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cisco
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Jul 2004
Posts: 8898
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ALDS betting preview: Tigers at Athletics
Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics (-132, 7)
Detroit leads series 2-0
The Oakland Athletics trailed the Texas Rangers by 13 games on June 30 and still found a way to win the American League West, so they’re used to seemingly insurmountable challenges. Down 0-2 in the AL Division Series, the Athletics return home to face a Detroit Tigers squad that’s riding a wave of momentum after two close wins.
The Tigers are getting timely hitting, but they’re still waiting for Prince Fielder to heat up. The power-hitting first baseman is 1-for-8 with no RBI in the series, and he’s batting .183 over 17 career playoff games. Oakland is hoping right fielder Josh Reddick’s eighth-inning homer on Sunday is a sign of things to come. Reddick, who led the Athletics with 32 regular-season homers, opened the series with six straight strikeouts.
Detroit’s bullpen was a key part of Sunday’s 4-3 win, but Joaquin Benoit allowed his 15th home run in 73 innings this season. Reliever Al Alburquerque drew the ire of some Oakland players when he kissed the ball and looked at the Athletics dugout before getting the final out in the ninth. The Athletics have fanned 23 times in the first two games, and that number figures to climb dramatically if the series goes five games. Games 4 and 5 starters Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander each had more than 200 strikeouts this season, and Verlander fanned 11 in the series opener.
TV: 9:00 p.m. ET, TBS
WEATHER: There is a 16 percent chance of rain for the Bay Area with temperatures dipping into the mid 50s. Winds are expected to blow west at 11 mph.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Brett Anderson (4-2, 2.57 ERA) vs. Tigers RH Anibal Sanchez (4-6, 3.74)
Anderson is set to make his first start since Sept. 19, when he left his start against Detroit in the third inning with a right oblique strain. He missed most of the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he posted a WHIP of 1.03 in six starts down the stretch. In two home starts covering 13 innings, he allowed two earned runs while striking out 10. Anderson is 2-2 with a 3.66 ERA in four career starts against the Tigers.
Sanchez was a solid midseason addition, making 12 starts after being acquired from the Marlins in late July. He finished the season on a high note, allowing one run in his last two starts covering 15 1/3 innings. Sanchez struggled in his lone start against Oakland this season on Sept. 20, giving up six runs (five earned) over 5 2/3 frames. He’ll be pitching on eight days' rest on Tuesday, which could bode well for Sanchez. He’s posted a 3.07 ERA in 23 career starts on six or more days of rest.
TRENDS:
* Tigers are 5-1 in the last six meetings.
* Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Under is 13-6-1 in the last 20 meetings in Oakland.
UMP TRENDS - Dana DeMuth:
* Under is 5-1 in DeMuths last six Tuesday games behind home plate vs. Oakland.
* Home team is 5-1 in DeMuths last six games behind home plate vs. Detroit.
* Under is 3-1-1 in DeMuths last five Tuesday games behind home plate.
* Under is 7-3-2 in DeMuths last 12 games behind home plate.
* Athletics are 2-5 in their last seven games with DeMuth behind home plate.
WALK-OFFS:
1. The Athletics have lost each of their last six postseason games, all against Detroit. Oakland was swept by the Tigers in the 2006 ALCS.
2. 3B Miguel Cabrera has reached base safely in all 13 of his post-season games with the Tigers, trailing only Charlie Gehringer (16) and Hank Greenberg (18).
3. Oakland has started a series 0-2 eight times and never come back to win
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10-09-12 07:49 PM |
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cisco
FoxDen Hall of Famer
Registered: Jul 2004
Posts: 8898
|
NLDS betting preview: Giants at Reds
San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds (-138, 8)
Cincinnati leads series 2-0
The Cincinnati Reds look for a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants when the National League Division Series heads to Great American Ball Park for Game 3.
The Giants have been outscored 14-2 in the first two games of the series, and they’re facing an uphill battle after leaving home without a victory. None of the other 21 teams that have started the NLDS down 0-2 have come back to win the series. The Reds were 50-31 during the regular season at home, where they didn’t lose three consecutive home games all year. With Johnny Cueto (back spasms) questionable for the rest of the series, the Reds will start Homer Bailey in Game 3.
San Francisco is in danger of an early postseason exit, and there’s plenty of blame to go around. The first two batters in the Giants lineup - Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro - are 1-for-17 in the series, and the heart of their order has done little aside from Buster Posey’s solo home run in Game 1. After starters Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner failed to work past the fifth inning in the first two games, the Giants are hoping for a solid outing in Game 3 from Ryan Vogelsong, who got the nod over Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito.
The Reds hit an NL-worst .230 as a team in September, but they scored nine runs in Game 2 and outhit the Giants 13-2. Brandon Phillips is 5-for-10 with a home run and four RBI for Cincinnati, which is seeking its first postseason sweep since beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round in 1995.
TV: 5:30 p.m. ET, TBS
WEATHER: The forecast is calling for clear skies and temperatures in the low 60s. Winds are expected to blow SSW at 7 mph.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Reds RH Homer Bailey (13-10, 3.68 ERA) vs. Giants RH Ryan Vogelsong (14-9, 3.37)
Bailey is set to make his second career postseason pitching appearance and his first career playoff start. He’s 1-0 with a 5.59 ERA in five career starts against the Giants, including one outing this year when he gave up three runs (two earned) over 6 1/3 frames on April 26. Bailey finished the season on a strong note, allowing just 10 runs in his last seven starts covering 48 2/3 innings.
Vogelsong has gone 2-3 with a 5.08 ERA in 15 career appearances against Cincinnati, and he had a 4.15 ERA in two starts this season. After struggling for much of the second half, he finished the season with a 0.53 ERA over his final three starts. Phillips is 7-for-14 lifetime against Vogelsong, who allowed three runs or fewer in 24 of his 31 starts this season.
TRENDS:
* Over is 4-0 in Baileys last four starts vs. Giants.
* Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Cincinnati.
* Giants are 1-4 in the last five meetings.
* Giants are 1-7 in the last eight meetings in Cincinnati.
WALK-OFFS:
1. The Giants haven’t swept three games in Cincinnati since April 5-7, 1999, when the Reds played at Riverfront Stadium.
2. Reds 3B Scott Rolen is 1-for-7 in the first two games of the series and 28-for-136 (.206) in his career in the postseason.
3. San Francisco lost just one series on the road after the All-Star break, going 10-1-1.
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10-09-12 07:51 PM |
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