Announcement

**Udog** · 09-30-2014, 07:22 AM

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

-- Not only did the Raiders fire coach Dennis Allen after an 0-4 start, they did it on the phone, not on the 11-hour flight home from London. Classy.

-- Chiefs 41, Patriots 14-- Rough night for 2-2 New England, which looks slow.

-- Buffalo Bills benched EJ Manuel, will start Kyle Orton at QB this week.

-- UNLV got a commitment from 4-star recruit Justin Jackson, a top 30 player in the Class of 2016. Good get for Dave Rice.

-- Astros hired AJ Hinch as their new manager, who went 89-123 as skipper of the Diamondbacks a few years. Smart guy, wasn't a great manager.

-- Minnesota Twins have had two managers since 1987; now they'll have a third, having fallen into decline even with a new ballpark.

**********

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

13) Arizona/Cincinnati is your unlikely “last unbeaten NFL team” quinella for this year, and both will be underdogs this week, the Cardinals in Denver, the Bengals in Foxboro Sunday nite. Could’ve made a lot of money betting on that this summer.

12) Speaking of the Bengals, they’re 93-85-1 under Marvin Lewis, who catches grief because Cincinnati hasn’t won a playoff game in his tenure as head coach. Forgotten is fact that the Bengals were 53-124 before Lewis became coach and were pretty much the worst franchise in the league. The man is underpaid and I have no idea how much he makes.

11) In two road games, Falcons allowed 12.6 and 10.6 ypg thru the air, in losses by 13-14 points. First team to win a couple road games might win the slog that is the NFC South.

10) Jets are 43rd team since 1992 to play three consecutive non-conference games, so it happens about twice a year. They’re the 9th of those 43 teams to lose all three games. Jets are back in AFC this week, out in San Diego.

9) Chargers are down to their #3 center, which leads to a botched snap here and there; it hurt them twice in the red zone against Jacksonville, but they’re so much better than the Jags, it didn’t factor in the outcome. It could against the Jets this week.

8) Teams with a +2 or better turnover ratio were 9-0 SU this past week, are 29-4 for the season.

7) Weird hearing Deion Sanders bash Jim Harbaugh, saying there are playing with the 49ers “who want him out” as head coach. Harbaugh is 38-13-1 with the 49ers, 2-2 this year; better be careful before you run a successful guy of town; chances are the next guy ain’t going 38-13.

6) Mack Brown-to-SMU rumors are all over the place; coaching can be addictive, the competition, the challenge of recruiting and trying to prove that you’re not too old to do the job. SMU has resources; they should be much better than they are and Brown can recruit. This could be interesting.

5) New Clippers’ owner Steve Ballmer is richest owner in North American team sports, which is part of why he overpaid to buy the Clippers. He is also the former head of Microsoft who will ease Apple products out of his organization. I’d be lost without my IPhone, guess I won’t be working for the Clippers anytime soon.

4) It is alarming that in the preseason rankings for college rifle shooting, Army is ranked 9th; shouldn’t they be first, like, always?

3) Cal Bears are tightening their academic requirements for athletes, which means basketball coach Cuonzo Martin picked a bad time to jump from Tennessee to Berkeley. You think USC, UCLA or Arizona is doing that? Oregon? Ha!!!! There are so many gifted basketball players who fit into the high academic model.

2) Twins fired Ron Gardenhire Monday; I once got yelled at by a Twins’ fan in Las Vegas for suggesting that Gardenhire might be a good manager. This guy had specific examples of why he was terrible and this was 3-4 years ago. That man, who was a friend of a friend but not someone I knew, is probably a little happier today.

1) Underrated bad job: Customer service phone rep. I listened to a woman I work with shred a phone operator this morning, just rip her, then she called back twice more and did it again, with other operators. Must be fun making not much money to get yelled at all day. Wonder how many times they get thanked for their efforts.

