Cnotes MLB News-Stats and POD'S Thru The World Series !

[CNOTES]

MLB
Dunkel

St. Louis at Pittsburgh
The Cardinals look to stay alive in the series and take advantage of a Pittsburgh team that is 0-5 in Charlie Morton's last 5 home starts against a team with a winning record. St. Louis is the pick (-120) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-120). Here are all of today's picks.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7

Game 925-926: Atlanta at LA Dodgers (9:30 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta (Garcia) 15.972; LA Dodgers (Nolasco) 14.863
Dunkel Line: Atlanta by 1; 9
Vegas Line: LA Dodgers (-150); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Atlanta (+130); Over

Game 927-928: St. Louis at Pittsburgh (3:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: St. Louis (Wacha) 17.107; Pittsburgh (Morton) 15.673
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 7
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-120); 7 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-120); Under

Game 929-930: Boston at Tampa Bay (6:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Boston (Buchholz) 16.964; Tampa Bay (Cobb) 16.124
Dunkel Line: Boston by 1; 6
Vegas Line: Tampa Bay (-115); 7
Dunkel Pick: Boston (-105); Under

Game 931-932: Oakland at Detroit (1:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Oakland (Parker) 14.371; Detroit (Sanchez) 15.904
Dunkel Line: Detroit by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: Detroit (-155); 7
Dunkel Pick: Detroit (-155); Over




MLB
Long Sheet

Monday, October 7

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ATLANTA (97 - 68) at LA DODGERS (94 - 71) - 9:35 PM
FREDDY GARCIA (R) vs. RICKY NOLASCO (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ATLANTA is 39-54 (-35.0 Units) against the money line in October games since 1997.
ATLANTA is 30-40 (-23.0 Units) against the money line in playoff games since 1997.
LA DODGERS are 94-71 (+6.1 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
LA DODGERS are 30-13 (+12.4 Units) against the money line as a home favorite of -125 to -150 over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 68-43 (+16.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
LA DODGERS are 21-11 (+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.
NOLASCO is 11-3 (+11.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season. (Team's Record)
NOLASCO is 7-0 (+8.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season. (Team's Record)
ATLANTA is 97-68 (+9.0 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ATLANTA is 96-67 (+9.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ATLANTA is 136-88 (+25.7 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 32-21 (+10.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
GARCIA is 111-72 (+31.2 Units) against the money line in road games since 1997. (Team's Record)
GARCIA is 9-0 (+10.4 Units) against the money line in road games in October games since 1997. (Team's Record)
GARCIA is 93-57 (+29.1 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
GARCIA is 53-31 (+21.0 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss since 1997. (Team's Record)
GARCIA is 57-34 (+28.6 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 6-4 (+1.8 Units) against LA DODGERS this season
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=-0.0 Units, Under=-1.1 Units)

FREDDY GARCIA vs. LA DODGERS since 1997
GARCIA is 1-1 when starting against LA DODGERS with an ERA of 2.89 and a WHIP of 1.286.
His team's record is 2-2 (-0.3 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-3. (-2.4 units)

RICKY NOLASCO vs. ATLANTA since 1997
NOLASCO is 6-10 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 5.19 and a WHIP of 1.538.
His team's record is 9-14 (-2.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 10-13. (-4.9 units)

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ST LOUIS (98 - 67) at PITTSBURGH (97 - 69) - 3:05 PM
MICHAEL WACHA (R) vs. CHARLIE MORTON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
ST LOUIS is 72-77 (-20.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 15-29 (-14.0 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 97-69 (+25.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 52-31 (+12.9 Units) against the money line in home games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 48-32 (+15.7 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
PITTSBURGH is 97-69 (+25.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
PITTSBURGH is 79-56 (+22.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
PITTSBURGH is 55-41 (+12.2 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
PITTSBURGH is 39-33 (+11.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 98-67 (+9.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
ST LOUIS is 98-67 (+9.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
ST LOUIS is 78-43 (+21.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
ST LOUIS is 46-21 (+20.4 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 12-10 (+3.1 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
15 of 21 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+9.0 Units)

MICHAEL WACHA vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
WACHA is 1-0 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.571.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

CHARLIE MORTON vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
MORTON is 2-9 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 6.52 and a WHIP of 1.907.
His team's record is 3-11 (-7.6 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-8. (-4.9 units)

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BOSTON (99 - 65) at TAMPA BAY (93 - 73) - 6:05 PM
CLAY BUCHHOLZ (R) vs. ALEX COBB (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 519-597 (+26.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997.
TAMPA BAY is 188-186 (+22.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.
BOSTON is 99-65 (+20.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
BOSTON is 44-37 (+6.0 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
BOSTON is 46-32 (+8.7 Units) against the money line against division opponents this season.
BOSTON is 70-50 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
BOSTON is 64-43 (+12.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
BUCHHOLZ is 14-2 (+11.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season. (Team's Record)
BUCHHOLZ is 7-0 (+7.6 Units) against the money line in road games this season. (Team's Record)
BUCHHOLZ is 11-1 (+10.1 Units) against the money line in night games this season. (Team's Record)
TAMPA BAY is 5-12 (-9.6 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 14-7 (+8.2 Units) against TAMPA BAY this season
14 of 21 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+6.1 Units)

CLAY BUCHHOLZ vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
BUCHHOLZ is 7-5 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 2.41 and a WHIP of 1.079.
His team's record is 8-8 (+0.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 5-10. (-5.4 units)

ALEX COBB vs. BOSTON since 1997
COBB is 2-2 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 4.19 and a WHIP of 1.345.
His team's record is 2-5 (-4.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 4-3. (+0.5 units)

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OAKLAND (97 - 67) at DETROIT (94 - 70) - 1:05 PM
JARROD PARKER (R) vs. ANIBAL SANCHEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 97-67 (+18.9 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
OAKLAND is 48-32 (+18.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
OAKLAND is 9-4 (+8.3 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +150 this season.
OAKLAND is 44-37 (+9.0 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
OAKLAND is 14-5 (+9.8 Units) against the money line when playing on Monday this season.
OAKLAND is 94-63 (+19.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
OAKLAND is 64-45 (+11.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
OAKLAND is 110-66 (+37.6 Units) against the money line after shutting out their opponent since 1997.
OAKLAND is 57-39 (+10.7 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
OAKLAND is 43-30 (+15.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
OAKLAND is 20-12 (+9.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
PARKER is 19-12 (+9.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
DETROIT is 94-70 (-11.8 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
DETROIT is 18-23 (-14.4 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 32-28 (-13.0 Units) against the money line in day games this season.
DETROIT is 90-67 (-12.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
SANCHEZ is 31-32 (-13.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
SANCHEZ is 30-31 (-12.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
OAKLAND is 5-4 (+2.6 Units) against DETROIT this season
6 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+2.7 Units)

JARROD PARKER vs. DETROIT since 1997
PARKER is 0-4 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 6.65 and a WHIP of 1.708.
His team's record is 0-4 (-4.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-1. (+2.0 units)

ANIBAL SANCHEZ vs. OAKLAND since 1997
SANCHEZ is 1-2 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 4.50 and a WHIP of 1.250.
His team's record is 1-3 (-3.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-3. (-2.2 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Monday, October 7

Pirates-Cardinals
Wacha lost a no-hitter in ninth inning in his last start; he is 2-3, 1.72 in his last five outings. Wacha blanked Pirates on two hits for seven innings on Sept 8.
Morton is 0-0, 1.86 in his last three starts; he allowed seven runs in 7.2 IP in two starts against the Cardinals this season.

