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**Udog** · 10-07-2014, 08:56 AM

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

Six QBs taken before Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft........

-- Chad Pennington 1st round, NYJ-- 44-37 record as a starter; 17,813 yards.

-- Giovanni Carmazzi, 3rd, SF-- Never played in an NFL game. Played some in NFL Europe and some with Calgary and BC in the CFL.

-- Chris Redman, 3rd, Balt-- 4-9 as starter. 3,179 yards. Lasted eight years.

-- Tee Martin, 5th, Pitt-- 3 games, no starts. 6-16 for 69 yards.

-- Marc Bulger, 6th, NO-- 36-24 in his first 60 starts, 5-30 in his last 35. Martz chose him over Kurt Warner; Rams haven't recovered in decade since.

-- Spergon Wynn, 6th Clev-- 0-3 as starter. Completed 46.1% of passes for 585 yards. Where is the genius who took Wynn over Brady?

**********

Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Doing some thinking out loud........

13) Friend of mine who played a ton of football in his life had this comment about Peyton Manning throwing the ball with a 41-20 lead at the 2:00 warning Sunday: “If you don’t like it, play harder.” I defer to his opinion, seeing as he knows more football than anyone I know, and is an Arizona Cardinal fan.

12) Broncos saved $3.25M on next year’s salary cap by dumping kicker Prater now; they also had to give Giants a 7th-round draft pick for Brandon McManus, their new kicker. Had they cut McManus, Giants would’ve gotten bupkus, but they dealt McManus to Denver because they thought the Eagles were going to sign him if he was available and they didn’t want that.

11) Detroit Lions are 4-12 on field goals this year (0-6 from 40-49 yards) and they play home games in a dome; they should’ve signed Prater before this even gets posted. We’ll see.

10) Cal 60, Washington State 59— Wazzu QB Connor Halliday was 49-74 for a I-A record 734 yards passing late Saturday, but the Coogs lost when they missed a 19-yard FG at the gun. How do you gain over 800 yards in regulation and lose?

Cal ran two kicks bad for TDs in this game; Washington State fired its special teams coach on Monday- the defensive coordinator was spared.

9) Florida 10, Tennessee 9—This game was painful to watch, like watching two tired, drunken fighters try to land a haymaker on the other. Tennessee has an excuse, they’re a very young team. Florida is just ugly to watch and now that QB Murphy has been accused in an off-field incident, they might be even worse moving forward. SEC is not deep at all at quarterback.

8) Thru five games, Eagles have 11 offensive TDs and seven return TDs. Lot of teams don’t get seven return TDs in an entire season. Philly blocked punt for a TD on opponents’ first possession in each of their last two games.

7) This from Manish Mehta of New York Daily News, written before Sunday’s debacle in San Diego:

“(Jets GM John) Idzik works under rolling deadlines, apparently immune or oblivious to the realities of frustrated PSL owners doling out big money for a diminished product. The Jets have the sixth-highest average non-premium ticket price in the NFL ($105.66), 25% more than the league average ($84.43), according to teammarketingreport.com, yet the team has the lowest cash payroll ($95.2 million), according to spotrac.com.”

6) Syracuse lost its last three games to Maryland-Notre Dame-Louisville, so a scapegoat had to be found; it is OC George McDonald, who is now former OC. Tim Lester takes his place calling plays; good luck there, with starting QB Terrel Hunt now out 4-6 weeks with a broken leg.

5) Mike Scifres has been the Chargers’ punter for 12 years now; he’s appeared in 171 career games. He punted in college at Western Illinois, but when he was in high school in Louisiana, he was his team’s kicker, but not its punter.

How many NFL punters didn’t punt in high school? His team’s punter by the way, was future Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed.

4) Six QB’s were drafted ahead of Tom Brady in 2000. Six. Check the table up above for details, but if you think scouting/drafting is an exact science, think again.

3) It should be noted that when the 49ers drafted Joe Montana in the 3rd round in 1979, Bill Walsh preferred his old Stanford QB Steve Dils to Montana. 49er scouting guru Vinny Cerrano got the last word, though and Niners drafted Montana. Lucky for them.

2) Yusmiero Petit has had an interesting season; not only was he the winning pitcher in the 2nd-ever 18-inning playoff game (throwing 6.1 scoreless innings) he also set a major league record earlier this summer when he retired 47 consecutive batters, an obscure but very cool record.