**Udog** · 09-30-2014, 07:23 AM

NCAAF Week 6 line watch: Jump on Rice now

Spread to bet now

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Rice Owls (-6.5)

Rice opened as 6-point home favorites over Hawaii, and the initial money has come in on the Owls pushing this line up to 6.5. I expect this line to go even higher, and I’d be surprised if this game didn’t close higher than a touchdown, especially since Hawaii closed as 8.5-point road underdogs in Colorado last week.

After opening with games against tough opponents like Notre Dame and Texas A&M, the Rice Owls had a breather last week in a 41-23 romp at Southern Mississippi. Football is easier for Rice again this week as Hawaii is just 1-3 SU with their lone win coming by just three points (27-24) against FCS Northern Iowa. Bettors should play this game now, and lay less than a touchdown.

Spread to wait on

Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern Wildcats (+9.5)

Wisconsin is currently a 9.5-point road favorite at Northwestern, but this line will close at 10 or higher once the betting public gets involved. Wisconsin is a known commodity, and in a matchup against a perceived lesser opponent, the Badgers will be a popular play this week.

Northwestern is starting to play up to expectations after opening the season with back-to-back home losses. The Wildcats are on a two-game winning streak after upsetting Penn State as 10.5-point road underdogs last Saturday in a dominating 29-6 win. Wait and take Northwestern closer to kick off.

Total to watch

South Carolina Gamecocks at Kentucky Wildcats

South Carolina’s defense is way down this season, and the oddsmakers know it. The Gamecocks have played in games with posted totals of 61, 65, 59, 52, and 61 this season. In four of those five games, South Carolina or their opponent scored 33 points or more. The Gamecocks’ defense has allowed 21 points or more in every game this season.

Kentucky comes in off a ho-hum 17-7 win over Vanderbilt. But insiders say the Wildcats ran vanilla offense in that game with an eye towards this home game against South Carolina. Kentucky scored a total of 109 points in their first three games, and their offense should be on full display against a poor South Carolina defense. If the oddsmakers open this game at anything less than 60, there will be value on the Over.

**Udog** · 09-30-2014, 07:25 AM

MLB
Dunkel

Oakland at Kansas City
The Royals host the AL Wild Card game tonight and come into the contest with a 4-0 record in James Shields' last 4 starts as an underdog. Kansas City is the pick (-105) according to Dunkel, which has the Royals favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-105). Here are all of today's MLB picks.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

Game 945-946: Oakland at Kansas City (8:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Lester) 15.497; Kansas City (Shields) 16.988
Dunkel Line: Kansas City by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: Oakland (-115); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Kansas City (-105); Over

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1

Game 947-948: San Francisco at Pittsburgh (8:07 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: San Francisco (Bumgarner) 17.148; Pittsburgh (Volquez) 15.609
Dunkel Line: San Francisco by 1 1/2; 5
Vegas Line: San Francisco (-120); 6
Dunkel Pick: San Francisco (-120); Under

MLB
Long Sheet

Tuesday, September 30

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

OAKLAND (88 - 74) at KANSAS CITY (89 - 73) - 8:05 PM
JON LESTER (L) vs. JAMES SHIELDS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 88-74 (-16.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
OAKLAND is 19-28 (-16.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less this season.
OAKLAND is 2-11 (-8.6 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 this season.
OAKLAND is 40-41 (-8.4 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
OAKLAND is 4-15 (-11.9 Units) against the money line on the road when the total is 7 or less this season.
OAKLAND is 10-16 (-17.8 Units) against the money line in September games this season.
OAKLAND is 86-70 (-14.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
OAKLAND is 57-47 (-9.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
OAKLAND is 61-49 (-7.9 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
OAKLAND is 46-40 (-12.9 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
OAKLAND is 15-24 (-10.4 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
OAKLAND is 18-22 (-9.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
KANSAS CITY is 89-73 (+3.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 19-7 (+10.9 Units) against the money line at home with a money line of -100 to -125 this season.
KANSAS CITY is 85-70 (+1.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
KANSAS CITY is 63-48 (+5.5 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
KANSAS CITY is 43-35 (+5.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
KANSAS CITY is 64-60 (+14.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.
SHIELDS is 63-38 (+17.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
SHIELDS is 25-9 (+17.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
SHIELDS is 12-3 (+8.7 Units) against the money line after a win this season. (Team's Record)
OAKLAND is 118-70 (+38.4 Units) against the money line after shutting out their opponent since 1997.
LESTER is 21-7 (+14.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less since 1997. (Team's Record)
LESTER is 41-22 (+14.5 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
KANSAS CITY is 9-16 (-12.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Tuesday over the last 2 seasons.
SHIELDS is 3-8 (-8.4 Units) against the money line in home games in night games this season. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 5-2 (+4.6 Units) against OAKLAND this season
4 of 7 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.0 Units)