Pirates won seven of their last nine games; they are 12-10 vs St Louis this year, but lost five of last seven meetings, allowing 46 runs. Five of their last six games went over the total.

Cardinals won seven of their last nine games overall, but need a win here to keep their season alive; four of their last five games went over the total.


Dodgers-Braves
Garcia (turned 37 Sunday) is 1-1, 1.83 in three starts for the Braves; five of his six big league starts this season stayed under the total. He didn't face LA.
Nolasco was 0-2, 13.85 in his last four outings, allowing 19 runs in 13 IP; he beat Braves July 3 in his last start for Miami, allowing two runs in seven IP.

Dodgers are 3-5 in their last eight games with last three going over the total. LA scored 13 runs last night, 22 in first three games of this series.

Six of last seven Atlanta games went over the total. Braves are 6-0 in the game following their last six losses; they're 6-4 against Dodgers this year, but 3-4 with Puig in lineup. Braves are 7-11 in their last 18 road games.


Rays-Red Sox
Buchholz is 6-1, 2.11 in his last seven starts; under is 3-1-1 in his last five road starts. He beat Tampa Bay twice this year, throwing 13 scoreless innings.
Cobb is 4-0, 0.90 in his last four starts, with last three staying under. He gave up three runs in 5.2 IP in his only '13 start vs Boston, on Sept 11.

Tampa Bay is home for first time since Sept. 23- they won seven of last nine at home, but lost first two games of this series, allowing 19 runs. Over is 5-2 in their last seven games. Rays are 7-14 vs Boston this year, 3-6 in the Trop.

Red Sox scored 57 runs in last six games (4-2); their last seven games went over the total. Boston is 2-4 in its last six away games.


Tigers-A's
Parker was 1-2, 9.82 in his last three starts; five of his last six starts went over the total. Parker gave up eight runs in 3.1 IP in an April start vs Detroit, after he was 0-2, 4.97 against them in LY's playoffs.
Sanchez is 4-2, 2.41 in his last six starts, but has a 4.68 RA in his last four at home. He is 1-0, 3.75 in two starts against the A's this season.

Detroit's last eight games stayed under the total- -they scored 17 runs in their last nine games, going scoreless in last 17 innings in this series. Tigers won six of their last eight home games.

Oakland is 5-4 vs Tigers this year, with road team winning six of nine games. A's won 17 of last 23 games, eight of last eleven on road. Nine of their last 13 games went over the total.




MLB

Monday, October 7

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Trend Report
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1:07 PM
OAKLAND vs. DETROIT
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Oakland's last 8 games when playing Detroit
Oakland is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Detroit
Detroit is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games

3:07 PM
ST. LOUIS vs. PITTSBURGH
St. Louis is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 7 of St. Louis's last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games when playing St. Louis

6:07 PM
BOSTON vs. TAMPA BAY
Boston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston's last 12 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games

9:37 PM
ATLANTA vs. LA DODGERS
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Atlanta's last 15 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing on the road against LA Dodgers
LA Dodgers are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 5 games when playing Atlanta


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MLB

Monday, October 7

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Monday's MLB ALDS betting: What bettors need to know
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Oakland A's at Detroit Tigers (-150, 7)

Series tied 1-1.

The Oakland Athletics are matching the vaunted Detroit Tigers’ rotation pitch-for-pitch. After settling for a split against Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, the Athletics will attempt to take the series lead when is shifts to Detroit for Game 3 on Monday. Tigers pitchers have notched 29 strikeouts in the first two games but the offense produced only two extra-base hits - both in the first inning of Game 1.

Detroit finished near the top of the majors in most offensive categories during the regular season and scored three runs in the first inning of Game 1 only to be held scoreless in the following 17. Oakland did not exactly tear the cover off the ball at home either, but Stephen Vogt got the hit that counted with his walk-off single in Game 2. Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera managed two hits in the first two contests and continues to battle groin and abdominal injuries.

TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, MLB Network

WEATHER: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s. Wind will blow across the field at 21 mph.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Jarrod Parker (12-8, 3.97 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Anibal Sanchez (14-8, 2.57)

Parker went 19 starts in between losses before falling flat in September. The 24-year-old allowed seven earned runs and failed to get through five innings in two of his last three starts. Parker made two starts against Detroit in the 2012 ALDS and lost both, surrendering a total of seven runs (six earned) on 14 hits in 12 2/3 innings.

Sanchez led the AL in ERA and finished strong by going 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA in five September starts. The Venezuela native struggled at home against Oakland on August 26, yielding four runs on five hits in five innings. Sanchez made one start against the Athletics in the 2012 ALDS and suffered a loss despite giving up just two runs in 6 1/3 frames.

TRENDS:

* Over is 15-5-1 in the last 21 meetings in Detroit.
* Athletics are 0-4 in Parker's last four starts vs. Tigers.
* Under is 8-0 in Tigers last eight overall.
* Athletics are 13-3 in their last 16 Monday games.

WALK-OFFS:

1. Tigers 1B Prince Fielder is 1-for-8 with a single in the series and 1-for-10 against Parker in his career.

2. Oakland LF Yoenis Cespedes is 4-for-8 with two runs scored and two RBIs in the series.

3. Detroit CF Austin Jackson has struck out five times in eight at-bats, including four times in Game 2.



Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays (-104, 7)

Red Sox lead series 2-0.

The Boston Red Sox are one game away from advancing to the American League Championship Series. They will attempt to close out the Division Series when they visit Tampa Bay for Game 3 on Monday. The Red Sox got all the breaks the quirky dimensions of their home park had to offer in the first two games and ended up tagging Tampa Bay pitching for 19 runs in the two contests.

The Rays struggled to figure out the “Green Monster” in left field and rookie Wil Myers endeared himself to the Boston fans with a big mistake in right during Game 1, but the familiar dimensions of their own stadium await in Game 3. Tampa Bay went 51-30 at home during the regular season, tied for the third-best home record in the AL behind the Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics. To get back in the series the Rays need to figure out a way to stop David Ortiz, who homered twice in Game 2 and contributed a key double in Game 1.

TV: 6:07 p.m. ET, TBS

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Clay Buchholz (12-1, 1.74 ERA) vs. Rays RH Alex Cobb (1-0, 0.00)

Buchholz went 3-1 with a 1.88 ERA in four starts after returning from a shoulder injury that cost him three months during the regular season. The 29-year-old made his return at Tampa Bay on Sept. 10 and struck out six in five scoreless innings to earn the win. Buchholz made only one previous postseason start, yielding two runs on six hits in five innings against the Los Angeles Angels in the 2009 ALDS.

Cobb pitched the Rays into the Division Series with 6 2/3 scoreless innings at Cleveland in the wild card game last Wednesday. The Boston native allowed a total of three runs in 30 innings while striking out 31 over his last four starts. Cobb had trouble with the Red Sox, however, going 0-1 with a 5.16 ERA in four starts against his hometown team during the regular season.

TRENDS:

* Rays are 0-4 in Cobb's last four starts vs. Red Sox.
* Under is 10-3 in the last 13 meetings.
* Red Sox are 11-3 in Buchholz's last 14 Monday starts.
* Road team is 6-1 in Dana DeMuth's last seven Monday games behind home plate.

WALK-OFFS:

1. Saturday marked the first multi-homer game of Ortiz’s postseason career. He is 1-for-6 lifetime against Cobb.

2. Myers is 1-for-13 with five strikeouts in his first three postseason games.

3. Boston closer Koji Uehara threw 11 pitches - all strikes - in earning the save in Game 2.


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MLB

Monday, October 7

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Cardinals at Pirates: What bettors need to know
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St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates (+107, 7.5)

Pirates lead series 2-1.

