Saturday 10/8/16 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Yonkers: Saturday 10/8 Analysis
By Matt Rose

DRF

MEET STATS: 347 - 1015 / $1,883.80

BEST BETS: 46 - 84 / $152.80

Best Bet: P H SUPERCAM (11th)

Spot Play: SOHO LENNON A (2nd)


Race 1

(4) EXIT CAM just missed last week after stalking from the pocket and he's one of the few proven entities at this level. (5) MIRAMONTMAN was an upset winner three back versus similar and he gets Dube back in the bike off a no-chance effort; big threat. (1) CHUCARO ACERO BC double-jumps in class off an easy score.

Race 2

(4) SOHO LENNON A gets much-needed post relief tonight and note two back he was second best to a tough runaway winner; this just looks like a good spot for the import. (7) BETTOREVER drops in class and should be aggressively handled by Bartlett. (2) SAMMY THE BULL N should be in line for a ground-saving trip up close and can hit the ticket.

Race 3

(1) MACHTU N was a winner at this level and from this post two back; Surick trainee seems quite logical. (4) E Z NOAH never fired last out in a quick mile; his prior two efforts were solid. (5) THEARTOFCONFUSION A was a winner last week out of town; I suppose he could be an off-the-pace threat here.

Race 4

(7) SOMEWHERE FANCY needs some help from this spot but he's kicked home strongly late in his last two and could reach if the pace is hot. (4) SNAP TO IT A was used early then overtaken by a strong In The Arsenal; would be no surprise if he won. (3) IN COMMANDO is making his second start in the Banca barn and gets post relief; watch the board.

Race 5

(6) BIT OF A LEGEND N never got involved last week from the eight hole but he gets slight post relief and we know he's more than capable if he's close enough. (5) MACH IT SO closed well coming out of the same race as the top choice but also had too much ground to cover. (1) FEEL THE NEED A has really tailed off after making a big splash when first arriving in the U.S.; if he's right he can take these a long way.

Race 6

(1) LUMINOSITY gets the best of the draw here and hasn't been all that bad in recent efforts; Burke trainee is clearly the most logical here. (2) CASH ME OUT steps up to face Open types off a solid pocket-sitting score last week. (8) ALLERAGE STAR has been razor-sharp in her last two but she missed a week and is assigned the outside slot.

Race 7

Let's see how good (7) FIRST CLASS HORSE really is, stepping up to face some tough foes. Kudos to the Yonkers race office for assigning him the outside post despite moving up in class. (5) ARTISTIC MAJOR never got involved last week but he's been a solid player all season with these. (6) AMERICANPRIMETIME finally put it all together last week with a record-tying score; clearly he's capable of repeating.

Race 8

(4) DREAM OUT LOUD N has more than held his own versus much better recently; hard to look past him dropping to this level. (2) FIERY LUSTRE N is reunited with Bartlett and draws well. (6) RONNY BUGATTI has had no real chance in his last three but his form in prior starts was good and he can hit the ticket with a smooth ground-saving trip.

Race 9

(1) TEXAS TERROR N had good pace from the three hole last week in a needed start; he draws best in this very competitive race and deserves a long look. (2) IN THE ARSENAL responded to aggressive handling from Goodell and beat up lesser for his first 2016 score; he could be ready for more. (7) SANTA FE BEACHBOY has a ton of talent but is erratic; Bartlett's choice of three in here.

Race 10

(5) MOONLITEONTHEBEACH faces a softer field tonight, gets Bartlett back in the bike and I would expect an aggressive effort. (4) CLASS SIX has had some gaps between his races recently but the Burke trainee lands in a better spot and could step up with a good effort. (3) J T was buried last out but finished with good pace.

Race 11

(2) P H SUPERCAM gets the needed class and post relief to make him an easy winner at a short price. (4) MCARDLES LIGHTNING has raced well in his last handful of local starts. (6) ROCK N ROLL WORLD broke leaving last week; give him another look.