JON LESTER vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
LESTER is 9-3 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 1.84 and a WHIP of 1.057.
His team's record is 9-4 (+2.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 9-2. (+6.2 units)

JAMES SHIELDS vs. OAKLAND since 1997
SHIELDS is 6-4 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 3.82 and a WHIP of 1.148.
His team's record is 9-6 (+1.4 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-9. (-4.4 units)

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

SAN FRANCISCO (88 - 74) at PITTSBURGH (88 - 74) - 8:05 PM
MADISON BUMGARNER (L) vs. EDINSON VOLQUEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 85-90 (-19.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 96-105 (-19.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 88-74 (+5.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 51-30 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 21-4 (+15.9 Units) against the money line in home games when playing on Wednesday over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 51-30 (+13.0 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field this season.
PITTSBURGH is 65-43 (+17.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 81-64 (+15.0 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 357-363 (+50.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
VOLQUEZ is 48-32 (+20.6 Units) against the money line after a loss since 1997. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 88-74 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 43-38 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 18-7 (+11.0 Units) against the money line when playing on Wednesday this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 88-74 (+8.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 58-44 (+9.5 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 49-38 (+9.7 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
BUMGARNER is 13-5 (+8.8 Units) against the money line in road games this season. (Team's Record)
BUMGARNER is 13-5 (+8.8 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
BUMGARNER is 11-2 (+9.9 Units) against the money line in road games after a win this season. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 4-2 (+2.5 Units) against SAN FRANCISCO this season
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+0.8 Units)

MADISON BUMGARNER vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
BUMGARNER is 1-3 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 3.24 and a WHIP of 1.200.
His team's record is 1-3 (-3.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-0. (+4.0 units)

EDINSON VOLQUEZ vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
VOLQUEZ is 2-2 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 5.72 and a WHIP of 1.588.
His team's record is 3-8 (-5.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-5. (+0.6 units)

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

MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, September 30

A's @ Royals-- AL Wild Card
Oakland is 7-4 in Lester starts (3-1, 2.57 in last four). Lester is 3-0, 2.61 against the Royals this year and is 6-4, 2.11 in 11 postseason starts.

Shields is 2-1, 2.14 in his last six starts, 1-0, 3.21 in two starts vs Oakland. He is 2-4, 4.98 in six postseason starts (with Tampa Bay).

A's played lousy from August 1 on, going 22-33 since acquiring Lester, but they played in playoffs last two years, are used to games like this.

Royals haven't been in playoffs since 1985, though Shields was in playoffs for Rays in three different seasons. Kansas City won six of its last eight games.

MLB

Tuesday, September 30

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

8:07 PM
OAKLAND vs. KANSAS CITY
Oakland is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Oakland's last 17 games when playing Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Kansas City's last 17 games when playing Oakland
Kansas City is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games

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

**Udog** · 09-30-2014, 07:26 AM

MLB

Tuesday, September 30

Moneyline on the move in AL Wild Card clash

The line is on the move for Tuesday's Kansas City-Oakland AL Wild Card matchup.

Sports Interaction opened the Royals as -125 home faves at 12 p.m. AST Monday, but that line dropped to -115 six hours later. There hasn't been any movement on the total for the game, as it currently sits at 6.5.

Both teams will send their aces to the mound, with Jon Lester getting the call for the A's and James Shields countering for Kansas City.