Having already put an end to a 21-year postseason drought, the Pittsburgh Pirates are on the brink of winning their first playoff series in 34 years. The Pirates will look for the clincher when they host the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Monday afternoon. Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series with a dramatic 5-3 victory in Sunday's Game 3, improving to 8-3 at home this season against the Cardinals.

St. Louis is pinning its hopes on 22-year-old rookie right-hander Michael Wacha to keep its season alive and force a winner-take-all Game 5 in St. Louis on Wednesday. The Pirates will counter with Charlie Morton, who has lost six consecutive decisions to the Cardinals and has not beaten them since April 4, 2011. Carlos Beltran has two homers and six RBIs in the series for St. Louis while Pedro Alvarez has two blasts and four RBIs for Pittsburgh.

TV: 3:07 p.m. ET, TBS

WEATHER: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s. Wind will blow out to left field at 15 mph.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cardinals RH Michael Wacha (4-1, 2.78 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Charlie Morton (7-4, 3.26)

Wacha forced his way into the playoff rotation with a stellar final month, not allowing a run in three of five outings in September and coming within one out of a no-hitter in his last start. He allowed only an infield single with out outs in the ninth and struck out a season-high nine to beat Washington on Sept. 24. Wacha also pitched seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball versus the Pirates on Sept. 8.

Morton has never had much success against the Cardinals and that continued this season with an 0-2 record, 7.90 ERA and .397 batting average against in three starts. That included a disastrous outing against Wacha last month in which he allowed five runs in a season-low 1 2/3 innings before leaving with a foot injury. Morton was a much better pitcher at home, logging a 2-2 record and 2.85 ERA in nine starts.

TRENDS:

* Over is 3-0-1 in Morton's last four starts vs. Cardinals.
* Cardinals are 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Cardinals are 0-5 in their last five during Game 4 of a series.
* Pirates are 7-1 in their last eight games as an underdog.

WALK-OFFS:

1. Pittsburgh trade-deadline acquisition Marlon Byrd has five RBIs in four postseason games, including the wild-card win over Cincinnati.

2. CF Jon Jay (8-for-16), C Yadier Molina (8-for-19) and Beltran (6-for-15) are all batting .400 or better versus Morton.

3. Beltran hit his 16th postseason homer Sunday, surpassing Babe Ruth for eighth place on the career list.

 

[CNOTES]

Monday, October 7

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Oakland 0 Bot 0 Oakland +136 500 POD # 1

Detroit 0 Under 7 500 POD # 2


St. Louis - 3:00 PM ET Pittsburgh +106 500 POD # 3

Pittsburgh - Over 7.5 500 POD # 4

 

[CNOTES]

Late Afternoon and Evening POD'S:


Boston - 6:00 PM ET Tampa Bay +103 500 POD # 2

Tampa Bay - Over 7 500 POD # 3


Atlanta - 9:30 PM ET LA Dodgers -150 500 POD # 1

LA Dodgers - Over 7.5 500 POD # 4

 

[CNOTES]

Tuesday's AL Playoff Action

October 8, 2013


Detroit vs. Oakland - 5:05 PM EST

Adjusted Series Price: Athletics (-250) Tigers (+210)
Series Format: Oakland (2-2-1)

Game 1 - Detroit, 3-2
Game 2 - Oakland, 1-0
Game 3 - Oakland, 6-3
Game 4 - Tuesday, Oct. 8
Game 5* - Thursday, Oct. 10

Records

Overall
Detroit - 94-71
Oakland - 98-67

Home
Detroit - 51-31

Away
Oakland - 45-37

Head-to-Head (10 Games)
Overall: Oakland 6-4
Comerica Park: Oakland 4-1

Total Notes (Over/Under)

Overall
Detroit - 82-77-6
Oakland - 85-76-4

Home
Detroit - 46-32-5

Away
Oakland - 45-34-3

Head-to-Head (10 Games)
Overall: Over - 7-3
Comerica Park: Over - 5-0

Game 4 Starters

Detroit - Doug Fister (14-9, 3.67 ERA)

-- The Tigers went 18-14 in Fister's 32 starts, 9-6 at home

-- The Tigers went 10-4 in his final 14 starts

-- Fister was racked in his previous start against Oakland, allowing 13 hits and seven earned runs in five innings of a 14-4 home defeat in late August.

-- The 'under' was 18-14 in Fister's starts, 8-7 to the 'under' at home.

-- Fister has put together a 2-2 career playoff record, while beating the Yankees as a road underdog to close out the 2011 ALDS.

Oakland - Dan Straily (10-8, 3.96 ERA)

-- The Athletics have gone 16-11 in Straily's 27 starts, which includes an 8-7 road mark.

-- The Athletics went 5-1 in Straily's final six starts.

-- Straily shut down the Tigers on August 28 at Comerica Park, allowing eight hits and one earned run in six innings of a 14-4 blowout.

-- Straily is making his first postseason start.

Tampa Bay vs. Boston - 8:35 PM EST

Adjusted Series Price: Red Sox (-400) Rays (+320)
Series Format: Boston (2-2-1)

Game 1 - Boston, 12-2
Game 2 - Boston, 7-4
Game 3 - Tampa Bay, 4-3
Game 4 - Tuesday, Oct. 8
Game 5* - Thursday, Oct. 10

Records

Overall
Tampa Bay - 94-73
Boston - 99-66

Home
Tampa Bay - 52-30

Away
Boston - 44-38

Head-to-Head (22 Games)
Overall: Boston 14-8
Tropicana Field: Boston 6-5

Total Notes (Over/Under)

Overall
Tampa Bay - 79-79-9
Boston - 77-81

Home
Tampa Bay - 39-39-4

Away
Boston - 41-38

Head-to-Head (19 Games)
Overall: Under - 14-8
Tropicana Field: Under - 5-5

Game 4 Starters

Tampa Bay - Jeremy Hellickson (12-10, 5.17 ERA)

-- The Rays went 17-14 in Hellickson's 31 appearances, 11-4 at home.

-- The Rays went 3-6 in Hellickson's last nine starts.

-- Hellickson beat the Red Sox twice in three starts this season. Hellickson tossed 18 1/3 innings and allowed seven earned runs in his three starts against Boston.

-- Hellickson hit the 'over' in eight of 15 home starts this season, while the 'under' hit in all three starts against Boston.

-- Hellickson's last playoff start came against Texas in 2011, a 4-3 loss in which he allowed four innings and three earned runs.

Boston - Jake Peavy (12-5, 5.17 ERA)

-- The Red Sox went 5-5 in Peavy's 10 appearances since getting acquired from Chicago, while going 3-4 on road.

-- Peavy split a pair of starts against Tampa Bay this season. The righty beat the Rays as a member of the White Sox in April, 5-4 as a home favorite, while losing with Boston in September at Tropicana Field, 4-3.

-- Peavy allowed six earned runs in 12 2/3 innings of work against Tampa Bay this season.

-- Peavy saw the 'over' go 11-10-2 on the season, as the 'over' was 8-5 in his 13 road starts.

-- In two postseason starts with the Padres, Peavy lost to the Cardinals twice in 2005 and 2006, while allowing five earned runs in five innings of the '06 NLDS.