Race 12

(3) FOOL ME ONCE loses Stratton tonight to the Tritton trainee but he always races well from inside posts and he can be close enough to grind these down. (2) TEXICAN N lands in a much more realistic spot tonight and is a legit Open commodity when he's on his game. (5) STOLEN CAR has hit the board in his last five tries at this level and always offers good value.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

San Francisco faces Giant challenge against Cubs' Hendricks
By Jack McCarthy, The Sports Xchange

CHICAGO -- Kyle Hendricks might not necessarily be the second coming of Greg Maddux, but the crafty Chicago Cubs right-hander compares quite favorably with the Hall of Famer, according to San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy.
"He's a Maddux-type pitcher, he's cerebral, great stuff, great command and moves the ball around well," Bochy said Friday as the Giants and Cubs prepared to open their National League Division Series at Wrigley Field.
Hendricks (16-8 with a 2.13 ERA during the regular season) takes the mound for the Cubs in Saturday's Game 2 against Giants right-hander and ex-Cub Jeff Samardzija (12-11, 3.81). The Cubs lead the series after a 1-0 victory in the opener.
"(Hendricks is) a true pitcher. You look at other guys who don't have that velocity and they're smart pitchers," Bochy said. "He changes speeds, he's tough. ... He's got a great changeup, a great motion on it, it's hard to read the pitch."
Hendricks was the first Cubs pitcher to lead the majors in ERA since Bill Lee (2.66 ERA) in 1938. He went 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) at Wrigley Field. It was also the lowest home ERA for any pitcher in baseball.
He has a 4.32 ERA in three career starts against the Giants.
Hendricks said he appreciated Bochy's compliment.
"I've heard those comparisons a few times. It's pretty humbling just to be mentioned in the same sentence with (Maddox)," he said. "I didn't really dissect too much from Greg's game pitching-wise, but mentally I think the approach he took of having simple thoughts ... and just making effective pitches, I really learned a lot from that."
Now in his third season, Hendricks made 31 appearances and 30 starts in 2016, working 190 innings and striking out 170 batters while walking 44. He went 7-1 with three no-decisions in the season's final two months.
Samardzija returns to a park he knows very well as a Cubs player for nearly seven seasons. He went 31-42 with a 3.97 ERA during that span.
Samardzija was traded to the Oakland A's in 2015, pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 2015 and joined the Giants as a free agent this season.
Nicknamed "The Shark," Samardzija was 3-4 with four no-decisions in the last two months of the season.
He had no decision in a Sept. 1 outing against the Cubs -- his only other start at Wrigley Field as a visiting pitcher -- allowing three runs and four hits in a five-inning outing as the Giants lost 5-4.
Samardzija got the Game 2 call that could have also easily gone to Matt Moore.
"I'm going to take it as (Bochy) has confidence in me and I'm not going to let him down," Samardzija said.
What's the secret to pitching at Wrigley Field?
"The flags," he said. "It's really the only thing that matters. ... You look at the (direction of the) flags and you kind of go from there. I think a lot of time it affects the hitters more than pitchers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

