11 passes while replacing Calvillo in the middle of the third quarter last Sunday, leading the Alouettes to a 41-38 triumph over the Tiger Cats.

Whether in practice or in the few occasions he was used during games, McPherson has shown he’s got the stuff to become a quality starter in this league. He will have to beware of the Bombers defensive squad which leads the CFL with 29 picks. After an atrocious outing against the Tiger Cats, the Alouettes defence will likely play with urgency and demonstrate why they are the best D in the CFL.

Pick: Montreal -3.5

B.C. Lions vs Saskatchewan Roughriders (-7)

First place in the west, although provisional, is what will be at stake in this game. The Roughriders and the Stampeders have a share of the top spot in the division but the Lions are only one point behind. The Riders show a balanced attack which is second in points scored in the CFL after 15 games. With four quality receivers that each had at least one 100-yard game this season (Fantuz, Dressler, Getzlaf and Bagg) and 21 rushing touchdowns (the best in the league), the Roughriders are dangerous when throwing or running the ball.

On the Lions side, the QB position remains problematic. Travis Lulay did well against the Bombers, although his receivers didn’t make his task easy by dropping too many easy catches. However, he suffered a shoulder injury like Buck Pierce. Wally Buono has no other choice to rely on Casey Printers, under contract in Vancouver for less than a month, even if he hasn’t played football in the last 10 months. Printers knows the Lions’ offensive schemes but has he found his rhythm and synchronism? If he should fail, Buono will have to rely on fifth-stringer Zac Champion. Another important fact to consider, RB Martell Mallett might miss a second game in a row with a foot injury.

Pick: Saskatchewan -7

Last Week 2-2, season 34-26

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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:18 AM

MLB
This Day in Baseball

On October 24 in Baseball History...

1911 - The World Series between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Athletics was resumed after six days of rain, and Chief Bender beat Christy Mathewson 4-2 to give the A's 3-1 lead.

1939 - The AL MVP is Joe DiMaggio, with Jimmie Foxx the runner-up.

1956 - The AP names Cincinnati manager Birdie Tebbets as its NL Manager of the Year.

1963 - Sandy Koufax is the unanimous winner of the Cy Young Award.

1972 - Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson dies of heart disease at age 53. Robinson had become the first black major league player of the 20th century with the 1947 Dodgers.

1981 - The Los Angeles Dodgers came back to beat the New York Yankees 8-7 in a sloppy 3{-hour marathon and tied the World Series 2-2. The Yankees blew a 6-3 lead. On one play, Reggie Jackson lost the ball in the sun and it bounced off his shoulder for a two-base error.

1985 - Danny Jackson's five-hitter cut St. Louis' lead to 3-2 in the World Series as the Kansas City Royals took Game 5, 6-1. Willie Wilson's two-run triple highlighted a three-run second inning and chased starter Ken Forsch.

1986 - Bill Russell, 38, announces his retirement. He is the last member of the Dodgers' Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey 1970s infield and is second on the club's all-time list with 2,183 games played.

1987 - Kent Hrbek's grand slam highlighted a 15-hit barrage as the Minnesota Twins pounded the St. Louis Cardinals 11-5 at the Metrodome to force the World Series to a seventh game.

1991 - The Braves take the lead in the Series with a 14-5 rout of the Twins. Atlanta blows open a 5-3 game with nine runs in the last two innings.

1992 - The Toronto Blue Jays took baseball's championship outside the United States for the first time ever, beating the Atlanta Braves 4-3 in 11 innings in Game 6 of the World Series.

1993 - Joe Carter became just the second player in baseball history to end a World Series with a home run, hitting a three-run shot off Mitch Williams in the ninth inning that gave the Toronto Blue Jays their second straight championship with an 8-6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6.

1994 - Atlanta's Greg Maddux became the first pitcher to win three straight Cy Young Awards, unanimously sweeping the NL honor. Maddux was 16-6 with a 1.56 ERA, the third-lowest in 75 years.

1995 - Eddie Murray singles home pinch-runner Alvaro Espinoza in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Indians their first win in a World Series in 47 years. The Tribe's 7-6 victory over the Braves fittingly occurs in the first-ever Series game at Jacobs Field.

1996 - The Yankees lay claim to the last game in the history of Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium. The Yankees, who finish the postseason with an 8-0 road record, are helped by poor Atlanta outfield defense and some great plays from their own outfielders as Andy Pettitte outduels John Smoltz 1-0 in Game Five.

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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:18 AM

MLB
Dunkel Index

LA Angels at NY Yankees
The Yankees look to wrap up the series and build on their 6-0 record in Andy Pettitte's last 6 starts with 4 days of rest. New York is the pick (-170) according to Dunkel, which has the Yankees favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-170). Here are all of today's picks.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24

Game 911-912: LA Angels at NY Yankees
Dunkel Ratings: LA Angels (Saunders) 16.351; NY Yankees (Pettitte) 17.090
Dunkel Line: NY Yankees by 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: NY Yankees (-170); 9
Dunkel Pick: NY Yankees (-170); Under

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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:19 AM

MLB
Long Sheet

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Saturday, October 24
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LA ANGELS (102 - 68) at NY YANKEES (109 - 61) - 8:05 PM
JOE SAUNDERS (L) vs. ANDY PETTITTE (L)
Top Trends for this game.
NY YANKEES are 60-34 (+13.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
NY YANKEES are 37-18 (+12.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
NY YANKEES are 109-61 (+15.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
NY YANKEES are 54-27 (+14.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season.
NY YANKEES are 61-24 (+14.0 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
NY YANKEES are 55-22 (+17.7 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
NY YANKEES are 61-24 (+14.0 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
NY YANKEES are 73-37 (+21.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
PETTITTE is 35-8 (+20.2 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -175 to -200 since 1997. (Team's Record)
LA ANGELS are 52-41 (+9.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
LA ANGELS are 52-36 (+12.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 102-68 (+24.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA ANGELS are 91-54 (+23.9 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 9-4 (+10.4 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +150 to +175 over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 49-35 (+17.2 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
LA ANGELS are 95-60 (+24.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
LA ANGELS are 68-51 (+17.9 Units) against the money line in road games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
LA ANGELS are 39-19 (+16.2 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters this season.
SAUNDERS is 44-20 (+20.7 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 22-6 (+14.7 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 21-11 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 42-18 (+20.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 31-17 (+11.2 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAUNDERS is 22-12 (+10.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
NY YANKEES are 99-78 (-46.6 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Saturday since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
LA ANGELS is 7-8 (+0.3 Units) against NY YANKEES this season
9 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.5 Units)

JOE SAUNDERS vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
SAUNDERS is 2-1 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 5.55 and a WHIP of 1.458.
His team's record is 4-2 (+2.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 3-3. (-0.2 units)

ANDY PETTITTE vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
PETTITTE is 8-9 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 5.22 and a WHIP of 1.550.
His team's record is 12-13 (-8.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 14-9. (+3.4 units)

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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:19 AM

MLB
Short Sheet

Saturday, October 24th

American League Championship Series
Best of Seven
Game Six
Yankees Lead, 3-2
TV: FOX
LA Angels at NY Yankees, 8:05 ET
Joe Saunders (L) vs. Andy Pettitte (L)

Saunders:
14-6 TSR as an underdog
LAA 39-19 vs. lefties

Pettitte:
25-9 Under when the total is 9 to 9.5
30-14 Under in night games

TSR = Team Start Record
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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:20 AM

MLB

Saturday, October 24

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Trend Report
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8:05 PM
LA ANGELS vs. NY YANKEES
LA Angels are 12-4 SU in their last 16 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Angels's last 6 games
NY Yankees are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing LA Angels
NY Yankees are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games when playing at home against LA Angels

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**pm530** · 10-24-2009, 05:21 AM

MLB

Saturday, October 24

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Hot lines: Today’s best MLB bets
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Los Angeles Angels at New York Yankees (-175, 9)

Pitching matchup

Joe Saunders (Los Angeles Angels) vs. Andy Pettitte (New York Yankees)

Joe Saunders (16-7, 4.60 ERA)

The left-hander can’t be blamed for failing to record a decision in his only postseason start this year – a 4-3 loss in the Bronx in Game 2. Saunders allowed a meager two earned runs on six hits over seven innings. He also showed stellar command, walking only one against five strikeouts.

The former Virginia Tech star has been fantastic for the team down the stretch, and hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in an outing since Aug. 7, a span of nine starts. In his only other outing against the Yankees this season, however, he was tagged for five runs on nine hits in just five innings.

Andy Pettitte (14-8, 4.16 ERA)

The 2001 ALCS MVP has been his usual consistent self this postseason, churning out 12 2-3 innings over which he has allowed 10 hits but just four earned runs. However, his most recent outing was a 5-4 loss to the Angels in Game 3 in which he allowed three runs on seven hits, including two homers, in 6 1-3.

The Angels also have absolutely crushed Pettitte this season. In 24 innings against the Halos this year, he has been tagged for 17 earned runs on a whopping 28 hits, complete with a horrendous seven strikeouts against nine walks. Home plate could become a turn-style for the Angles on Saturday night.

At the plate

Los Angeles can’t forget its bats back in Orange County this time. The Angels scored a meager four runs in two games during their first trip to the Bronx this series, but responded by averaging 4.3 runs per game on their matchups on the left coast. The team has been bolstered by the hot bat of Jeff Mathis. The catcher hit a terrible .211 during the season, but became the first play in postseason history to record six straight hits against the Yankees and was a spectacular 3-for-4 in the team’s Game 5 victory. He has four doubles in the series.

Alex Rodriguez continues to be a force for the Yankees. The third baseman is hitting .368 with three homers and five RBI in just 19 at-bats. But even more impressive against the Angels has been the hot-hitting Melky Cabrera, who is swinging his stick at a .381 clip with a pair of extra-base knocks and four RBI.

History

Since 1995 - when Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Game Six starter Andy Pettitte became major leaguers and the Yankees began their run of postseason success, they have been pushed to the limit in eight series.

They are just 3-5 in those games, winning only one since capturing their last World Series title in 2000.

The most infamous of those losses was Game Seven of the 2004 ALCS, which took place at Yankee Stadium and completed Boston's historic comeback from a 3-0 deficit. But there was another in Game Five of the 2005 ALDS vs. the Angels.

During their postseason dominance of the last 15 years, the Yankees have been outstanding at avoiding ultimate games, perhaps because they know that they have not played well in them. There is a sense of urgency to Game Six, which the Yankees have understood and acted on in the past. Look for them to do it again.

Final analysis

The Angels are right – the pressure is on the Yankees after failing to close out Game 5 in Anaheim. Too bad New York is used to it by now. Even A-rod is thriving.
Pettitte isn’t perfect, but he is MLB’s all-time leader in postseason starts and innings pitched. He will do enough to allow his team’s big bats to do enough damage to thrust his team back into the Fall Classic. Get ready for it Yankee haters – this team is poised to win yet another championship.

Pick: Yankees -175

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Announcement

Saturday Trends and Indexes 10/24 (MLB, NHL, CFL, Misc.)

Saturday Trends and Indexes 10/24 (MLB, NHL, CFL, Misc.)

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