1) So who knew that through five weeks, the Cleveland Browns would be the NFL’s most interesting team? All four of their games have seen winning points score in the last 1:09 of the game and all without Johnny Manziel doing one significant thing, other than congratulating his teammates. And making Snickers commercials.

**Udog** · 10-07-2014, 08:56 AM

NFL opening line report: Colts road chalk at Texans

Going into the 2014 NFL season, nobody thought too much about the Dallas Cowboys. They’ve been the poster child for mediocrity for pretty much the entire 21st century.

But after five weeks, Dallas (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) looks surprisingly solid, and it will play in the marquee game of Week 6 when the Cowboys travel to Seattle to face the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks (2-1 SU and ATS). The Cowboys outlasted Houston 20-17 Sunday, falling short as 5-point home chalk but winning SU for the fourth consecutive week.

The Seahawks had a bye in Week 4 after edging Denver 26-20 in overtime as a 4-point home favorite in Week 3. They still have unfinished business in Week 5 – they travel to face Washington in the Monday night game, so there’s no line on the Cowboys-Seahawks contest yet.

John Lester, senior lines manager for bookmaker.eu, expects an uphill battle for Dallas, despite its current upswing.

“Bettors are hopping back on the Cowboys bandwagon, but I think they'll shy away from this one,” Lester said. “The Seahawks are on a short week, but with the massive home-field advantage, we’ll have to make Dallas at least a touchdown dog.”

Indianapolis Colts (-2.5) at Houston Texans

The AFC South is either mediocre or awful – Indy and Houston are both 3-2 SU, Tennessee is 1-4 SU and Jacksonville is a dismal 0-5 SU. So the best of the batch meet in Houston for the Thursday night game.

The Colts (4-1 ATS) fended off Baltimore 20-13 Sunday to cash as 2.5-point favorites, while the Texans (also 4-1 ATS) came up short in a 20-17 overtime loss at Dallas, but covered as 5-point underdogs.

“The Colts are the better team, which is why we made them road chalk,” Lester said. “Defense will have to keep the Texans in it, and it could, because I don't think they have enough offensively to hang with Indy.”

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons (-3)

Back in Week 3, Atlanta (2-3 SU and ATS) plastered Tampa Bay 56-14. But the Falcons have had nothing since, getting trounced 41-28 at undermanned Minnesota as a 5-point fave, then losing 30-20 Sunday to the New York Giants as a 4-point road pup.

Chicago (2-3 SU and ATS) has also been up and down and is also coming off back-to-back SU and ATS losses, falling 31-24 at Carolina on Sunday as a 1.5-point dog.

“Atlanta’s offensive line is in shambles. Both O-lines in this one are pretty bad, actually,” Lester said. “The Falcons are much better at home, and with the NFC South wide open, they really need this.”

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (-3)

Philly (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) is tied with Dallas atop the NFC East, and New York (3-2 SU and ATS) is back in the chase with a three-game SU and ATS winning streak after dumping its first two games. The Eagles held off St. Louis 34-28 laying 3.5 points at home Sunday, and the Giants bested Atlanta 30-20 giving 4 points at home.

“For the time being, the NFC east is looking pretty competitive – a far cry from where it was last year,” Lester said. “Neither defense can be trusted here. These are two teams with loyal followers, but I’m guessing the money from the Philly fans and the public will outweigh New York’s for this prime-time affair.”

**Udog** · 10-07-2014, 08:57 AM

NCAAF Week 7 line watch: Take Huskies closer to kickoff

Spread to bet now

Oklahoma State Cowboys (-20) at Kansas Jayhawks

Oklahoma State is currently a 20-point road favorite over Kansas, but I anticipate this line closing at 3 touchdowns or more. The Cowboys have a tendency to blow out bad teams as head coach Mike Gundy is never shy about running up the score.

Kansas is one of the worst teams in the country, and the Jayhawks are a dysfunctional mess after firing head coach Charlie Weis before last week’s game. Kansas showed nothing last week as they had just nine first downs and 176 yards of total offense in a 33-14 loss to West Virginia. Bettors should play this game now, and lay less than the expected 21-point spread.

Spread to wait on

Washington Huskies (+2.5) at California Golden Bears

Washington actually briefly opened as a road favorite at a few sportsbooks on Sunday afternoon, with other books opening California as a 1-point home favorite. The money quickly came in on California and by Monday afternoon the line had already risen to 2.5. With California's recent results, this line might hit the key number of '3' as the week goes on. California is off three straight last-minute wins, and they are getting publicity because of it.

Washington is flying under the radar under new head coach Chris Peterson. The Huskies are 4-1 SU with their lone loss coming by seven points (20-13) to Stanford in their last game. Washington comes into this game off a bye, so they will be the much fresher team. Wait and take the Huskies at a better line closer to kick off.

Total to watch

Louisville Cardinals at Clemson Tigers

Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino has a reputation of running high-scoring offensive teams. However, this version of the Cardinals is exactly the opposite as they are one of the best defensive teams in the country. Louisville is also playing with a true freshman at quarterback, so Petrino’s offense has been unable to get going this season. WR DeVante Parker is also battling a foot injury.

Clemson is known for their offensive success, but after losing their most productive players from last year’s team, including QB Tajh Boyd and WR Sammy Watkins, the Tigers have relied on their defense this season. Clemson did score 91 points in their past two games, but those points came against two of the worst defenses in the country. The oddsmakers will inflate this total on perception, so there will be value on the Under, especially if the total is posted in the high 50’s.

**Udog** · 10-07-2014, 08:57 AM

NHL Metropolitan Division betting preview: Caps coach Trotz putting 'D' back in D.C.

Here's a comprehensive look at teams to watch for betting purposes in the NHL's Metropolitan Division:

Favorite

Pittsburgh Penguins (+210)

A team captained by Sidney Crosby is always a good bet to go far, and if the wunderkind can stay healthy for the entire season, the sky is the limit for he and the rest of the Penguins. Crosby and Evgeni Malkin represent the best one-two punch in hockey, and the supporting cast - including Chris Kunitz, Patric Hornqvist and Pascal Dupuis - should provide plenty of complementary scoring. If goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is even half decent, the Pens should win the division.

Value Underdog

Washington Capitals (+800)

The core is the same, but some key additions should push Washington into division title contention, if everything goes right. New head coach Barry Trotz will instil the kind of defensive philosophy that has long been missing from D.C. and he'll have some impressive pieces to work with in new arrivals Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik and incumbents John Carlson and Karl Alzner. If the defense excels, the Caps will find themselves in the mix at season's end.

Live Long Shot

New York Islanders (+1,100)

The Islanders would need a lot to work in their favor for a division title bet to pay off, but the pieces are there. John Tavares is back and ready to challenge for the Art Ross Trophy, while the additions of former Toronto Maple Leafs teammates Nikolai Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski should provide a much-needed boost in secondary scoring. Netminder Jaroslav Halak adds legitimacy to the back end, though there are plenty of concerns on the blueline.

Over Team

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers come into this season in a familiar position: loaded on offense but deficient on defense. Between Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, Wayne Simmonds, Matt Read and others, Philadelphia should have no trouble matching its output from a season ago (2.84 GPG). But with precious little blueline talent beyond the Top 4 and a pair of volatile netminders in Steve Mason and Ray Emery, fans might see a lot of 5-4 outcomes this season.

Under Team

Carolina Hurricanes
This was a team that already faced scoring issues even before losing skilled center Jordan Staal to a broken leg earlier in the preseason. His absence takes a major bite out of a lineup that can only really rely on top line of Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner and Alexander Semin. The Hurricanes know they will need to keep the scoring down to pull out victories and have the defense to execute that game plan. Expect a lot of low-scoring affairs.

**Udog** · 10-07-2014, 08:59 AM

MLB
Dunkel

LA Dodgers at St. Louis
The Cardinals look to follow up last night's 3-1 win and come into today's contest with a 13-3 record in their last 16 games as a home underdog. St. Louis is the pick (+165) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+165). Here are all of today's MLB picks.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7

Game 929-930: LA Dodgers at St. Louis (5:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: LA Dodgers (Kershaw) 14.587; St. Louis (Miller) 15.662
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1; 7
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-185); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (+165); Over

Game 931-932: Washington at San Francisco (9:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Washington (Gonzalez) 15.778; San Francisco (Vogelsong) 14.302
Dunkel Line: Washington by 1 1/2; 6
Vegas Line: Washington (-130); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Washington (-130); Under

MLB
Long Sheet

Tuesday, October 7

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LA DODGERS (95 - 70) at ST LOUIS (92 - 73) - 5:05 PM
CLAYTON KERSHAW (L) vs. SHELBY MILLER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 198-146 (+16.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 112-60 (+24.5 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 69-44 (+17.3 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 112-60 (+24.5 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 42-31 (+8.8 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 23-14 (+10.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
LA DODGERS are 47-33 (+12.3 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
LA DODGERS are 49-33 (+14.3 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field this season.
LA DODGERS are 70-50 (+20.0 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 47-22 (+19.6 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
KERSHAW is 23-5 (+14.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
KERSHAW is 45-17 (+22.6 Units) against the money line in day games since 1997. (Team's Record)
KERSHAW is 23-5 (+14.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season. (Team's Record)
ST LOUIS is 45-45 (-8.9 Units) against the money line after a win this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
ST LOUIS is 5-5 (+1.2 Units) against LA DODGERS this season
7 of 10 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+3.8 Units)

CLAYTON KERSHAW vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
KERSHAW is 5-8 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 4.11 and a WHIP of 1.298.
His team's record is 8-10 (-5.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 8-9. (-2.0 units)

SHELBY MILLER vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
MILLER is 0-1 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 7.84 and a WHIP of 1.839.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.4 units)

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WASHINGTON (97 - 68) at SAN FRANCISCO (91 - 75) - 9:05 PM
GIO GONZALEZ (L) vs. RYAN VOGELSONG (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 91-75 (+11.6 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO is 91-75 (+11.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
VOGELSONG is 26-18 (+12.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
WASHINGTON is 97-68 (+7.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
WASHINGTON is 97-68 (+7.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
GONZALEZ is 60-33 (+19.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GONZALEZ is 60-33 (+19.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GONZALEZ is 40-19 (+17.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SAN FRANCISCO is 56-59 (-19.4 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 20-31 (-14.5 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 46-51 (-18.6 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
SAN FRANCISCO is 4-6 (-0.7 Units) against WASHINGTON this season
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.0 Units)

GIO GONZALEZ vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
GONZALEZ is 2-2 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 2.59 and a WHIP of 1.320.
His team's record is 4-3 (+1.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-4. (-1.5 units)

RYAN VOGELSONG vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
VOGELSONG is 1-2 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 7.94 and a WHIP of 1.897.
His team's record is 2-3 (-0.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-3. (-2.3 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Tuesday, October 7

Giants-Nationals
Gonzalez is 4-1, 2.48 in his last five starts, 0-0, 4.50 in two postseason starts. He didn't pitch against the Giants this season.

Vogelsong is 0-4, 6.51 in his last five starts, but 3-0, 1.09 in four playoff starts. He is 0-1, 7.15 in two starts vs Washington this season. .

Washington won nine of last ten road games, including last five in row; they are 14-5 in last 19 games overall.

Giants won 10 of last 11 playoff games, five of its last six games overall, allowing eleven runs.

Gonzalez 16-11.........11-27 first inning
Vogelsong 15-17........7-32 first inning

Dodgers-Cardinals
Kershaw is pitching on three days' rest; he is 1-4, 5.20 in seven career playoff starts, 7-1, 3.02 in his last eight starts overall, 1-0, 1.93 in two starts against the Cardinals this season.

Miller is 2-0, 1.78 in his last five starts, but hasn't pitched since September 23; he is making first postseason start. Miller allowed three runs in 4.1 IP in three postseason relief appearances; he allowed six runs in six IP vs LA this season.

Dodgers won six of last eight games, scoring 45 runs in last seven; they're 3-4 in their last seven road games. Their bullpen is struggling.

St Louis won three of last four games, five of last six at home.

Kershaw 23-5...........5-28 first inning
Miller 15-16.............4-31 first inning

MLB

Tuesday, October 7

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Trend Report
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5:07 PM
LA DODGERS vs. ST. LOUIS
LA Dodgers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Dodgers's last 7 games when playing St. Louis
St. Louis is 6-1 SU in their last 7 games when playing at home against LA Dodgers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis's last 5 games

9:07 PM
WASHINGTON vs. SAN FRANCISCO
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Washington's last 9 games on the road
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
San Francisco is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games at home
San Francisco is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Washington

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**Udog** · 10-07-2014, 09:03 AM

See spot. See spot bet: This week's best spot bet opportunities

Letdown spot

The NHL season drops the puck Wednesday night, with the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings hosting California rivals, the San Jose Sharks. What will surely be a night for celebration, as the Kings lift their second Stanley Cup banner to the rafters of the Staples Center, could turn sour quickly if L.A. follows the path of those Cup winners before it.

During the post-lockout NHL, defending Stanley Cup champs have fallen flat in their first game of the season, producing a 2-6 SU record in those openers, with an average of 5.9 goals per game in that stretch. Only the 2013-14 Chicago Blackhawks and 2008-09 Pittsburgh Penguins were victorious in their first defense of the new season. The Kings, who won their first title back in 2011-12, lost 5-2 to the Blackhawks in their first game of the 2012-13 campaign.

Lookahead spot

With a slew of crazy upsets knocking off many of the NCAA College Football Playoff contenders this past weekend, two programs are on a collision course for a game that could make or break national title hopes. The defending national champion Florida State Seminoles take on No. 5 Notre Dame – both undefeated – in a massive showdown in two weeks.

But before FSU and the Fighting Irish butt heads, the Seminoles must travel to Syracuse for an ACC matchup in the Carrier Dome. Florida State is a terrible bet to start the season at 1-4 ATS, including a 0-2 ATS record on the road. This Noles team seems disinterested at times and often cruises against big pointspreads, much like the 22.5 point Florida State is giving to the Orangemen. With Notre Dame waiting in the wings, expect another barely-there performance from the Seminoles.

Schedule spot

The Washington Redskins make a cross-country trip to the desert to play the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6. The Redskins are on a short week, coming off a physical affair against the defending Super Bowl winning Seattle Seahawks and their bruising defense Monday, and now face another daunting NFC West stop unit on the road.

Washington has lost both road games this season, splitting those results ATS, and was just 1-7 SU and 2-6 ATS away from D.C. last season. The Redskins are just 3-5 SU and 2-6 ATS in their last eight clashes with the NFC West and could not only be suffering from aches pain on a short week but also some jet lag as well.

**Kaptain** · 10-07-2014, 09:48 AM

good stuff U DOG............thanks my man

**KazDog** · 10-07-2014, 11:46 AM

Thanks for the info Big Dawg. We all appreciate your hard work!

**jt4545** · 10-07-2014, 11:53 AM

Thanks udog your the man

**Udog** · 10-07-2014, 01:30 PM

Originally posted by Kaptain View Post

good stuff U DOG............thanks my man

Originally posted by KazDog View Post

Thanks for the info Big Dawg. We all appreciate your hard work!

Originally posted by jt4545 View Post

Thanks udog your the man

NP, guys! Here's a little more. Good luck today!

MLB

Tuesday, October 7

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Tuesday's MLB Playoff betting preview
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Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals (+156, 6.5)

The Los Angeles Dodgers turn to their ace in an effort to stave off elimination when they visit the St. Louis Cardinals for Game 4 of their National League Division Series on Tuesday. Clayton Kershaw gets the start on short rest as NL West champion Los Angeles finds itself down 2-1 in the best-of-five matchup after dropping a 3-1 decision in Game 3. The Dodgers received a strong six-inning effort from Hyun-Jin Ryu and forged a tie on Hanley Ramirez's RBI double in the sixth before Kolten Wong belted a two-run homer off Scott Elbert a frame later.

Matt Carpenter continued his offensive onslaught with a double and a solo blast as he improved to 6-for-12 with three doubles, three homers and seven RBIs in the series. The NL Central-champion Cardinals have had their way with several Los Angeles pitchers, pounding Kershaw for eight runs in the series opener while reaching the relief trio of Elbert, J.P. Howell and Pedro Baez for a total of six runs in 3 1/3 innings. With a victory Tuesday, St. Louis advances to the NL Championship Series for the fourth consecutive year.

TV: 5:07 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

LINE HISTORY: The Cards opened +152 home dogs and moved to +173, before being adjusted to +156. The total has held at 6.5.

WEATHER: Wind will blow out to right field at 13 mph at Busch Stadium. Temperatures will be in the mid-70s.

POWER RANKINGS: Dodgers (-199), Cardinals (-192)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Dodgers LH Clayton Kershaw (0-1, 10.80 ERA) vs. Cardinals RH Shelby Miller (2014 regular season: 10-9, 3.74)

Kershaw gets the chance to redeem himself on three days' rest after imploding in the seventh inning of his series-opening loss. The overwhelming favorite to win his second straight Cy Young Award and third in four years, he entered the frame with a 6-2 lead but allowed hits to six of the eight batters he faced before being lifted and ultimately was charged with eight runs in 6 2/3 innings. The 26-year-old Kershaw also pitched on three days' rest in last year's NLDS, yielding two unearned runs and three hits over six innings in a no-decision against Atlanta.

Miller will be making his first career postseason start after allowing three runs over 4 1/3 innings in three relief appearances over the previous two years. The Houston native, who is three days shy of his 24th birthday, has not lost since Aug. 11 - going 2-0 over his final eight starts of the regular season. Miller, who made his only relief appearance of the campaign against the Dodgers on July 20, fell to 1-1 in five games - three starts - versus the club after surrendering six runs over five frames in a loss at Los Angeles on June 29.

TRENDS:

* Dodgers are 1-4 in Kershaw's last five road starts vs. Cardinals.
* Dodgers are 6-0 in their last six during game 4 of a series.
* Cardinals are 7-0 in their last seven home games vs. a left-handed starter.
* Over is 8-1 in Miller's last nine starts vs. National League West.

CONSENSUS: According to Consensus, 58.67 percent of bettors are supporting the Dodgers.

Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants (+120, 6.5)

Bryce Harper has provided the fireworks while Anthony Rendon has been far more consistent during the Washington Nationals' first three contests of the postseason. The duo will need more of the same if Washington hopes to stave off elimination when it visits the San Francisco Giants for Game 4 of their National League Division Series on Tuesday. Harper belted his second solo homer of the set to put an exclamation point on the Nationals' 4-1 win on Monday while Rendon added two singles to improve to 7-for-15 in the postseason.

When considering playoff success, look no further than Pablo Sandoval. The Giants' mammoth star ripped a pair of singles to extend his postseason hitting streak to 14 games, which is one shy of the NL record set by Atlanta's Marquis Grissom (1995-96) and three short of Hank Bauer (1956-58), Derek Jeter (1998-99) and Manny Ramirez (2003-04) for the major-league mark. Sandoval is just 1-for-10 in his career versus Tuesday starter Gio Gonzalez, while Harper has struck out four times while going 1-for-8 against San Francisco's Ryan Vogelsong.

TV: 9:07 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

LINE HISTORY: The Giants opened as +111 home dogs and are now +120. The total has held at 6.5.

WEATHER: Temperatures will be in the low-60s and wind will blow out to dead-centerfield at 11 mph.

POWER RANKINGS: Nationals (-199), Giants (-184)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Nationals LH Gio Gonzalez (10-10, 3.57 ERA) vs. Giants RH Ryan Vogelsong (8-13, 4.00)

Gonzalez finished the regular season with a flourish, winning four of his final five starts - highlighted by a 3-0 triumph over the New York Mets on Sept. 25 in which he allowed one hit and struck out a career-high 12 over seven innings. The 29-year-old recorded a 2.48 ERA in September, which is over a full run less than the mark he posted this season. Gonzalez owns a 2-2 career record versus the Giants but did not face them this season as he missed the series in June due to shoulder inflammation while his turn in the rotation didn't come to pass during the three-game set in Washington from Aug. 22-24.

While Gonzalez excelled in the final month, Vogelsong limped to an 0-4 mark with a 5.53 ERA in September. The 37-year-old permitted four runs for the third straight outing en route to a 4-1 setback to San Diego on Sept. 26. Vogelsong was blitzed for six runs in as many innings of a 9-2 loss to Washington on June 9 before receiving a no-decision after allowing three runs and four hits in 5 1/3 frames on Aug. 24.

TRENDS:

* Giants are 1-4 in their last five games with Hunter Wendelstedt behind home plate.
* Over is 3-1-1 in Vogelsong's last five starts vs. Nationals.
* Nationals are 5-0 in their last five road games.
* Giants are 2-8 in Vogelsong's last 10 home starts.

CONSENSUS: According to Consensus, 53.9 percent of bettors are behind the Nats.

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**Udog** · 10-07-2014, 01:32 PM

MLB

Tuesday, October 7

Giants struggling with Tuesday's home plate umpire

The San Francisco Giants are 1-4 in their last five ball games with Hunter Wendelstedt behind home plate and he'll be calling balls and strikes in Game 4 as the Giants host the Washington Nationals Tuesday.

The Giants are currently +120 home underdogs with Ryan Vogelsong on the bump, while the Nats are -130 road faves and hand the ball to Gio Gonzalez.

**Udog** · 10-07-2014, 01:37 PM

NHL

Tuesday, October 7

Canucks listed as slight road faves vs. Calgary

The 2013-14 NHL season was not a kind one for the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames, but they'll each have a clean slate for the 2014-15 campaign which kicks off featuring a battle of the two clubs in Calgary Wednesday.

The new-look Canucks are opened as slight -102 road faves for the matchup at Guts.com. As of 1:07 p.m. AST Tuesday, that line has since moved to -106.

Leafs open as home faves against Habs

The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens in an Original Six clash to kick off the 2014-15 NHL season Wednesday.

Guts.com opened the Leafs as -128 home favorites Early Tuesday morning. At 12:57 p.m. AST Tuesday it dropped to -123, before moving back up to -127 faves just 10 minutes later.

Book opens Bruins as heavy favorites vs. Flyers

The Boston Bruins, fresh off finishing first overall in the Eastern Conference in 2013-14, are getting early respect from oddsmakers in their first game of the 2014-15 season against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.

Guts.com opened the B's as -192 faves versus the Broad St. Bullies early Tuesday morning. That line has gone up to -200 since 1:17 p.m. AST.

Flyers struggling mightily in Beantown

The Philadelphia Flyers invade TD Garden for a season-opening date with the Boston Bruins Wednesday - an arena that hasn't been exactly friendly territory for the Broad Street Bullies.

The Flyers are just 1-6 in their last seven games in Boston. From a totals standpoint, the two clubs have been a boon for Over bettors, as the Over has gone 4-0 in their last four matchups.

Kings owning Sharks at Staples Center

The San Jose Sharks travel south and face the defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings in the first night of NHL action Wednesday, and trends are showing the Kings have been dominating their state rivals at the Staples Center.

San Jose is an ugly 1-10 in their last 11 games in Los Angeles. The two California-based clubs have been keeping the scorekeepers busy in recent games, as the Over has gone 5-1-1 in their last seven matchups.

Over bettors profiting in Habs-Leafs tilts

It's a new NHL season, and front and center on opening night Wednesday is an Original Six rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens.

Last season, the two clubs participated in quite a few high-scoring games. The Over has gone a perfect 5-0 in their last five meetings.

**Udog** · 10-07-2014, 04:23 PM

MLB
Short Sheet

Tuesday, October 7

LA Dodgers at St Louis, 5:05 ET
Kershaw: 23-5 TSR as a favorite of -110 or higher
Miller: ST LOUIS is 30-19 UNDER after 2 or more consecutive unders

Washington at San Francisco, 9:05 ET
Gonzalez: 48-20 TSR as a favorite of -125 to -175
Vogelsong: 36-18 TSR UNDER when the total is 7 or less

TSR = Team Start Record

**Udog** · 10-07-2014, 04:26 PM

MLB

Tuesday, October 7

Trend shows Cards having trouble in clinching games

The St. Louis Cardinals have an opportunity to close out their NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at home Tuesday, but trends are showing they haven't had the easiest time doing that.

The Cards are 3-5 in their last eight series clinching games over the previous two postseasons.

St. Louis is currently home -155 faves on the moneyline with a total of 6.5.

Vogelsong coming into Game 4 ice cold

The San Francisco Giants are sending Ryan Vogelsong to the mound in the hopes he can reverse his cold streak as of late. The rightie is 0-3 with a 5.06 ERA in his last three starts.

The Giants have not fared any better, going 2-8 in Vogelsong's past 10 starts.

'Vogey' and the Giants are currently +125 home dogs.

AT&T Park most pitcher friendly park in playoffs

AT&T Park is officially the top pitcher friendly ballpark left in the postseason. In the past 11 games in San Francisco, the under has cashed in eight times with an average run count of 5.5.

Batters at the home of the Giants have a .245 batting average and a .298 OBP through the regular season.

Announcement

Tuesday's Trends and Indexes - 10/7 (MLB, NHL, CFL, Misc.)

Tuesday's Trends and Indexes - 10/7 (MLB, NHL, CFL, Misc.)

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