SPOT PLAYS

For Saturday

TRACK (RACE) HORSE, MORNING LINE

Belmont Park (1st) Brimstone, 4-1
(3rd) Dupree, 3-1


Belterra Park (1st) Thelastthunder, 8-1
(7th) Princess Zenyi, 4-1


Charles Town (5th) Blisstikus, 4-1
(8th) Slip the Cable, 4-1


Delaware Park (5th) Danzig Storm, 6-1
(9th) Willow Bob, 3-1


Finger Lakes (1st) Pari Nath, 5-1
(5th) Swing Dixie, 4-1


Gulfstream Park West (7th) Little Quiet, 3-1
(10th) If I Can Dream, 5-1


Hawthorne (6th) He'saruler, 5-1
(9th) Admiral Sean, 10-1


Keeneland (1st) Cinder, 5-1
(3rd) Whateverybodywants, 3-1


Laurel Park (1st) Summer's Here, 6-1
(10th) Pearl's Love, 6-1


Meadowlands (3rd) Postino's Vow, 5-1
(5th) Enchanteresse, 7-2


Mountaineer (4th) Wynn the Roses, 5-1
(8th) Victory in Motion, 5-1


Parx Racing (4th) Rare Eagle, 5-1
(7th) Madame Barbarian, 6-1


Penn National (4th) Rosa Carina, 3-1
(5th) Bowtie Diva, 8-1


Remington Park (6th) Under and Over, 7-2
(9th) Prodicals Cove, 4-1


Retama Park (2nd) Future Interest, 5-1
(4th) Kit Kat Code, 10-1


Santa Anita (1st) Silver Mojave, 5-1
(7th) Redneck Crazy, 4-1


Thistledown (1st) Road Parade, 6-1
(2nd) Caramelo, 3-1


Woodbine (7th) Tale of Ronin, 7-2
(10th) Tap o'the Mountain, 3-1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Dodgers (91-71) at Nationals (95-67)

Game: 2
Venue: Nationals Park
Date: October 08, 2016 4:08 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- Late in the summer of 2015, Rich Hill made two starts for the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League.

"He was lights out. He was unbelievable," Long Island manager Kevin Baez said. "I couldn't believe we had him, really. He was a pleasure to watch."

Earlier that year, the well-traveled left-hander pitched 25 games for Triple-A Syracuse -- the top farm team of the Washington Nationals.

Hill's journey takes him to Nationals Park, where he starts Game 2 of the National League Division Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers against host Washington on Saturday afternoon.

"I just didn't see it working out here in Washington," Hill said Friday, adding that he was impressed with the Nationals organization.

The year for Hill included a trade from the Oakland Athletics, dealing with a blister that put him on the disabled list and being pulled by manager Dave Roberts while he was tossing a no-hitter. Now he tries to give his team a 2-0 lead in the NLDS after a 4-3 victory Friday in which Clayton Kershaw pitched only five innings but earned the victory.

"I think looking back on it and really is just -- and I've said this over and over again, is staying in the moment," Hill said of his season. "Taking each day as it is and being as productive as I can be within the time I have for every day that I get to play this game. And really, that's the best way that I can sum it up."

Hill did not pitch against Washington this year. He last faced the Nationals in 2012 with the Boston Red Sox.

The last time the Massachusetts native pitched at Nationals Park was is in 2009 with the Baltimore Orioles.

Saturday, he will have to deal with speedy leadoff hitter Trea Turner.

"Obviously he's an explosive runner and he can do damage on the basepaths," Hill said. "This is obviously a very good lineup. Keeping Turner off the basepaths would be a positive."

Hill is 1-1 with a 4.34 ERA in four games (three starts) against the Nationals with 17 strikeouts and six walks in 18 2/3 innings.

"I think the thing that's impressed me most about Rich are two things," Roberts said Friday. "One thing is his intent; everything he does every day is for a purpose, and I didn't appreciate that not knowing him. And how intense he is on his pens, not only his start days, but his pens.

"The other thing I appreciate is admitting his growth as a player, as a person, in the sense that as a young player ... a lot of distractions got to him and things were out of his control. But I think that now when you watch Rich and talk to Rich, he lives in the moment. And I think that lends itself to just pitching with conviction on every single pitch."

His only postseason appearance came in Game 3 of the 2007 NLDS as a starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was tagged with the loss after giving up six hits and three runs in three innings while striking out three with two walks as the Cubs lost 5-1.

Hill, 36, becomes the oldest Dodgers pitcher to start in the playoffs since 40-year-old Greg Maddux took the mound against the New York Mets in the 2006 NLDS.