Weather forecast for A's-Royals matchup

The weather forecast for Tuesday's American League wild card game between the Kansas City Royals and Oakland A's looks fairly ideal for a playoff baseball game.

Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium will see temperatures in the mid-70s with partly cloudy skies overhead. Wind will blow across the field, slightly toward the outfield, at around 8 mph.

Oddsmakers opened the Royals as -110 home favorites and a total of 6.5.

Royals 2-0 in Shields' two starts versus A's

The Kansas City Royals will send James Shields to the mound in their wild-card game versus the Oakland A's Tuesday, and he's fared quite well versus the American League West club this season.

Shields made two starts (one at Kauffman Stadium, one in Oakland) and the Royals prevailed both times. Shields earned the victory on Aug. 3 in Oakland, going eight innings, giving up four hits and two earned runs. He got the start at home on Aug. 14, but didn't factor in the decision in a 7-3 Royals win. In that game, Shields went six innings and gave up three runs on seven hits.

In his career, Shields has made 15 starts versus the A's and has a record of 6-4. He owns an ERA of 3.82 and has struck out 87 batters in his 103 2/3 innings of work.

Kershaw ends season as baseball's top money pitcher

Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher Clayton Kershaw had a season for the ages and to top it off for bettors, he ended up as baseball's best money pitcher for 2014.

Kershaw led all pitchers with $1,582 as the Dodgers went 23-4 in games Kershaw started. He finished just $62 ahead of Baltimore Orioles starter Chris Tillman ($1,520).

The Angels' Matt Shoemaker ($1,221), Minnesota's Phil Hughes ($1,201) and Detroit's Max Scherzer ($1,193) round out the top five.

Orioles are baseball's best money team by large margin

The Baltimore Orioles, a team pegged at 81.5 wins (according to Westgate LV Superbook) at the start of the season, finished 30 games over .500 and were the best money team in baseball. And it wasn't even close.

The Orioles went 96-66 on their way to the AL East crown and finishing with $3,477, more than $1,000 better than the second best money team, the Los Angeles Angels ($2,141).

The Washington Nationals ($1,062), the Los Angeles Dodgers ($1,005) and the San Francisco Giants ($802) round out the top five.

Giants' Peavy baseball's worst money pitcher

A terrible 1-12 start to the season for Jake Peavy, probably would be a place to start as to why he finished the season as baseball's worst money pitcher.

Peavy was traded mid-season from Boston to San Francisco, but it was not enough to get him out of the starter money cellar and he finished with $-1,371.

Jeff Samardjiza was another pitcher who was traded mid-season going from the Cubs to Oakland to no avail, finishing fifth worst in money at $-1,204.

Miami's Nathan Eovaldi ($-1,353), Arizona'a Vidal Nuno ($-1,289) and Boston's Brandon Workman ($-1,243) round out the bottom five.

**Udog** · 09-30-2014, 09:05 AM

MLB

Tuesday, September 30

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
American League Wild Card: A's at Royals
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oakland A's at Kansas City Royals (-103, 6.5)

The Kansas City Royals are playing a postseason game for the first time in 29 years when they host the Oakland Athletics in Tuesday’s American League wild-card game. The Royals have been perennial pushovers since winning the 1985 World Series before recently emerging behind a rock-solid bullpen. Oakland, which went 10-20 to finish this season, is in the postseason for the third straight season and lost to the Detroit Tigers in the AL Division Series each of the last two years.

Jon Lester, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox specifically for this situation, will be on the mound for the Athletics. James Shields takes the ball for Kansas City and will get the opportunity to back up his nickname of “Big Game James.” Closer Greg Holland (46 saves, 1.44 ERA) and setup man Wade Davis (9-2, 1.00) headline the Royals’ bullpen, but Oakland is strong in the back end as well, led by closer Sean Doolittle (22 saves, 89 strikeouts against just eight walks).

TV: 8:07 p.m. ET, TBS

LINE HISTORY: Books opened the Royals -110, but has adjusted to -103. The total has held at 6.5

WEATHER: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s under partly cloudy skies. Wind will blow from right field to left field at 6 mph.

