10-5-13

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JASON SHARPE

4 Unit Play Take #919 Detroit -125 over Oakland (9:05pm est):
A lot has been made of Detroit Tigers starter Justin Verlander being demoted to 2nd spot in the rotation for the playoffs but it was obviously the right call as Max Scherzer continued to impress with a big performance last night in the series opener. Now the A's are in deep trouble as they face what should be a very determined Justin Verlander in this one. Verlander has really looked like his old self of late with back to back no run outings in 12 innings of work while piling up 22 strikeouts along the way. It's probably been the best we've seen from Verlander in a long time. He now faces an Oakland squad with all the pressure on them tonight.

As for the A's, they counter here with the youngster Sonny Gray in this one. Gray has come from nowhere to become a key part of the Oakland rotation all in the last two months of the season. You have to wonder though if the stage is too big and the A's are asking a little too much here in this game to a guy who wasn't even on the roster back in the first half of the season and didn't even join the rotation until nearly the middle of August.

Cheap price for a veteran team with an ace type pitcher and who are playing with a lot of confidence after a big game one win. Take Detroit in this one.

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STRIKE POINT SPORTS

4-Unit Play Take #920 Oakland (+115) over Detroit (9:05 p.m., Saturday, October 5)
Justin Verlander has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last 5 years and he has led Detroit to their third straight playoff appearance, but while he was doing that he was also logging a ton of innings and throwing a lot of pitches. It seems to have caught up to Verlander who isn't throwing as hard as he once did and this seasons 13 wins, 217 strikeouts, and 3.46 ERA are his worst since the 2008 season. He has had playoff success against Oakland in the past owning a 3-0 record against them but he was 1-1 against them this season with a 3.27 ERA. More proof that Verlander's stuff isn't what it used to be is that in his 3 playoff wins the A's struck out 28 times and in his two starts this year they struck out just 9 times. The Athletics are sending out rookie Sonny Gray to the bump, most likely giving him the home start to settle him down rather than starting game 3 or 4 on the road. Gray has been great at home going 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA and has never faced the Tigers, which I think is a nice advantage for him. Another interesting stat is how these two pitchers fared when pitching at night this year, Gray is 2-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 5 night starts whereas Verlander really struggled at night going 6-8 with a 4.64 ERA in 16 starts. Oakland will have to do better at the plate than they did last night seeing how they struck out 16 times but I think they will bounce back to even up the series before going to Detroit. The Tigers are 1-4 in their last 5 playoff games as a favorite and 1-9 in Verlander's last 10 starts as a favorite. Oakland has shown a lot of resilience lately going 10-1 in their last 11 games following a loss and are 8-0 in their lats 8 games as an underdog of +110 to +150. I think the A's will come hungry for a win and get it done tonight.

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Wunderdog Sports Free Pick

Game: Columbus at New York Islanders (7:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: New York Islanders -119 (moneyline) at 5Dimes

The New York Islanders made the playoffs last year, and excitement is in the air this season, hoping that this team has finally turned the corner. They opened the season last night with a thrilling overtime win on the road, so they should be feeling a spark from a big win to start the season. Columbus opened last night as well and dropped a 4-3 decision to Calgary, so they might not feeling as good, packing up, and heading on the road. The Blue jackets have been a disgrace on the road where they are 141-320-15 in their last 476. They are also coming up short when playing on no rest, where they are 63-129-4 in their last 196. The Islanders are the better team as a skinny chalk here, so play on New York.

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Scott Spreitzer

South Carolina

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LA Syndicate

Top Play - Stanford

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Chicago Syndicate

Top Play - Over Ohio State

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killer move
under lsu

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advantage sports
under memphis