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  • Preview: Tigers (93-69) at Athletics (96-66)
    Game: 5
    Venue: O.co Coliseum
    Date: October 10, 2013 8:07 PM EDT


    OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - It's Justin Verlander and Sonny Gray, the encore.

    These decisive Game 5s sure are becoming familiar for Verlander. Not so much for the Oakland rookie.

    Just like last October in Oakland, the Tigers have been pushed to a winner-take-all fifth game in their AL division series against the Athletics. And Detroit will have Verlander on the mound again Thursday night after he pitched a four-hit shutout in the 2012 clincher at the Oakland Coliseum.

    ``Well, you don't pretend. It's not just another game,' Verlander said after the Tigers evened the series with an 8-6 win Tuesday at Comerica Park. ``The season is on the line. It was on the line for us tonight, too. This whole season, the way we battled and played as a team, comes down to one game, may the best team win. You can't treat it just like another game. It's a little bit different. There is more to it.'

    The A's will counter with Gray against Verlander a second time after these two put on a pitching show Saturday night at the Coliseum.

    ``He's a little bit of a bulldog, he's scared of nothing,' manager Bob Melvin said, noting Gray's experience on the big stage just last week. ``Everything that went on in that game factored into it. ... When he came up, we were into the season and a pennant race already and we threw him right into the fire and right away he pitched very well with a lot of confidence and always has that mound presence.'

    Melvin said he doesn't know how he might use, if at all, 18-game winner and Game 1 loser Bartolo Colon, who is ``willing to do anything.' He hasn't been ruled out as a reliever.

    ``Obviously we had two great options,' Melvin said.

    Verlander dominated in a thrilling pitcher's duel with Gray, who matched the ace as each threw zeros but had nothing to show for it in a 1-0 A's win.

    ``I'm not really sure we liked what we saw, it was pretty good,' Tigers manager Jim Leyland said of Gray. ``At least we've seen him now.'

    Verlander is riding a 22-inning postseason scoreless streak against the A's, and has 33 strikeouts over the past three playoff matchups with Oakland, 11 in each outing.

    Not that the A's are counting.

    ``He's been beaten before, it can happen again,' third baseman Josh Donaldson said.

    Verlander acknowledged it would have been great to pitch the playoff opener, while also noting 21-game winner Max Scherzer more than earned the nod. Now, Verlander gets the ball for his most meaningful start this year - to extend the season Thursday night.

    ``We all have a lot of confidence, we're playing at home, we know what we're up against in Verlander,' A's shortstop Jed Lowrie said. ``We're all prepared for one, winner-take-all scenario.'

    With Scherzer pitching in relief Tuesday, Verlander became the automatic Game 5 choice for manager Jim Leyland.

    ``That's kind of why we pitched him Game 2 so we'd have an option,' Leyland said. ``We were in a pretty good comfort zone to pitch Verlander if necessary, and it was necessary because we had to win (Tuesday). We're comfortable any time Verlander goes out there.'

    Both clubs chose to use Wednesday as a full day off without on-field workouts after two long flights in four days.

    Who to start was quite a choice for 2012 AL Manager of the Year Melvin, whose team is trying to avoid having the season end at the hands of Detroit for the third time in as many postseasons - last year and also a four-game sweep by the Tigers in the 2006 AL championship series.

    The last time the A's won a winner-take-all postseason game was in Game 7 of the 1973 World Series against the New York Mets. Oakland has lost its last five Game 5s in the AL division series since 2000.

    The AL West champion A's know what's at stake - and realize full well the challenge of facing Verlander again. Last fall's frustrating finish is still fresh for everybody.

    ``We feel like this time we have a better chance to turn the tide,' Melvin said. ``It's awfully tough to go out there each and every time and consistently beat a team in the fashion that he has with us.'

    Verlander has hardly had the kind of dominant season like he had the past two years, including 2011 when he won both AL MVP and Cy Young Award honors. Yet that hardly affected Leyland's decision-making as he insisted Verlander's 13-12 record was hardly indicative of how well he pitched much of the season aside from a couple of rough stretches.

    Oakland rookie Stephen Vogt delivered a walk-off single in Saturday's win once Verlander was out of the game. But he also had a wild 10-pitch at-bat with Verlander in which the left-handed hitting catcher fouled off the first five pitches and seven in all before striking out to end the seventh.

    ``We can expect pretty much what we saw from him the other night. Hopefully he makes a couple mistakes and we're able to capitalize,' Vogt said. ``It's a tough loss but we're not done. We still got one more game. We're not done.'