 

[CNOTES]

2013 MLB Playoff Results

October 8, 2013

-- Favorites are 11-5 this postseason

-- Favorites that have won are 7-4 on the run-line

-- Home teams are 10-6 this postseason

-- The Over is 12-4 in the postseason

National League Divisional Series

St. Louis vs. Pittsburgh (Series tied 2-2)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Pittsburgh at St. Louis (-145) 9-1 Favorite Over 6 ½

2 Pittsburgh (+116) at St. Louis 7-1 Underdog Over 7

3 St. Louis at Pittsburgh (-165) 5-3 Favorite Over 6 ½

4 St. Louis (-119) at Pittsburgh 2-1 Favorite Under 6 ½

5 Pittsburgh at St. Louis Wednesday, Oct. 9 - -


Atlanta vs. Los Angeles (Dodgers win series 3-1)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Los Angeles (-140) at Atlanta 6-1 Favorite Over 6

2 Los Angeles at Atlanta (+103) 4-3 Underdog Over 6 ½

3 Atlanta at Los Angeles (-140) 13-6 Favorite Over 6 ½

4 Atlanta at Los Angeles (-230) 4-3 Favorite Over 6 ½


American League Divisional Series

Boston vs. Tampa Bay (Red Sox lead 2-0)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Tampa Bay at Boston (-140) 12-2 Favorite Over 7 ½

2 Tampa Bay at Boston (+100) 7-4 Underdog Over 7 ½

3 Boston at Tampa Bay (-105) 5-4 Favorite Over 7

4 Boston at Tampa Bay Tuesday, Oct. 8 - -

5* Tampa Bay at Boston Thursday, Oct. 10 - -


Oakland vs. Detroit (A's lead 2-1)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Detroit (-118) at Oakland 3-2 Favorite Under 6 ½

2 Detroit at Oakland (+105) 1-0 Underdog Under 7

3 Oakland (+135) at Detroit 6-3 Underdog Over 7 ½

4 Oakland at Detroit Tuesday, Oct. 8 - -

5* Detroit at Oakland Thursday, Oct. 10 - -


Wild Card

Wild Card Game

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

NL Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-145) 6-2 Favorite Over 6 ½

AL Tampa Bay (-110) at Cleveland 4-0 Favorite Under 7

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Athletics (96-66) at Tigers (93-69)
Game: 4
Venue: O.co Coliseum
Date: October 08, 2013 5:07 PM EDT


After struggling in the first two games against the Detroit Tigers, Oakland's lineup finally came to life against one of the league's top pitchers.

One win from reaching the AL championship series for the first time in seven years, the Athletics face a pitcher they knocked around just over a month ago.

The A's look to build on their latest showing and again frustrate Doug Fister as they try to close out the Tigers in Game 4 at Comerica Park on Tuesday.

Despite splitting the two AL division series games in Oakland, the A's looked a bit shaky having totaled three runs and three extra-base hits. Things didn't look promising Monday with a matchup against Anibal Sanchez, the AL's ERA leader at 2.57, but Oakland took him deep three times on its way to a 6-3 victory.

Brandon Moss, Josh Reddick and Seth Smith homered off the pitcher who allowed an AL-best 0.45 homers per nine innings during the regular season.

"We're going to strike out and we're going to hit the long ball, so once we get those going, it's going to be a good day," Reddick told the Athletics' official website. "And to do it against a guy like Sanchez, who's been great all year, it does a lot for your confidence coming into (Tuesday)."

The A's, though, should already be brimming with confidence considering they tagged Fister (14-9, 3.67 ERA) for season highs of seven runs and 13 hits in five innings of a 14-4 win Aug. 28.

Fister, however, did throw seven innings of two-run ball against Oakland in Game 2 of last year's ALDS. He owns a 1.71 ERA over five career postseason starts but had good and bad performances over this season's final 5 1/2 weeks. The right-hander had a 1.32 ERA in four outings and a 7.58 mark in the other three.

Things got interesting in the ninth inning of Game 3 when A's closer Grant Balfour and Detroit hitter Victor Martinez started shouting at each other after a foul ball, causing benches and bullpens to empty. Martinez took exception to the normally fiery Balfour yelling in his direction.

"There's no tricks. We've got to win the game (Tuesday) to try to extend it to Game 5. It's that simple," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.

The A's, who last made the ALCS in 2006 when they were swept by Detroit, are also focused on winning Game 4 so they avoid another matchup with Game 1 winner Max Scherzer.

"We look at it as we have one to win one. If we get to five, we get to Game 5," Moss said. "This is not a team you want to give any momentum to. They're too good."

Moss is hitting .444 with five homers, 11 RBIs and eight runs in five games at Comerica Park this season. He is 3 for 5 with a double against Fister, including the playoffs.

The A's turn to Dan Straily (10-8, 3.96), who was strong during Oakland's playoff push, going 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA in his final six starts. That stretch began opposite Fister at Comerica Park, when the right-hander gave up a run and eight hits in six innings.

"We either score runs or we go home," said AL batting champion Miguel Cabrera, who is 3 for 12 in the series.

Cabrera has reached base in all 27 of his postseason games with the Tigers, but he's been slowed by groin problems and was charged with an error in the third inning that led to the game's first run Monday.

"This is on everybody," Cabrera said. "We all need to do better."

Coco Crisp, who had two doubles and a single Monday, is batting .368 (7 for 19) in all matchups with Fister.

Crisp's first-inning double came just past the outstretched arm of a diving Torii Hunter. The Detroit right fielder injured his left shoulder on the play but stayed in and is expected to be in the lineup for Game 4.

Hunter has two singles in 10 at_bats in this series but has feasted on Straily's pitching, going 7 for 10 with three homers and a double.

"To be down, 2-1, the pressure's off us," Hunter told the Tigers' official website. "We can go out there, play our game and not worry about too much."

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Red Sox (97-65) at Rays (92-71)
Game: 4
Venue: Fenway Park
Date: October 08, 2013 8:37 PM EDT


The Tampa Bay Rays have developed a penchant for thriving in elimination games.

They'll need to come through one more time to give themselves a chance at their second AL championship series appearance.

The Rays look to build on a dramatic win when they host the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night in Game 4 of their AL division series.

Facing elimination for the fourth time in a span of nine days, Jose Lobaton's walkoff solo homer with two outs in the ninth off Koji Uehara led Tampa Bay to a 5-4 victory on Monday, trimming Boston's series edge to 2-1.

"It's unbelievable. It's something you can't explain,' said Lobaton, who came off the bench to catch in the top of the inning before hitting just his 10th home run in his 500th career at-bat including both regular-season and playoff games.

Uehara hadn't surrendered a homer since June 30.

The Rays produced the rest of their runs on a three-run shot in the fifth by Evan Longoria - the ninth of his postseason career - and an RBI groundout by Delmon Young in the eighth.

"We never give up," Lobaton said. "We're going to keep fighting."

Last week, Tampa Bay won its regular-season finale to force a tiebreaker, which it won against Texas to reach the postseason. The Rays then knocked off Cleveland in the AL wild-card game.

Monday will have to be the first of three straight victories, however, for Tampa Bay to become just the fifth AL team in the last 23 to win a division series after falling into a 2-0 hole.

"I'm sure there's an attitude they have nothing to lose and just let it all hang out," Boston manager John Farrell said. "That's what we've been accustomed to for years against the Rays. As I mentioned before the series started, we have tremendous respect for them and we know it will be a very similar game tomorrow night."

The Rays will likely need better pitching from Jeremy Hellickson (12-10, 5.17) than what he showed to end the year. He went 1-7 with a 7.53 ERA over his final 10 starts.

"I haven't really given them a good reason to send me back out there these last few months," he told the team's official website. "It's really nice that they still have confidence in me to go out there."