POWER RANKINGS: A's (-177), Royals (-173)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Jon Lester (16-11, 2.46 ERA) vs. Royals RH James Shields (14-8, 3.21)

Lester went 2-0 with a 0.59 ERA in last season’s World Series for Boston and has gone 6-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts since Oakland acquired him from the Red Sox. He was 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA against the Royals this season – two of the wins came with Oakland – and has career marks of 9-3 and 1.84 in 13 career starts against Kansas City. Lester went 3-2 with a 2.00 ERA in five September starts and his postseason numbers line up this way: 6-4 and 2.11 in 13 career appearances (11 starts).

Shields was 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA in two starts against Oakland this season and is 6-4 with a 3.82 ERA in 15 career outings against the Athletics. He went 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in five September starts. Shields went 2-4 with a 4.98 ERA in six postseason starts with the Tampa Bay Rays before being dealt to the Royals.

TRENDS:

* Under is 12-4-1 in the last 17 meetings.
* Athletics are 1-4 in the last five meetings.
* Athletics are 4-0 in Lesters last four starts vs. American League Central.
* Under is 4-1-1 in Shields' last six starts overall.

CONSENSUS: 54 percent of wagers on Consensus are backing the Royals.

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

**Udog** · 09-30-2014, 09:12 AM

NFL opening line report: Unbeaten Cardinals big road dogs at Denver

The first month of the NFL season is behind us, leaving with it just two undefeated teams, and both are involved in key games during Week 5. First up, the Arizona Cardinals, who travel to Denver to take on the Broncos Sunday.

Both teams are coming off bye weeks. The Cards moved to 3-0 SU (2-1 ATS) by holding San Francisco scoreless in the second half of a 23-14 home win, covering as a 3-point favorite.

Denver, the defending AFC champion, has gone 2-1 SU but hasn’t covered this year, dropping all three ATS decisions. The Broncos fell at Seattle two weekends ago in a Super Bowl rematch, losing 26-20 in overtime as 4-point underdogs.

John Lester, lines manager at bookmaker.eu, isn’t swayed by Arizona’s unblemished record, giving Denver plenty of respect.

“I don’t think the Cardinals are as good as their record indicates. I just don’t trust the offense,” Lester said. “We all felt a touchdown was about right, so we posted Denver as a 7.5-point favorite to entice some ‘dog action.”

Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots

Quarterback Andy Dalton and Cincinnati have been sharp so far, with a perfect 3-0 SU and ATS record, including a 33-7 rout of Tennessee as a 6.5-point home fave on Sept. 21. The Bengals are coming off their bye week.

New England (2-1 SU, 1-2 ATS) will cap the Week 4 schedule with a Monday nighter at Kansas City, so Lester hasn’t yet put an official line out.

The Pats haven’t looked too good thus far, particularly in Week 3, when they struggled in a 16-9 home win over Oakland and fell well short as 14-point chalk.

Still, it’s a marquee matchup on prime time Sunday night.

“This is by far the best matchup of the week,” Lester said. “If nothing changes as far as personnel, we will likely make the Patriots field-goal favorites, given the short week for them and the bye for Cincinnati.”

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers (-2.5)

This was a game that looked a lot more intriguing before both teams were blown out Sunday. The Bears (2-2 SU and ATS) got blasted by Green Bay 38-17 catching 2 points at home. The Panthers (2-2 SU and ATS) got boatraced at Baltimore 38-10 getting 3.5 points, following a 37-19 home loss to Pittsburgh laying 3 points.

Lester said Carolina quarterback Cam Newton is the X-factor when setting the line – but a very inconsistent X-factor.

“It’s always hard to handicap Cam Newton’s focus from game to game,” Lester said. “He looked completely checked out (against Baltimore). The injuries to Carolina’s run game are concerning, but the Bears’ defense is vulnerable. It feels like a toss-up.”

Seattle Seahawks (-8.5) at Washington Redskins

The defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks (2-1 SU and ATS) are coming off a bye week as they travel cross-country to face the Redskins (1-3 SU, 2-2 ATS) to cap Week 5 on Monday night.