    Neither are those 48,000-plus fans with their swirling yellow rally towels packing the Coliseum. They are sure to be even more hyped up and fiery Thursday night after watching a disputed home run at Comerica Park in Tuesday's loss. On that play, a pair of fans reached out to grab the ball as right fielder Josh Reddick was leaping for it at the wall. The homer went to replay review and stood as a solo shot for Victor Martinez in the seventh.

    ``We just do it like we have been doing it all season long, we end up winning a pretty good ballgame and it's over, turn the page,' Martinez said. ``We go to Oakland now and play another game. We all know it's a tough place to play ... we go to the next day and play a brand new ballgame and see what happens.'

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

    SERIES AT A GLANCE

    GAME 1
    Tigers at Athletics
    Fri, Oct 4 Final 3 to 2
    Boxscores • Recaps

    GAME 2
    Tigers at Athletics
    Sat, Oct 5 Final 0 to 1
    Boxscores • Recaps

    GAME 3
    Athletics at Tigers
    Mon, Oct 7 Final 6 to 3
    Boxscores • Recaps

    GAME 4
    Athletics at Tigers
    Tue, Oct 8 Final 6 to 8
    Boxscores • Recaps

    GAME 5
    Tigers at Athletics
    Thu, Oct 10 - 8:07PM EDT
    Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

    Comment


    • MLB
      Dunkel

      Detroit at Oakland
      The Tigers look to close out the series and take advantage of an Oakland team that is 1-5 in its last 6 home games when the total is set at 6 1/2 runs or lower. Detroit is the pick (-115) according to Dunkel, which has the Tigers favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-115). Here are all of today's picks.

      THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10

      Game 955-956: Detroit at Oakland (8:00 p.m. EST)
      Dunkel Ratings: Detroit (Verlander) 16.641; Oakland (Gray) 15.033
      Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1 1/2; 6
      Vegas Line: Detroit (-115); 6 1/2
      Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-115); Under




      MLB
      Long Sheet

      Thursday, October 10

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


      DETROIT (95 - 71) at OAKLAND (98 - 68) - 9:05 PM
      JUSTIN VERLANDER (R) vs. SONNY GRAY (R)
      Top Trends for this game.
      DETROIT is 95-71 (-12.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
      DETROIT is 6-11 (-10.3 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less this season.
      DETROIT is 18-31 (-18.8 Units) against the money line on the road with a money line of -100 to -125 over the last 2 seasons.
      DETROIT is 43-40 (-8.3 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
      DETROIT is 10-18 (-14.2 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
      DETROIT is 51-99 (-37.9 Units) against the money line in road games when playing with a day off since 1997.
      DETROIT is 91-68 (-12.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
      DETROIT is 117-96 (-13.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
      DETROIT is 52-43 (-18.1 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
      VERLANDER is 14-21 (-22.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
      VERLANDER is 7-11 (-8.9 Units) against the money line in road games this season. (Team's Record)
      VERLANDER is 13-20 (-22.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
      VERLANDER is 6-12 (-14.9 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)
      VERLANDER is 10-16 (-18.9 Units) against the money line after a win this season. (Team's Record)
      OAKLAND is 98-68 (+19.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
      OAKLAND is 49-32 (+19.8 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
      OAKLAND is 104-61 (+30.5 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
      OAKLAND is 95-64 (+20.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
      OAKLAND is 58-38 (+12.6 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
      OAKLAND is 65-46 (+11.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
      OAKLAND is 77-60 (+20.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
      OAKLAND is 44-31 (+15.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
      OAKLAND is 21-13 (+9.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.

      Head-to-Head Series History
      OAKLAND is 6-5 (+3.0 Units) against DETROIT this season
      8 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+4.7 Units)

      JUSTIN VERLANDER vs. OAKLAND since 1997
      VERLANDER is 11-6 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 2.28 and a WHIP of 1.077.
      His team's record is 11-8 (+0.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-12. (-5.8 units)

      SONNY GRAY vs. DETROIT since 1997
      GRAY is 0-0 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.750.
      His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

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




      MLB
      Armadillo's Write-Up

      Thursday, October 10

      Tigers-A's
      Verlander didn't allow a run (19 IP) in his last three starts, but didn't win any of the three; in his last three playoff starts vs Oakland, he allowed one run in 23 IP, winning two of three. He allowed six runs in 11 IP in two regular season starts against the A'as this season.

      Rookie Gray is making 11th big league start; he is 3-0, 2.17 in last five starts, blanking Detroit on four hits over eight IP in Game 2 Saturday. He has a 1.66 ERA in 48.2 IP at home (3.86 on road).

      Eight of Detroit's last ten games stayed under the total- -they scored eight runs Tuesday, after scoring total of six in first three series games. Eight of last ten Detroit games stayed under the total.

      Oakland is 11-1 in game following their last 12 losses; they're 6-5 vs Tigers this year, with road team winning seven of 11 games. A's won 18 of last 25 games, 11 of their last 15 games went over the total. Oakland franchise is 1-11 in last 12 games that could win a series.




      MLB

      Thursday, October 10

      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Trend Report
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      8:07 PM
      DETROIT vs. OAKLAND
      The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Detroit's last 10 games when playing on the road against Oakland
      Detroit is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Oakland
      The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oakland's last 7 games at home
      Oakland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home


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




      MLB

      Thursday, October 10

      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Tigers at Athletics: What bettors need to know
      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics (+109, 7)

      The Detroit Tigers finally found their offensive form in Game 4 and used it to force a decisive Game 5 in the American League Division Series. The Tigers will head back on the road, where they managed a total of three runs in the first two games, and visit the Oakland Athletics for Game 5 on Thursday. Detroit still is not getting much from Miguel Cabrera but the supporting cast, led by Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta, is stepping up.

      The Tigers had scored in only two innings in the first three games to fall behind 2-1 in the best-of-five series but overcame a pair of deficits in Tuesday’s 8-6 triumph. The Athletics finally showed some vulnerability in the bullpen, which had three relievers combine to allow five runs in the final two innings of Game 4. Detroit won a Game 5 in Oakland in last season’s ALDS behind a four-hit shutout from Justin Verlander, who is expected to get the nod on Thursday.

      TV: 9:07 p.m. ET, TBS

      WEATHER: Temperatures in the low 60s with clear skies and winds blowing WSW at 6 mph.

      PITCHING MATCHUP: Tigers RH Justin Verlander (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Bartolo Colon (0-1, 4.50)

      Verlander struck out 11 and allowed four hits in Saturday’s Game 2 but did not factor in the decision when Oakland ended up claiming a 1-0 victory. The former Cy Young Award winner has now made three ALDS starts against the Athletics in the last two seasons and yielded a total of one run and 11 hits while striking out 33 in 23 innings. Verlander threw at least 117 pitches in each one of those starts.

      Colon allowed three runs in the first inning of Game 1 but shut the Tigers down for the next five. The burly veteran still absorbed the loss while scattering 10 hits. Colon had not surrendered more than two earned runs in any of his last six regular-season starts, including a five-inning stint at Detroit on Aug. 29.

      TRENDS:

      * Over is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings.
      * Under is 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings in Oakland.
      * Tigers are 6-2 in Verlanders last eight starts vs. Athletics.
      * Under is 10-4 in Verlanders last 14 starts vs. Athletics.

      WALK-OFFS:

      1. Cabrera is 4-for-16 with four singles and one RBI in the ALDS while fighting through abdominal and groin injuries.

      2. Oakland CF Coco Crisp is 7-for-9 with four runs scored in the last two games.

      3. Detroit RHP Max Scherzer came out of the bullpen in Game 4 and earned the win in relief. He should be available again in Game 5.
      Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

      Comment


      • MLB
        Short Sheet

        Thursday, October 10

        Detroit at Oakland, 9:05 ET
        Verlander: 0-8 TSR after giving up no earned runs last outing
        Colon: Oakland is 28-12 SU in home games against AL Central opponents
        Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

        Comment


        • American League Division Series Preview from The Sports Network



          Thursday, October 10th (All times Eastern)

          Detroit Tigers (2-2) at Oakland Athletics (2-2), 8:07 p.m.

          Probable Starting Pitchers: Detroit - Justin Verlander (0-0, 0.00) Oakland - Sonny Gray (0-0, 0.00)

          (SportsNetwork.com) - Detroit right-hander Justin Verlander endured one of the worst years of his career this past season. But on Thursday, Verlander can put a season's worth of frustration behind him, as he takes the ball for the Tigers in the decisive fifth game of the American League Division Series against the Oakland Athletics.

          "It's not just another game," Verlander said. "The season is on the line. The whole season, the way we battled and played as a team, comes down to one game. May the best team win. You can't treat it like another game, you know. It's a little bit different. There is more to it. It's going to be fun. It's what you play the game for. It's exciting. This is what you dream of as a kid, to be on the mound in a clinching game."

          Of course, Verlander was in this exact same position last year and responded by striking out 11 in a four-hit shutout to propel the Tigers to the ALCS. He was equally as dominant against the A's in Game 2 of this series, but did not get a decision, despite tossing seven scoreless innings in his team's 1-0 loss.

          Verlander, though, was 13-12 during the season and finished the year with his highest ERA (3.46), lowest strikeout rate (23.5 percent) and lowest innings total (218 1/3) since 2008 and battled through reduced velocity.

          However, the 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner started to show signs of the pitcher he has been down the stretch and pitched to a 2.27 ERA in his final six starts of the regular season.

          "I think it's just some of the adjustments I made, one of the maybe a thousand that I tried to make this year," he said. "It was definitely a grind all year. Then it reached a point where I realized it was going to take awhile, that it wasn't going to be one thing I had to fix."

          Oakland, meanwhile, has relied on a lot of young arms this season. If they want to play another game they'll need to lean on another, as for the seventh time in their last 10 postseason games the A's will hand the ball to a rookie hurler.

          Sonny Gray takes the ball as he did in Game 2 versus Verlander and the Tigers and will try to duplicate that performance which saw him strike out nine batters over eight scoreless innings.

          A 23-year-old righty, Gray has just 11 big league starts under his belt. Yet, Oakland manager Bob Melvin chose him rather than 40-year-old Bartolo Colon, who won 18 games this season and was second in the AL with a 2.65 ERA.

          "Obviously, we had two great options there with Bartolo," A's manager Bob Melvin said during a late-afternoon conference call Wednesday. "We looked at it at a bunch of different angles. We have a lot of smart people in our front office and in our baseball operations and the short of it is it came down to Sonny and the last game he pitched in similar conditions in our ballpark. So that's the route we're going to go."

          Including the Game 2 assignment, Gray pitched to a 1.66 ERA in seven home starts. He's also struck out 47 batters over 48 2/3 innings of those outings.

          "He's got a power arm and lot of talent, but it's hard to know -- like in Game 2 -- how a young guy is going to react," A's shortstop Jed Lowrie said about Gray. "But he went out there with all the confidence in the world and performed pretty well."

          Detroit staved off elimination on Tuesday, as it rallied twice and held on to beat the Athletics, 8-6. Victor Martinez homered in the win, while Game 1 winner Max Scherzer, who relieved starter Doug Fister in the seventh, escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the eighth with two strikeouts and a line drive for the Tigers, who are trying to get back to the ALCS for the second straight year.

          "To be able to get out of that jam, I mean, that's something I'll never forget," said Scherzer. "That's something I'm not really asked to do, and tonight I was."

          Lowrie hit a two-run homer and knocked in Oakland's first three runs as the A's built a 3-0 lead through the first 4 1/2 innings.

          Oakland will be trying to buck a trend of Game 5 failures on Thursday. The A's have lost all five Game 5s they have played in the ALDS and are a miserable 1-11 in potential clinching games since losing the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds back in 1990.

          Detroit, which lost four of seven games against the A's during the season, has beaten Oakland the last two times these teams have met in the postseason. The A's only win against the Tigers in the playoffs came in the 1972 ALCS, which started a run of three consecutive world titles for Oakland.
          Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

          Comment


          • All eyes on Verlander

            Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Justin Verlander is no longer the pitcher he was. He's no longer dominant. Max Scherzer is now the ace of the Detroit Tigers.

            Verlander has heard it all this season, and rightfully so.

            The former American League Cy Young Award and MVP winner endured arguably the worst season of his career, as he was 13-12 and finished the year with his highest ERA (3.46), lowest strikeout rate (23.5 percent) and lowest innings total (218 1/3) since 2008 and battled through reduced velocity.

            In fact, by his own admission, he struggled to find himself all year.

            But on Thursday, Verlander can put a season's worth of frustration behind him, as he takes the ball for the Tigers in the decisive fifth game of the American League Division Series against the Oakland Athletics.

            "It's not just another game," Verlander said. "The season is on the line. The whole season, the way we battled and played as a team, comes down to one game. May the best team win. You can't treat it like another game, you know. It's a little bit different. There is more to it. It's going to be fun. It's what you play the game for. It's exciting. This is what you dream of as a kid, to be on the mound in a clinching game."

            If it seems like we've been here before, well, we have. Verlander, of course, was in this exact same position last year and struck out 11 A's in a shutout to move the Tigers forward. He was equally as dominant against Oakland in Game 2 on Saturday, as he again fanned 11 and allowed just four hits over seven scoreless innings in his team's 1-0 loss.

            But, as marvelous as Verlander was in that game and despite his remarkable resume, Tigers manager Jim Leyland had intended to go with Scherzer should there be a Game 5.

            It was almost a win-win for Leyland. On the one hand you have Verlander and the other you have Scherzer, who is the front-runner for the AL Cy Young Award this season after winning an MLB-best 21 games and pitching to a league-low 0.970 WHIP.

            But Leyland had to call on Scherzer out of the bullpen in Game 4, leaving Verlander as the go-to-guy in the winner-take-all showdown on Thursday.

            "We used a 21-game winner out of the bullpen and now we can pitch a Cy Young winner in his place," marveled Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson. "How many teams could do that?"

            You can probably make the argument that the Tigers are better off to be in the position they are. As good as Scherzer was this year, Verlander is still Verlander, especially with the way he's pitched of late.

            Verlander was, of course, magnificent in Game 2, but he had shown signs leading up to that start of being the shutdown pitcher he has been throughout his career, as he pitched to a 2.27 ERA over his final six starts of the regular season.

            "I think it's just some of the adjustments I made, one of the maybe a thousand that I tried to make this year," he said. "It was definitely a grind all year. Then it reached a point where I realized it was going to take awhile, that it wasn't going to be one thing I had to fix."

            Verlander, though, doesn't even get a chance at this game had it not been for Scherzer. The hard-throwing righty came on in relief of Doug Fister in the seventh inning on Tuesday and promptly allowed the A's to take a one-run lead.

            The Tigers responded with two runs in their half of the seventh, but Scherzer appeared ready to give it right back, as he loaded the bases in the eighth before recording an out.

            "I've seen him fired up," catcher Alex Avila said. "That's why I gave him that nickname, 'Mad Max.' It's when he goes to an enthusiasm level when he needs it -- and the situation called for it."

            Scherzer then showed why he was the best pitcher in the AL this season, as he bore down and struck out both Josh Reddick and Stephen Vogt, then ran a full count against Alberto Callaspo before getting the pinch-hitter on a line drive to center field to end the threat.

            "To be able to get out of that jam, I mean, that's something I'll never forget," Scherzer said. "That's something I'm not really asked to do, and tonight I was."

            The Tigers tacked on three runs after that and escaped with an 8-6 win to force the fifth game.

            And with that, fate turned to Verlander.

            Not all that bad of a scenario if you root for the Tigers.
            Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

            Comment


            • Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

              10/09/13 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail
              10/08/13 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail
              10/07/13 4-*4-*0 50.00% +*45 Detail
              10/06/13 2-*2-*0 50.00% -*100 Detail
              10/05/13 1-*3-*0 25.00% -*1105 Detail
              10/04/13 4-*4-*0 50.00% -*210 Detail
              10/03/13 2-*0-*0 100.00% +*1000 Detail
              10/02/13 0-*2-*0 0.00% -*1050 Detail
              10/01/13 1-*1-*0 50.00% -*50 Detail

              Totals 18-*16-*0 52.94% +530


              Thursday, October 10

              Game Score Status Pick Amount

              Detroit - 8:00 PM ET Oakland -108 500 POD # 2

              Oakland - Over 6.5 500 POD # 1
              Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

              Comment


              • Friday, October 11

                Game Score Status Pick Amount

                LA Dodgers - 8:30 PM ET St. Louis +121 500 POD # 1

                St. Louis - Under 7 500 POD # 2
                Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                Comment


                • Originally posted by StarDust Bum View Post
                  Friday, October 11

                  Game Score Status Pick Amount

                  LA Dodgers - 8:30 PM ET St. Louis +121 500 POD # 1

                  St. Louis - Under 7 500 POD # 2
                  Alright!!! I love it! Good luck tonight, Bum!

                  Comment


                  • Saturday, October 12

                    Game Score Status Pick Amount

                    LA Dodgers 0 Bot 5 St. Louis +129 500
                    St. Louis 0


                    Detroit - 8:00 PM ET Detroit +128 500 POD # 1

                    Boston - Under 7.5 500 POD # 2
                    Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                    Comment


                    • Preview: Tigers (93-69) at Red Sox (97-65)
                      Game: 2
                      Venue: Fenway Park
                      Date: October 13, 2013 8:07 PM EDT


                      The Boston Red Sox had their hands full against the AL's ERA leader in Game 1 of the championship series, and things aren't about to get any easier against the league's Cy Young favorite.

                      The Detroit Tigers send Max Scherzer to the mound opposite fellow All-Star Clay Buchholz as this best-of-seven set continues Sunday night at Fenway Park.

                      Anibal Sanchez and four relievers came within two outs of the first combined no-hitter in postseason history and Detroit hung on for a 1-0 win Saturday. Daniel Nava's clean single to center field was the only hit for Boston, which struck out 17 times.

                      Jhonny Peralta went 3 for 4 and drove in the game's only run while Sanchez overcame a season-high six walks and struck out 12 over six innings, including a record-tying four in the first.

                      "When you watch somebody, (Justin) Verlander, Sanchez, you can see how they attack the hitters, they might do something different that you do," Scherzer said. "When you can see them being successful in those situations, there's times you want to emulate that and take that and add it to your game. That's the benefit of being on this team."

                      Scherzer (2-0, 3.00 ERA) is set to make his first appearance since pitching two innings of relief in Tuesday's 8-6 win over Oakland in Game 4 of the AL division series. The right-hander, who surrendered one run, three hits and two walks during that stressful 47-pitch performance, is feeling good heading into Sunday's showdown.

                      "I'm on normal rest, pitching Game 2, so I'm fully ready to go," said Scherzer, who went 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA during the regular season. "Arm feels good. My relief appearance was just needed."

                      Scherzer yielded two runs and struck out 11 in seven innings to beat Oakland 3-2 in Game 1 of the ALDS, improving to 2-0 with a 2.22 ERA in his last four postseason starts.

                      "In sports, guys get on a roll from time to time," manager Jim Leyland said. "And he's been (on) a positive roll. He comes in relief the other day and ends up getting the win. ... Sometimes guys get on a roll. And that's the type of year he's had."

                      In eight career starts against the Red Sox, Scherzer is 2-4 with a 7.02 ERA - his highest against any team - but he's posted a 2.57 mark in splitting two games this season.

                      "They're just a great team," he said. "They can grind AB's out, they don't chase a lot. They foul off pitches. It all comes down to attacking the hitters and making sure I'm working ahead in count."

                      David Ortiz has hit Scherzer hard, going 7 for 15 with three homers and a double. Jacoby Ellsbury and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are a combined 10 for 21, each taking him deep once.

                      Buchholz (0-0, 4.50) also proved nearly unbeatable during the regular season, going 12-1 with a 1.74 ERA over 16 starts. The right-hander, who missed three months with a neck injury, gave up three runs over six innings in Monday's 5-4 walkoff loss at Tampa Bay in Game 3 of the ALDS.

                      "He's able to do a lot of different things with all of his pitches. That's what makes him so effective," Scherzer said of Buchholz. "He's going to bring his A stuff, so I'm going to have to match him."

                      Buchholz is 2-0 with a 3.20 ERA in his last six matchups against the Tigers, last facing them in 2012. He's limited Torii Hunter to three hits in 21 at_bats in their matchups, and Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez are a combined 1 for 12.

                      While Miguel Cabrera is just 5 for 21, Buchholz knows he needs to be careful against one of baseball's best hitters.

                      "He always finds a way to extend an at-bat and make you feel really uncomfortable in big situations while you're throwing to him," said Buchholz, who owns a 1.20 ERA in four career starts against the Tigers at Fenway. "He's that guy, I think you would get the same answer from any starting pitcher in the league.

                      "They have a lot of guys up and down the lineup that can hurt you."

                      Peralta has been especially hot, going 8 for 15 with a homer, three doubles and six RBIs in the last four postseason games.

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

                      SERIES AT A GLANCE

                      GAME 1
                      Tigers at Red Sox
                      Sat, Oct 12 Final 1 to 0
                      Boxscores • Recaps

                      GAME 2
                      Tigers at Red Sox
                      Sun, Oct 13 - 8:07PM EDT

                      GAME 3
                      Red Sox at Tigers
                      Tue, Oct 15 - 4:07PM EDT

                      GAME 4
                      Red Sox at Tigers
                      Wed, Oct 16 - 8:07PM EDT

                      GAME 5
                      Red Sox at Tigers
                      Thu, Oct 17 - 8:07PM EDT

                      GAME 6
                      Tigers at Red Sox
                      Sat, Oct 19 - 4:37PM EDT

                      GAME 7
                      Tigers at Red Sox
                      Sun, Oct 20 - 8:07PM EDT
                      Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                      Comment


                      • Sunday, October 13

                        Game Score Status Pick Amount

                        Detroit - 8:00 PM ET Detroit +118 500 POD # 1

                        Boston - Over 7 500 POD # 2
                        Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                        Comment


                        • Monday, October 14

                          Game Score Status Pick Amount

                          St. Louis - 8:00 PM ET St. Louis -113 500 POD # 2

                          LA Dodgers - Under 6.5 500 POD # 1
                          Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                          Comment


                          • Tuesday, October 15


                            Game Score Status Pick Amount


                            Boston - 4:00 PM ET Detroit -141 500 POD # 2


                            Detroit - Under 7 500 POD # 1
                            Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                            Comment


                            • Tuesday, October 15

                              Game Score Status Pick Amount

                              St. Louis - 8:00 PM ET LA Dodgers -128 500 POD # 1


                              LA Dodgers - Over 7 500 POD # 2
                              Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                              Comment


                              • MLB
                                Dunkel

                                Boston at Detroit
                                The Red Sox look to take advantage of a Detroit team that is 1-10 in Justin Verlander's last 11 starts when the total is set from 7 to 8 1/2. Boston is the pick (+140) according to Dunkel, which has the Red Sox favored by 1/2 a run. Dunkel Pick: Boston (+140). Here are all of today's picks.

                                TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15

                                Game 913-914: Boston at Detroit (4:00 p.m. EST)
                                Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Lackey) 16.683; Detroit 10.092
                                Dunkel Line: Boston by 1/2; 8
                                Vegas Line: Detroit (-160); 7 1/2
                                Dunkel Pick: Boston (+140); Over

                                Game 911-912: St. Louis at LA Dodgers (8:00 p.m. EST)
                                Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Lynn) 16.389; LA Dodgers (Nolasco) 17.783
                                Dunkel Line: LA Dodgers by 1 1/2; 6
                                Vegas Line: No Line
                                Dunkel Pick: N/A




                                MLB
                                Long Sheet

                                Tuesday, October 15

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                                ST LOUIS (102 - 67) at LA DODGERS (95 - 73) - 8:05 PM
                                LANCE LYNN (R) vs. RICKY NOLASCO (R)
                                There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

                                Head-to-Head Series History
                                ST LOUIS is 5-4 (+0.7 Units) against LA DODGERS this season
                                6 of 9 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+2.7 Units)

                                LANCE LYNN vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
                                LYNN is 2-0 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 2.50 and a WHIP of 1.167.
                                His team's record is 2-1 (+0.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-2. (-1.0 units)

                                RICKY NOLASCO vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
                                NOLASCO is 3-4 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 3.99 and a WHIP of 1.466.
                                His team's record is 4-6 (-1.7 units) in these starts. The OVER is 7-3. (+3.7 units)

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                                BOSTON (101 - 67) at DETROIT (97 - 72) - 4:05 PM
                                JOHN LACKEY (R) vs. JUSTIN VERLANDER (R)
                                There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

                                Head-to-Head Series History
                                DETROIT is 5-4 (+1.3 Units) against BOSTON this season
                                5 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+0.7 Units)

                                JOHN LACKEY vs. DETROIT since 1997
                                LACKEY is 6-3 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 3.86 and a WHIP of 1.322.
                                His team's record is 7-5 (-0.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-7. (-3.7 units)

                                JUSTIN VERLANDER vs. BOSTON since 1997
                                VERLANDER is 3-4 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 3.63 and a WHIP of 1.197.
                                His team's record is 5-6 (-1.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-6. (-4.5 units)

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




                                MLB
                                Armadillo's Write-Up

                                Tuesday, October 15

                                Tigers-Red Sox

                                Lackey is 3-1, 5.57 in his last five starts, four of which went over total; Boston scored 34 runs in the five games. He is 0-1, 3.14 in two starts against the Tigers this season- Red Sox scored three runs in those two games.

                                Verlander is 1-0, 0.00 in his last four starts, throwing 27 scoreless innings in a row; all four starts stayed under total, with Detroit scoring six runs in the four games (losing 1-0 twice). He allowed four runs in five IP in his only '13 start vs Boston, a game Detroit's bullpen later won 7-5.

                                Boston rallied from down 5-1 in 8th inning to even series with 6-5 walkoff win Sunday; nine of their last eleven games went over total. Red Sox are 4-5 vs Detroit this season, with the home team 6-3 in those games. Boston lost four of their last six road games.

                                Detroit won three of its last four games, allowing 12 runs, after losing seven of previous 10 games; eight of their last eleven stayed under the total. Tigers won seven of their last ten home games.


                                Dodgers-Cardinals

                                Lynn is 3-2, 2.79 in his last five starts and also threw two scoreless innings in relief in Friday's Game 1 win; over is 4-1-1 in his last six road starts. Lynn also blanked LA for six innings in a 7-0 win May 24.

                                Nolasco had rough end of September, going 0-2, 14.25 in his last three starts; he is 2-0, 3.00 in two starts (12 IP) against St Louis this season. Nolasco's last five starts all went over the total. This is his first start since September 29.

                                Dodgers are 5-5 against St Louis this year, with seven of ten games going under the total. LA is 4-3 in playoffs but 10-13 in last 23 games overall; all three games in this series stayed under the total-- they've scored five runs in 31 innings in this series so far.

                                Cardinals won 13 of their last 17 games, but lost three of last four road games; they allowed five runs in first three games of this series- four of their last five games stayed under total.




                                MLB

                                Tuesday, October 15

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                                Trend Report
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                                4:07 PM
                                BOSTON vs. DETROIT
                                Boston is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Detroit
                                The total has gone OVER in 13 of Boston's last 18 games when playing Detroit
                                Detroit is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games at home
                                The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 6 games when playing at home against Boston

                                8:07 PM
                                ST. LOUIS vs. LA DODGERS
                                The total has gone UNDER in 6 of St. Louis's last 7 games when playing LA Dodgers
                                The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. Louis's last 7 games on the road
                                The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Dodgers's last 7 games when playing St. Louis
                                LA Dodgers are 8-4 SU in their last 12 games when playing at home against St. Louis


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                                MLB

                                Tuesday, October 15

                                ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Red Sox at Tigers: What bettors need to know
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                                Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers

                                Series is tied 1-1.

                                David Ortiz added to his playoff lore in Game 2 with the big blow of a memorable comeback and the Boston Red Sox seek to take a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series when the scene moves to Detroit for Game 3 on Tuesday. Boston recovered from a five-run deficit with Ortiz hitting a game-tying grand slam in the eighth and Jarrod Saltalamacchia driving in the winning run an inning later. The Tigers attempt to recover behind red-hot Justin Verlander.

                                Verlander hasn’t allowed a run in 15 postseason innings this October and Boston hitters have struggled against Detroit starters in the series, totaling one run and two hits while striking out 25 times in 13 innings against Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer. The Tigers appeared headed to a 2-0 series lead prior to the bullpen meltdown that saw Ortiz belt the 15th postseason homer of his career, a blast off Joaquin Benoit that Detroit right fielder Torii Hunter was unable to grab and flipped over the low wall and into the Boston bullpen. “Postseason is something that can work both ways for you,” Ortiz said of his playoff success. “It can go well if you stay calm. Or it can go bad if you try to overdo things.”

                                TV: 4:07 p.m. ET, Fox

                                WEATHER: Temperatures will be in the mid-60s with wind blowing in from CF at 11 mph.

                                PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH John Lackey (10-13, 3.52 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Justin Verlander (13-12, 3.46)

                                Lackey defeated Tampa Bay in the AL Division Series when he gave up four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. He went 0-1 with a 3.14 ERA in two starts against Detroit this season and his career mark is 6-3 with a 3.89 ERA in 12 outings. Lackey went 3-7 with a 4.35 ERA after the All-Star break, a huge drop from a 2.78 mark beforehand.

                                Verlander struck out 21 while allowing six hits and two walks against Oakland in the ALDS. He allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings in a no-decision against Boston on June 23 and his career record is 3-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 11 starts. Verlander was 6-7 with a 3.73 ERA in 17 regular-season home starts.

                                TRENDS:

                                * Red Sox are 1-7 in the last eight meetings in Detroit.
                                * Over is 13-5 in the last 18 meetings.
                                * Red Sox are 4-1 in Lackey's last five starts.
                                * Tigers are 2-10 in Verlander's last 12 starts.

                                UMP TRENDS - Ron Kulpa:

                                * Tigers are 1-4 in Verlander's last five road starts with Kulpa behind home plate.
                                * Under is 5-0 in Verlander's last five home with Kulpa behind home plate.
                                * Home team is 5-1 in Kulpa's last six games behind home plate.

                                WALK-OFFS:

                                1. Tigers 3B Miguel Cabrera has two homers in his last three games after a power drought that began on Sept. 18 due to groin and abdominal injuries.

                                2. Ortiz is batting .370 with two homers in 27 career at-bats against Verlander.

                                3. Hunter injured his head, neck and shoulder with his tumble into the bullpen but said he will play in Game 3.
                                Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

                                Comment

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