Hellickson went 1-0 with a 3.44 ERA in three matchups with Boston this season. The right-hander allowed three runs - all homers - in four innings during his only career postseason start, a loss to Texas in Game 4 of the 2011 ALDS as the Rays were eliminated from the playoffs.

Jake Peavy (12-5, 4.17) will get the ball for the Red Sox for his first playoff start in seven years. He'll try to shake off some postseason demons as he lost both his previous two postseason outings while posting a 12.10 ERA for San Diego.

Peavy also endured a somewhat rough stretch to end the year, giving up three or more runs in each of his four September outings. The right-hander also issued 13 walks in those games after recording eight bases_on_balls in his previous 10 starts.

He's gone 3-1 in six starts versus Tampa Bay with a 4.91 ERA. He gave up homers to Longoria, Matt Joyce and Desmond Jennings while posting a 1-0 record in two starts against the Rays this year.

James Loney, who was 3 for 3 Monday to improve to 6 for 12 in this year's playoffs, is 10 for 31 with two homers and five doubles against Peavy.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia is 8 for 25 versus Hellickson with three homers and three doubles, while David Ortiz is 9 for 24 with three home runs and seven walks.

Rays manager Joe Maddon said rookie outfielder Wil Myers is expected to be OK for Tuesday's game after leaving prior to the eighth inning Monday due to cramps.

 

[CNOTES]

Tuesday, October 8

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


BOSTON (99 - 66) at TAMPA BAY (94 - 73) - 8:35 PM
JAKE PEAVY (R) vs. JEREMY HELLICKSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
BOSTON is 116-118 (-22.8 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
PEAVY is 1-8 (-9.8 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TAMPA BAY is 520-597 (+27.5 Units) against the money line against division opponents since 1997.
TAMPA BAY is 189-186 (+23.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1997.
BOSTON is 99-66 (+19.4 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
BOSTON is 64-44 (+11.4 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
BOSTON is 44-21 (+20.3 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
TAMPA BAY is 34-43 (-19.1 Units) against the money line when playing on Tuesday over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BOSTON is 14-8 (+7.2 Units) against TAMPA BAY this season
14 of 22 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+4.8 Units)

JAKE PEAVY vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
PEAVY is 3-1 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 4.91 and a WHIP of 1.364.
His team's record is 3-3 (+0.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-2. (+2.0 units)

JEREMY HELLICKSON vs. BOSTON since 1997
HELLICKSON is 4-2 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 3.93 and a WHIP of 1.282.
His team's record is 7-5 (+2.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 7-5. (+1.2 units)

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


OAKLAND (98 - 67) at DETROIT (94 - 71) - 5:05 PM
DANIEL STRAILY (R) vs. DOUG FISTER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 98-67 (+20.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
OAKLAND is 10-4 (+9.7 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +125 to +150 this season.
OAKLAND is 45-37 (+10.4 Units) against the money line in road games this season.
OAKLAND is 95-63 (+21.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
OAKLAND is 65-45 (+12.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
OAKLAND is 58-39 (+12.0 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
OAKLAND is 44-30 (+16.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
OAKLAND is 21-12 (+10.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
STRAILY is 17-7 (+10.3 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
DETROIT is 94-71 (-13.2 Units) against the money line in all games this season.
DETROIT is 32-29 (-14.4 Units) against the money line in day games this season.
DETROIT is 90-68 (-13.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
OAKLAND is 6-4 (+4.0 Units) against DETROIT this season
7 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+3.7 Units)

DANIEL STRAILY vs. DETROIT since 1997
STRAILY is 1-0 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 1.50 and a WHIP of 1.667.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

DOUG FISTER vs. OAKLAND since 1997
FISTER is 5-5 when starting against OAKLAND with an ERA of 3.12 and a WHIP of 1.295.
His team's record is 6-7 (-0.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-6. (-0.8 units)

 

[CNOTES]

Tuesday, October 8
Game Score Status Pick Amount
Boston - 8:30 PM ET Boston -119 500
Tampa Bay - Under 7.5 500

 

[CNOTES]

Game 5 - Pirates at Cardinals

October 9, 2013

The first winner-takes-all game of the Divisional Round happens in St. Louis on Wednesday night. The Cardinals and Pirates have traded two victories apiece as the two NL Central rivals play one more time for the right to play the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

After splitting a pair of games at Busch Stadium, the Pirates pulled in front with a 5-3 victory in Game 3, but the offense dried up in a Game 4 loss on Monday. Pittsburgh's offense racked up only one hit against Michael Wacha in a 2-1 defeat, setting up tonight's decisive Game 5 with both pitchers on the mound that have dominated in their first appearances in the series.

Adam Wainwright (19-9, 2.94 ERA) shut down the Pittsburgh offense in the series opener, 9-1 as a $1.40 home favorite by scattering three hits and one earned run in seven innings of work. Wainwright struck out nine batters, while the Cardinals improved to 6-0 in his last six starts since September 7. The start of this hot streak came against Pittsburgh in a 5-0 shutout in early September, as the righty has allowed a total of five hits and one earned run in 14 innings of work.

The St. Louis offense provided Wainwright with a healthy 7-0 advantage in the third inning of Game 1 thanks to a seven-run outburst. Carlos Beltran drilled a three-run homer as the Cards chased A.J. Burnett, who recorded just six outs in the loss. However, the Pirates' ship wasn't going to sink after that blowout defeat heading into Game 2.

Pittsburgh's season comes down to the right arm of Gerrit Cole (10-7, 3.22 ERA), as the former UCLA standout limited the Cardinals to two hits and one earned run in six innings of a 7-1 blowout in Game 2. Since the beginning of September, the Pirates have won all six of Cole's starts, including road underdog wins at Texas and St. Louis. In seven of Cole's last nine outings, the Pirates have limited their opponents to two runs or less, but that resulted in just a 5-4 record to the 'under.'

The first three games of this series finished 'over' the total, until Monday's 2-1 decision that obviously went 'under' the total. Five of the last six meetings at Busch Stadium have hit the 'over,' with the winning club scoring at least five runs each time.

The Cardinals have won seven of 11 home meetings with the Pirates this season, including three victories by Wainwright. St. Louis has been in this situation before, winning Game 5 of the NLDS each of the last two Octobers against Philadelphia (2011) and Washington (2012). Last season was perhaps the most memorable comeback in the elimination contest, as the Cardinals rallied from a 6-0 deficit to stun the Nationals, 9-7 to advance to the NLCS.

The Pirates were last in this scenario back in 1992, when Pittsburgh fell in walk-off style to Atlanta on the famous Francisco Cabrera single against Stan Belinda to score the fleet-of-foot Sid Bream and push the Braves into the World Series. Pittsburgh has been on fire recently as a road underdog, posting a 7-1 record since getting swept at St. Louis in early September.

St. Louis is listed as a $1.60 home favorite, while the total is set at 6 ½. This elimination contest can be seen on TBS starting at 8:00 PM EST.

 

[CNOTES]

2013 MLB Playoff Results

October 9, 2013

-- Favorites are 13-5 this postseason
-- Favorites that have won are 9-4 on the run-line
-- Home teams are 11-7 this postseason
-- The Over is 13-5 in the postseason

National League Divisional Series

St. Louis vs. Pittsburgh (Series tied 2-2)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Pittsburgh at St. Louis (-145) 9-1 Favorite Over 6 ½

2 Pittsburgh (+116) at St. Louis 7-1 Underdog Over 7

3 St. Louis at Pittsburgh (-165) 5-3 Favorite Over 6 ½

4 St. Louis (-119) at Pittsburgh 2-1 Favorite Under 6 ½

5 Pittsburgh at St. Louis Wednesday, Oct. 9 - -


Atlanta vs. Los Angeles (Dodgers win series 3-1)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Los Angeles (-140) at Atlanta 6-1 Favorite Over 6

2 Los Angeles at Atlanta (+103) 4-3 Underdog Over 6 ½

3 Atlanta at Los Angeles (-140) 13-6 Favorite Over 6 ½

4 Atlanta at Los Angeles (-230) 4-3 Favorite Over 6 ½


American League Divisional Series

Boston vs. Tampa Bay (Red Sox win series 3-1)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Tampa Bay at Boston (-140) 12-2 Favorite Over 7 ½

2 Tampa Bay at Boston (+100) 7-4 Underdog Over 7 ½

3 Boston at Tampa Bay (-105) 5-4 Favorite Over 7

4 Boston (-119) at Tampa Bay 3-1 Favorite Under 7 ½


Oakland vs. Detroit (Series tied 2-2)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Detroit (-118) at Oakland 3-2 Favorite Under 6 ½

2 Detroit at Oakland (+105) 1-0 Underdog Under 7

3 Oakland (+135) at Detroit 6-3 Underdog Over 7 ½

4 Oakland at Detroit (-145) 8-6 Favorite Over 7 ½

5 Detroit at Oakland Thursday, Oct. 10 - -


Wild Card

Wild Card Game

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

NL Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-145) 6-2 Favorite Over 6 ½

AL Tampa Bay (-110) at Cleveland 4-0 Favorite Under 7

 

[CNOTES]

Preview: Pirates (94-68) at Cardinals (97-65)
Game: 5
Venue: Busch Stadium
Date: October 09, 2013 8:07 PM EDT


ST. LOUIS (AP) - Heading into Game 5 of their NL division series against Pittsburgh, the Cardinals can take comfort in this: They're 7-1 the last three years when facing postseason elimination.

Manager Mike Matheny said poise comes from a mind-set of sticking to routine that is established during spring training.

``We saw it in Pittsburgh, and I anticipate seeing it tomorrow,' Matheny said Tuesday after most players attended an optional workout. ``They show up like it's another - it's another great day.'

Starter Adam Wainwright was loose and playful on the podium, joking that he got knocked out early on purpose in last year's division series finale at Washington to ``get the mojo flowing.' He tore a page from the Tony La Russa quote book, declining to discuss possible wrinkles for Game 5, turning to Matheny and asking, ``Is that a scouting report? That's a scouting report.'

Though this is the Pittsburgh Pirates' first playoff appearance since 1992, they've looked seasoned, too.

``This is obviously an exciting time, a high-pressure situation, and you know, this is what you prepare for all year,' rookie starter Gerrit Cole said. ``Yeah, it's extremely exciting, and I can't wait.'

The Pirates will be facing an opponent they all know too well. It'll be the 24th meeting of the season, with strong stretches on both sides and the Pirates holding a 12-11 edge.

``You've got to meet the demands of the game,' manager Clint Hurdle said. ``I don't think I've been in a game where somebody just didn't show up.'

Runs figure to be at a premium. Michael Wacha flirted with a no-hitter for the second straight game on Monday, holding Pittsburgh hitless until Pedro Alvarez's eighth-inning homer, and St. Louis held on for a 2-1 win that brought the series back to Busch Stadium.

Wainwright allowed a run in seven innings in the opener and is 5-0 in his last six starts. The 19-game winner became the third pitcher in franchise history to twice lead the league in victories, joining Dizzy Dean and Mort Cooper. Wainwright embraces the role of ace he inherited from injured Chris Carpenter.

Last season was Wainwright's first year back from reconstructive elbow surgery, and he described his stuff as ``hit or miss.' He allowed six runs in 2 1-3 innings in Game 5 of the division series against the Nationals, then rebounded to beat San Francisco in Game 4 of the NL championship series.

``This year I have all the confidence in the world in my stuff,' Wainwright said. ``It's a completely different situation.'

Wainwright leans on advice injured closer Jason Isringhausen gave him in 2006 - just breathe. Then a rookie, Wainwright got the final out in the NLCS and the World Series. He said the bullpen experience taught him the ``urgency of each pitch.'

``Going out there and getting a guy out one time like it's going to be the last time you ever face him, that's the mentality I took into starting,' Wainwright said. ``I have to give it everything I've got every pitch until they take the ball from me.'

Cole made a dazzling postseason debut in Game 2, when he retired 11 consecutive hitters. Now that they've seen him, the Cardinals expect to have more success against him.

``I think it's going to help big-time,' Matt Adams said. ``We're going to know how the ball's coming out of his hand and know what his tendencies are.'

Of course, Cole has seen them, too.

``So it's just going to come down to executing a handful of pitches, being able to hit the spot or execute the pitch when I need to,' Cole said.

Statistically, the series is almost dead even. The Pirates are batting .236 with 14 runs, while the Cardinals are hitting .192 with 15 runs.

Matheny said leadoff man Matt Carpenter, in a 1-for-15 slide with six strikeouts, has been trying too hard.

``Looks like he's seeing the ball better,' Matheny said. ``What he's guilty of is carrying too much and feeling like he's got to do something extra special.'

Alvarez has three homers and five RBIs for the Pirates, and NL MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen is batting .357. But leadoff man Starling Marte 1 for 15 and Neil Walker is hitless in 16 at_bats.

Hurdle said he wasn't contemplating changes for Game 5.

``These men are both capable and they have done it in the past,' Hurdle said. ``We have been pitched effectively in a couple different spots. I have every confidence that tomorrow night will be the night that they get going.'

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

MLB HEAD TO HEAD

Oct 7, 2013 Score ATS Results
STL « 2 Cover: +100
PIT 1 Under: 3
Tools: Boxscores • Recaps

Oct 6, 2013 Score ATS Results
STL 3 Over: 8
PIT « 5 Cover: +100
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Oct 4, 2013 Score ATS Results
PIT « 7 Cover: +116
STL 1 Over: 8
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Oct 3, 2013 Score ATS Results
PIT 1 Over: 10
STL « 9 Cover: +100
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Sep 8, 2013 Score ATS Results
PIT 2 Over: 11
STL « 9 Cover: +100
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Sep 7, 2013 Score ATS Results
PIT 0 Under: 5
STL « 5 Cover: +100
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Sep 6, 2013 Score ATS Results
PIT 8 Over: 20
STL « 12 Cover: +100
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Sep 1, 2013 Score ATS Results
STL « 7 Cover: +100
PIT 2 Over: 9
Tools: Boxscores • Recaps

Aug 31, 2013 Score ATS Results
STL 1 Over: 8
PIT « 7 Cover: +100
Tools: Boxscores • Recaps

Aug 30, 2013 Score ATS Results
STL 0 Under: 5
PIT « 5 Cover: +100
Tools: Boxscores • Recaps

 

[CNOTES]

Game 5 - Pirates at Cardinals

October 9, 2013

The first winner-takes-all game of the Divisional Round happens in St. Louis on Wednesday night. The Cardinals and Pirates have traded two victories apiece as the two NL Central rivals play one more time for the right to play the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

After splitting a pair of games at Busch Stadium, the Pirates pulled in front with a 5-3 victory in Game 3, but the offense dried up in a Game 4 loss on Monday. Pittsburgh's offense racked up only one hit against Michael Wacha in a 2-1 defeat, setting up tonight's decisive Game 5 with both pitchers on the mound that have dominated in their first appearances in the series.

Adam Wainwright (19-9, 2.94 ERA) shut down the Pittsburgh offense in the series opener, 9-1 as a $1.40 home favorite by scattering three hits and one earned run in seven innings of work. Wainwright struck out nine batters, while the Cardinals improved to 6-0 in his last six starts since September 7. The start of this hot streak came against Pittsburgh in a 5-0 shutout in early September, as the righty has allowed a total of five hits and one earned run in 14 innings of work.

The St. Louis offense provided Wainwright with a healthy 7-0 advantage in the third inning of Game 1 thanks to a seven-run outburst. Carlos Beltran drilled a three-run homer as the Cards chased A.J. Burnett, who recorded just six outs in the loss. However, the Pirates' ship wasn't going to sink after that blowout defeat heading into Game 2.

Pittsburgh's season comes down to the right arm of Gerrit Cole (10-7, 3.22 ERA), as the former UCLA standout limited the Cardinals to two hits and one earned run in six innings of a 7-1 blowout in Game 2. Since the beginning of September, the Pirates have won all six of Cole's starts, including road underdog wins at Texas and St. Louis. In seven of Cole's last nine outings, the Pirates have limited their opponents to two runs or less, but that resulted in just a 5-4 record to the 'under.'

The first three games of this series finished 'over' the total, until Monday's 2-1 decision that obviously went 'under' the total. Five of the last six meetings at Busch Stadium have hit the 'over,' with the winning club scoring at least five runs each time.

The Cardinals have won seven of 11 home meetings with the Pirates this season, including three victories by Wainwright. St. Louis has been in this situation before, winning Game 5 of the NLDS each of the last two Octobers against Philadelphia (2011) and Washington (2012). Last season was perhaps the most memorable comeback in the elimination contest, as the Cardinals rallied from a 6-0 deficit to stun the Nationals, 9-7 to advance to the NLCS.

The Pirates were last in this scenario back in 1992, when Pittsburgh fell in walk-off style to Atlanta on the famous Francisco Cabrera single against Stan Belinda to score the fleet-of-foot Sid Bream and push the Braves into the World Series. Pittsburgh has been on fire recently as a road underdog, posting a 7-1 record since getting swept at St. Louis in early September.

St. Louis is listed as a $1.60 home favorite, while the total is set at 6 ½. This elimination contest can be seen on TBS starting at 8:00 PM EST.
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

 

[CNOTES]

2013 MLB Playoff Results

October 9, 2013

-- Favorites are 13-5 this postseason
-- Favorites that have won are 9-4 on the run-line
-- Home teams are 11-7 this postseason
-- The Over is 13-5 in the postseason

National League Divisional Series

St. Louis vs. Pittsburgh (Series tied 2-2)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Pittsburgh at St. Louis (-145) 9-1 Favorite Over 6 ½

2 Pittsburgh (+116) at St. Louis 7-1 Underdog Over 7

3 St. Louis at Pittsburgh (-165) 5-3 Favorite Over 6 ½

4 St. Louis (-119) at Pittsburgh 2-1 Favorite Under 6 ½

5 Pittsburgh at St. Louis Wednesday, Oct. 9 - -


Atlanta vs. Los Angeles (Dodgers win series 3-1)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Los Angeles (-140) at Atlanta 6-1 Favorite Over 6

2 Los Angeles at Atlanta (+103) 4-3 Underdog Over 6 ½

3 Atlanta at Los Angeles (-140) 13-6 Favorite Over 6 ½

4 Atlanta at Los Angeles (-230) 4-3 Favorite Over 6 ½


American League Divisional Series

Boston vs. Tampa Bay (Red Sox win series 3-1)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Tampa Bay at Boston (-140) 12-2 Favorite Over 7 ½

2 Tampa Bay at Boston (+100) 7-4 Underdog Over 7 ½

3 Boston at Tampa Bay (-105) 5-4 Favorite Over 7

4 Boston (-119) at Tampa Bay 3-1 Favorite Under 7 ½


Oakland vs. Detroit (Series tied 2-2)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Detroit (-118) at Oakland 3-2 Favorite Under 6 ½

2 Detroit at Oakland (+105) 1-0 Underdog Under 7

3 Oakland (+135) at Detroit 6-3 Underdog Over 7 ½

4 Oakland at Detroit (-145) 8-6 Favorite Over 7 ½

5 Detroit at Oakland Thursday, Oct. 10 - -


Wild Card

Wild Card Game

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

NL Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-145) 6-2 Favorite Over 6 ½

AL Tampa Bay (-110) at Cleveland 4-0 Favorite Under 7
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

 

[CNOTES]

MLB
Dunkel

Pittsburgh at St. Louis
The Cardinals look to close out the series and build on their 4-0 record in Adam Wainwright's last 4 starts with the run total set at 6 1/2 or lower. St. Louis is the pick (-155) according to Dunkel, which has the Cardinals favored by 1 1/2. Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-155). Here are all of today's picks.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9

Game 951-952: Pittsburgh at St. Louis (8:00 p.m. EST)
Dunkel Ratings: Pittsburgh (Cole) 15.441; St. Louis (Wainwright) 16.814
Dunkel Line: St. Louis by 1 1/2; 8
Vegas Line: St. Louis (-155); 6 1/2
Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-155); Over



MLB
Long Sheet

Wednesday, October 9

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PITTSBURGH is 97-70 (+24.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field this season.
PITTSBURGH is 64-40 (+19.9 Units) against the money line in night games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 79-57 (+21.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters this season.
PITTSBURGH is 42-27 (+14.9 Units) against the money line after a loss this season.
PITTSBURGH is 39-34 (+10.0 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
ST LOUIS is 52-45 (-9.5 Units) against the money line after a win this season.
ST LOUIS is 73-77 (-19.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 12-11 (+2.1 Units) against ST LOUIS this season
15 of 22 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL this season . (Over=+8.0 Units)

GERRIT COLE vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
COLE is 1-0 when starting against ST LOUIS with an ERA of 1.50 and a WHIP of 0.500.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.1 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

ADAM WAINWRIGHT vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
WAINWRIGHT is 10-4 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 4.43 and a WHIP of 1.342.
His team's record is 12-7 (+0.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 13-2. (+11.2 units)

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MLB
Armadillo's Write-Up

Wednesday, October 9

Pirates-Cardinals
Cole is 5-0, 1.41 in his last five starts, allowing one run on two hits in six IP in his one start vs St Louis this year- -his last three starts went over the total.

Wainwright is 4-0, 2.33 in his last four starts, 2-0, 2.57 in four starts against the Pirates this season.

Pirates won six of last eight ganes; they were held to one run in each series loss, scored 5-7 in wins-- four of their last five games went over the total.

Cardinals won 10 of their last 13 games, seven of last eight at home. In their last 14 games, over is 8-4-2.




MLB

Wednesday, October 9

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
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8:07 PM
PITTSBURGH vs. ST. LOUIS
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
Pittsburgh is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
St. Louis is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home


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MLB

Wednesday, October 9

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pirates at Cardinals: What bettors need to know
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Pittsburgh Pirates at St. Louis Cardinals (-148, 6.5)

Series tied 2-2.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny gambled and won on his rookie sensation and now gets to play his ace in the highest-stakes game of the season. Matheny will send 19-game winner Adam Wainwright to the mound against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday in a winner-take-all Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Matheny resisted the urge to pitch Wainwright in Game 4 and was rewarded when 22-year-old Michael Wacha took a no-hitter into the eighth in a 2-1 victory.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is rolling the dice with his pitching staff, bypassing Game 1 starter A.J. Burnett in favor of rookie Gerrit Cole, who was outstanding in winning Game 2. Pittsburgh has not captured a postseason series in 34 years and faces the daunting task of winning a deciding game on the road against a team that is 7-1 in playoff elimination games since 2011. The Pirates' only hit in Game 4 came on a home run by Pedro Alvarez, his third of the series.

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

WEATHER: Temperatures in the mid 60s with clear skies and winds blowing SE at 5 mph.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Gerrit Cole (1-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. RH Adam Wainwright (1-0, 1.29)

Cole pitched more like a staff ace than a 23-year-old rookie in Game 2, allowing only one run on two hits in six innings to win his fifth consecutive start. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft has yielded five runs during his winning streak and has permitted more than five hits only once in his last six outings. He thrived away from Pittsburgh with a 4-2 mark and 2.38 ERA in seven regular-season road starts.

Wainwright was staked to an early seven-run lead and dominated in Game 1, limiting the Pirates to one run on three hits and striking out nine over seven innings. A winner of four straight starts, he stymied Pittsburgh on Sept. 7 in St. Louis, giving up only two hits in seven scoreless frames. Wainwright was 9-6 with a 2.53 ERA and four complete games in 17 home starts while holding hitters to a .217 batting average.

TRENDS:

* Over is 13-1-4 in Wainwright's last 18 starts vs. Pirates.
* Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Over is 33-15-4 in the last 52 meetings in St. Louis.
* Pirates are 2-6 in the last eight meetings.

WALK-OFFS:

1. St. Louis was 54-27 at home during the regular season, the second-best record in the majors behind Atlanta.

2. Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen was 12-for-28 against Wainwright during the regular season and 1-for-3 off him in Game 1.

3. Both second baseman are struggling - St. Louis' Matt Carpenter is 1-for-15 and Pittsburgh's Neil Walker is 0-for-16 in the series.
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[CNOTES]

Date WLT Pct Net Units Record

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 16-*16-*0 50.00% -*470


Wednesday, October 9

Game Score Status Pick Amount

Pittsburgh - 8:00 PM ET St. Louis -159 500

St. Louis - Over 6.5 500 POD # 1

 

[CNOTES]

Game 5 - Tigers at A's

October 9, 2013

The Tigers and Athletics have been to this party before, as Detroit closed out the lights at the O.Co Coliseum last October to advance to the American League Championship Series. Detroit eventually won the pennant before getting swept by San Francisco in the World Series, while Oakland is looking to advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2006.

In Game 2 of this series, Justin Verlander (13-12, 3.46 ERA) resembled his 2011 form when he captured both the American League Cy Young Award and Most Valuable Player by tossing seven scoreless innings and striking out 11 batters. However, Detroit's offense didn't help out Verlander as the Tigers failed to score a single run, while Stephen Vogt's walk-off single in the ninth inning gave Oakland a 1-0 triumph as short home underdogs.

Detroit owns a 14-20 record with Verlander on the mound this season, but the right-hander has been dealt some bad fortune recently. In his last three outings, the Tigers are 0-3, while Verlander hasn't allowed one run, including 33 strikeouts with all three defeats coming by one run each. How unlucky has Verlander been on the highway? Detroit has dropped five consecutive road contests with Verlander starting - all one-run results.

The Tigers' offense produced the second-most runs in the regular season (796), while scoring three runs in the first inning of Game 1. Since that point until the end of Game 3, Jim Leyland's club plated only three runs in the next 26 innings, while falling behind Oakland, 2-1. The Tigers dug themselves a 3-0 hole in Tuesday's Game 4 at Comerica Park, but Jhonny Peralta's three-run blast off Dan Straily revitalized this Detroit squad.

After Oakland grabbed a 4-3 edge heading into the bottom of the seventh, Victor Martinez tied the game up again with a controversial homer in which the replay showed a fan getting his hand on the ball before it cleared the right-field fence. The home run stood up and the Tigers would eventually take an 8-6 lead and even the series up at 2-2 heading back west.

The A's will turn to Game 2 starter Sonny Gray on Thursday night for the right to advance to the ALCS against Boston. Gray (5-3, 2.67 ERA) has pitched extremely well of late as Oakland is 6-0 in his last six starts. The right-hander impressed in his first postseason outing opposite Verlander by tossing eight scoreless innings and scattering four hits in a 1-0 victory.

The 'under' cashed in each of the first two games of this series at O.Co Coliseum, but the 'over' hit easily in the two contests played in Detroit. Since losing the first two games at Oakland in last season's ALDS, the Tigers have won four of the last six meetings in the Bay Area, including a 6-0 shutout by Verlander in the series finale.

Detroit opened up as $1.15 road favorite, as the number may increase by a few cents with Verlander on the mound. The total is set at 6 ½, mainly shaded to the 'over' at $1.15 (Bet $1.15 to win $1.00). The game will get started a few minutes after 8:00 PM EST and can be seen on TBS.

Red Sox up next:

-- It's never too early to look ahead to the ALCS, as Boston waits around for the series opener on Saturday at Fenway Park. The Sox put together a 3-4 record against the Tigers, but that included a 20-run outburst in their most recent meeting on September 4 in a 20-4 rout of Detroit. Meanwhile, Boston and Oakland split six matchups this season, with the home team winning two of three times in each series.

 

[CNOTES]

2013 MLB Playoff Results

October 10, 2013

-- Favorites are 14-5 this postseason
-- Favorites that have won are 10-4 on the run-line
-- Home teams are 12-7 this postseason
-- The Over is 14-5 in the postseason

National League Divisional Series

St. Louis vs. Pittsburgh (Cardinals win series 3-2)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Pittsburgh at St. Louis (-145) 9-1 Favorite Over 6 ½

2 Pittsburgh (+116) at St. Louis 7-1 Underdog Over 7

3 St. Louis at Pittsburgh (-165) 5-3 Favorite Over 6 ½

4 St. Louis (-119) at Pittsburgh 2-1 Favorite Under 6 ½

5 Pittsburgh at St. Louis (-160) 6-1 Favorite Over 6 ½


Atlanta vs. Los Angeles (Dodgers win series 3-1)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Los Angeles (-140) at Atlanta 6-1 Favorite Over 6

2 Los Angeles at Atlanta (+103) 4-3 Underdog Over 6 ½

3 Atlanta at Los Angeles (-140) 13-6 Favorite Over 6 ½

4 Atlanta at Los Angeles (-230) 4-3 Favorite Over 6 ½


American League Divisional Series

Boston vs. Tampa Bay (Red Sox win series 3-1)
Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Tampa Bay at Boston (-140) 12-2 Favorite Over 7 ½

2 Tampa Bay at Boston (+100) 7-4 Underdog Over 7 ½

3 Boston at Tampa Bay (-105) 5-4 Favorite Over 7

4 Boston (-119) at Tampa Bay 3-1 Favorite Under 7 ½


Oakland vs. Detroit (Series tied 2-2)

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

1 Detroit (-118) at Oakland 3-2 Favorite Under 6 ½

2 Detroit at Oakland (+105) 1-0 Underdog Under 7

3 Oakland (+135) at Detroit 6-3 Underdog Over 7 ½

4 Oakland at Detroit (-145) 8-6 Favorite Over 7 ½

5 Detroit at Oakland Thursday, Oct. 10 - -


Wild Card

Wild Card Game

Game Matchup Date/Score Favorite-Underdog Over-Under

NL Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-145) 6-2 Favorite Over 6 ½

AL Tampa Bay (-110) at Cleveland 4-0 Favorite Under 7

 

[CNOTES]

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

 

[CNOTES]

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)

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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
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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


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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.