This was another game that looked better on the schedule a few days ago, when Kirk Cousins mania was sweeping the nation, as the Washington backup QB was making people quickly forget about Robert Griffin III.

But on Thursday night, Cousins threw four interceptions and lost a fumble in a 45-14 battering at the hands of the New York Giants, with the Redskins a 3-point home fave.

Seattle bounced back from its lone loss by scratching past Denver 26-20 in overtime to cash as a 4-point home chalk on Sept. 21.

“Everyone saw how poorly the Redskins played last Thursday, so we had to be generous on Seattle’s side, especially coming off a bye,” Lester said. “I’m not calling for the upset, but I expect Washington to put forth a great effort here.”

**Udog** · 09-30-2014, 09:14 AM

MLB

Tuesday, September 30

A's now very slim favorite in AL Wild Card

The Oakland A's have been bet to very slim favorites for the American League Wild Card game Tuesday night in Kansas City.

The Royals opened as -110 favorites and have been bet down to -103, while the A's are now up to -105.

The A's send Jon Lester to the hill to face off against the Royals' James Shields.

**Udog** · 09-30-2014, 12:41 PM

MLB

Tuesday, September 30

Lester clobbering Royals this season, career

Jon Lester will take to the mound for the Oakland Athletics Tuesday and there is no other team he would rather see than the Kansas City Royals. The leftie holds a career 9-3 record with a 1.84 ERA against the Royals.

This season showed more of Lester's dominance, going 3-0 with a 2.61 ERA versus Kansas City.

The A's are currently slight -105 favorites.

Shields less than stellar in postseason

The Kansas City Royals will send James Shields to the mound in hopes of furthering their trip into October, but the rightie has never been a consistent postseason pitcher.

Shields is sporting a 2-4 record with a 4.98 ERA in his six postseason starts, all with Tampa Bay. Rarely has 'Big Game James' pitched deep into the game, with only two appearances seeing him make it through the sixth inning.

The Royals are currently -103 facing Oakland in their American League Wild Card game.

Postseason games trending under for Athletics

The Oakland Athletics have made the postseason the past two seasons, eliminated in the ALDS by the Tigers both years. Despite early ousting, the team has done well for the total bettor going 3-6-1 over/under in that span.

The A's have averaged a mere 2.6 runs per game, while surrendering 3.4 runs per game.

Oakland will travel to Kansas City with the total currently at 6.5.

A's haven't won deciding postseason game since 1973

The Oakland A's visit the Kansas City Royals Tuesday night in the winner-take-all American League Wild Card Game and that is a scenario which hasn't panned out well for the Athletics.

Oakland has lost six consecutive postseason games in winner-take-all scenarios, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The last time they won a deciding game was way back in Game 7 of the 1973 World Series.

The A's are a very slight -105 favorite to buck the trend and advance to the ALDS.

Royals easily topping low totals

The Kansas City Royals have been easily catching books off guard. In the last five games that the Royals have seen a total less than 7.0, the game has gone over four times and usually easily.

Kansas City and their opponents have averaged 7.4 runs per game, but that number jumps to 8.5 if you exclude the lone under.

The Royals and Athletics current total is 6.5.

**Udog** · 09-30-2014, 03:34 PM

MLB
Short Sheet

Tuesday, September 30

Oakland Athletics at Kansas City Royals, 8:05 ET
Lester: OAKLAND 118-70 after shutting out their opponent
Shields: 3-8 TSR in home night games

Oakland: 29-15 UNDER on the road with a money line of -100 to -125
Kansas City: 14-5 UNDER (+8.0 Units) at home when the total is 7 or less

TSR = Team Start Record

**Kaptain** · 09-30-2014, 05:13 PM

Thanks U DOG..........supposed to cool down to being in the upper 40's Friday Night...........I'm ready for it..........

Announcement

Tuesday's Trends and Indexes - 9/30 (MLB, CFL, Misc.)

Tuesday's Trends and Indexes - 9/30 (MLB, CFL, Misc.)

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment