MLB Betting News and Notes Sunday, October 8th, 2017

MLB Playoffs

Houston @ Boston
Astros are 6-3 vs Boston this season; they won 8-2/8-2 in first two series games.

Peacock is 3-0, 2.65 in his last three starts over is 4-1 in his last five road starts. Astros are 14-3 in his road starts. He allowed two runs in five IP in Fenway last Thursday, a 12-2 win.

Former Astro Fister (32 starts for Houston LY) is 0-2, 9.18 in his last four starts; under is 4-2-1 in his last seven starts. Boston is 1-4 in his last five home starts. He allowed three runs in 5.1 IP in a 3-2 loss to the Astros last Friday.

Red Sox are in playoffs for 3rd time in last five years; they got swept 3-0 by Cleveland in this round last year. Houston is in playoffs for second time in three years; they’ve never won the World Series, losing 4-0 to the White Sox in 2005.

Cleveland @ New York
New York is 2-7 vs Cleveland this season; road teams won five of the nine games. Losing team scored 1 or 2 runs in seven of the nine games. New York blew an 8-3 lead in Game 2 loss.

Carrasco is 5-0, 1.51 in his last five starts; over is 6-3 in his last nine starts. Cleveland is 10-1 in his last 11 starts, 13-4 in his road starts. He allowed five runs in 6.2 IP vs New York August 6, an 8-1 NY win.

Tanaka is 4-0, 1.29 in his last four home starts; over is 5-3 in his last eight starts. New York is 10-5 in his home starts. He didn’t pitch against the Indians this season.

New York is in the playoffs for second time in the last five years; they last made the ALCS in 2012- they beat Twins 7-4 in Wild Card game Tuesday, with bullpen getting 26 of the 27 outs. Indians lost Game 7 of the World Series last year; they haven’t won a World Series since 1948. They’re in playoffs for 3rd time in last five years.

Armadillosports.com

Sunday's MLB Division Series Betting Preview
Covers.com

Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox (+120, 9.5)

The Boston Red Sox have not won a postseason contest since the clinching game of the 2013 World Series and are in danger of being swept out of the American League Division Series for the second straight October. The Red Sox will try to begin a climb out of a 2-0 hole in the best-of-five series when they host the Houston Astros in Game 3 on Sunday.

Boston finished second in the AL with a 3.70 ERA this regular season but surrendered eight runs in each of the first two ALDS games in Houston as starters Chris Sale and Drew Pomeranz combined to allowed 11 runs in seven innings and serve up five home runs. "These guys are all coming out swinging and swinging at a lot of stuff, being very aggressive, and every time we've made a mistake, they've made us pay for it," Pomeranz told reporters. The Astros, who will send Brad Peacock to the mound Sunday against the Red Sox's Doug Fister, led the majors with 896 runs scored in the regular season and every spot in the lineup provided at least one hit over the course of the first two games. "We have a number of guys that have contributed," Houston manager A.J. Hinch told reporters. "So obviously you're seeing what's possible when we link things together and the hitters start to feed off of one another. We have a lot of guys that are putting up really good at-bats."

PITCHING MATCHUP: Astros RH Brad Peacock (13-2, 3.00 ERA) vs. Red Sox RH Doug Fister (5-9, 4.88)

Peacock gets the Game 3 start largely because of his consistency after he held his last seven opponents to two or fewer earned runs. The 29-year-old, who began the season in the bullpen, did not yield more than five hits in any of his five starts in September and earned the win in each of the last three. Peacock started at Fenway Park on Sep. 28 and held Boston to two runs on four hits and a walk in five frames.

Fister was chosen over Eduardo Rodriguez and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello despite going 0-2 with a 9.18 ERA over his last four starts. The California native, who was signed by the Red Sox as a free agent in June, enjoyed a four-start stretch from Aug. 22 through Sep. 6 in which he allowed a total of five runs in 30 innings. Fister suffered a home loss to the Astros on Sep. 29 and is 4-2 with a 2.60 ERA in nine career postseason games (eight starts).

TRENDS:

* Astros are 14-3 in their last 17 after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game.
* Red Sox are 0-5 in their last 5 Divisional Playoff games.
* Over is 8-2 in Astros last 10 overall.
* Over is 6-1 in Red Sox last 7 games following a loss.
* Astros are 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.

CONSENSUS: The public is siding with the Houston Astros at a rate of 53 percent and the Over is picking up 60 percent of the totals action.

Cleveland Indians at New York Yankees (+106, 8.5)

The Cleveland Indians won 33 of their final 37 games in the regular season and are 2-0 in the playoffs following a 13-inning Game 2 triumph in which they recorded the largest comeback in postseason franchise history. The Indians will go for a sweep in the best-of-five American League Division Series when they visit the New York Yankees for Game 3 on Sunday.

Cleveland rallied from an 8-3 deficit on the strength of a grand slam by Francisco Lindor and a solo shot from Jay Bruce before Yan Gomes drove in the walk-off run in the 13th. "That was what you call October baseball right there," Gomes told reporters. "We've had tremendous comebacks. That's probably one of the top ones we've had all year. Going up 2-0 against the Yankees into New York, it's a good feeling right now." Yankees manager Joe Girardi found himself answering questions about his decision not to challenge a hit-by-pitch call that preceded Lindor's blast and his decision to pull starter CC Sabathia in the sixth inning after 77 pitches. "There was nothing that told us that he was not hit on the pitch," Girardi, who will start Masahiro Tanaka on Sunday against Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco, told reporters. "By the time we got the super slow-mo, we are beyond a minute. It was way too late. They tell us we have the 30 seconds. They will take longer in replay."

PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Carlos Carrasco (18-6, 3.29 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (13-12, 4.74)

Carrasco has not lost since Aug. 22 and finished out the regular season by allowing one or zero runs in six of his final seven turns. The Venezuela native saved his best for last while striking out 14 over 8 1/3 scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins. Carrasco, who is making his postseason debut after sitting out last October with a broken hand, endured one of his few rough outings during the regular season against New York on Aug. 6, when he was reached for five runs in 5 2/3 innings and suffered a loss.

Tanaka saved his best for last as well and earned a spot in the postseason rotation by striking out 15 without a walk and yielding three hits in seven scoreless innings against Toronto on Sep. 29. The Japan native allowed seven earned runs in two of his three previous starts but finished the regular season with a career-high 194 strikeouts. Tanaka lost his only previous postseason start in the 2015 wild-card game against Houston and is 1-2 with a 4.63 ERA in four career starts against Cleveland.

TRENDS:

* Indians are 11-0 in their last 11 during game 3 of a series.
* Indians are 44-8 in their last 52 overall.
* Yankees are 1-7 in their last 8 playoff games.
* Over is 10-0 in Carrascos last 10 starts with 9 or more days of rest.
* Indians are 5-0 in the last 5 meetings.

CONSENSUS: The public is leaning toward the Indians with 51 percent of the picks and Over is grabbing 66 percent of the totals wagers.