Hill will be opposed by Washington right-hander Tanner Roark, who has also had a nomadic existence as he prepares for his postseason start.

"He has good stuff," Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner said.

Roark, a 25th-round pick by the Texas Rangers, was used out of the bullpen in 2014 in the NLDS by the Nationals after he won 15 games as a starter.

"It's definitely a dream come true," Roark said Friday. "You know, to get your first start in the postseason. But you've got to go out there and be in confident in everything that I do, and you know, be aggressive and keep doing what I did all during the season. Not change anything and just be myself."

Roark was 16-10 with a 2.83 ERA in 34 games (33 starts) this year. He was tagged with the loss against the Dodgers on June 21 as he gave up three runs and six hits in 7 1/3 innings in Los Angeles. The Dodgers won that game 3-2 during a stretch when the Nationals lost a season-high seven straight games during a West Coast swing.

Roark is 0-1 with a 3.48 ERA in three games (one start) in his career against the Dodgers.

The University of Illinois native was told Thursday he would start Game 2.

"You know, I was obviously very excited to get the Game 2 start at home," he said. "And to pitch in front of 42,000 people, it's always a good feeling."

Roark faces a Dodgers' lineup with several left-handed hitters, including prohibitive NL Rookie of the Year favorite Corey Seager, Chase Utley and Adrian Gonzalez.

"I mean, they have faced me before and I've faced them before and I've faced them in previous years," Roark said. "So go back and definitely watch a little video and read the scouting report, because obviously we've come a long way since June. So they have made adjustments and I've made adjustments myself."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB postseason roundup: Baez's blast gives Cubs 1-0 victory
By The Sports Xchange

CHICAGO -- A one-out eighth inning home run by Javier Baez gave the Chicago Cubs the lone run they needed in a 1-0 National League Division Series victory over the San Francisco Giants on Friday.
Baez launched a 3-2 pitch into Wrigley Field's left field basket to break open a scoreless pitchers' duel between San Francisco starter Johnny Cueto and Chicago left-hander Jon Lester.
Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman allowed a two-out double to Buster Posey in the ninth, but got Hunter Pence to ground out to Baez at second to lock down the victory and claim a save.
The victory gave Chicago a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series, which resumes Saturday night.
Lester departed for pinch hitter Tommy La Stella with two out in the eighth. He gave up five hits, struck out five and walked none in an efficient 86-pitch outing for the victory.
Cueto, who took the loss, otherwise had a crisp three-hitter but topped 100 pitches by the eighth inning and closed with 121. He struck out 10 while walking none.

Indians 6, Red Sox 0
CLEVELAND -- Corey Kluber pitched seven scoreless innings in his first start in 10 days because of a strained quad and combined with two relievers on a three-hit shutout as Cleveland blanked Boston in Game 2 of their American League Division Series at Progressive Field.
The Indians got all the runs they needed in a four-run second inning that was capped by a three-run homer by Lonnie Chisenhall to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 series. Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday in Boston.
Kluber, in his first career postseason start, held the American League's most prolific offense to three hits through seven innings. He was removed after walking the first batter and hitting the second in the eighth. Relievers Dan Otero and Bryan Shaw completed the shutout.
Red Sox starter David Price came into the game hoping to reverse his dismal career postseason record, but instead fell to 0-8 as a starter and 2-8 with a 5.53 ERA overall.

Blue Jays 5, Rangers 3
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Troy Tulowitzki, Kevin Pillar, Ezequiel Carrera and Edwin Encarnacion homered as Toronto made the most of its six hits to defeat Texas and take a 2-0 lead in their ALDS.
The four homers allowed by Yu Darvish were a career high and matched a major league postseason high. He was charged with five runs and five hits in five innings.
The Blue Jays' J.A. Happ, who won 20 games during the regular season, scattered nine hits over five innings but limited the Rangers to one run. He struck out five and walked one. Roberto Osuna, the fifth Toronto reliever, worked around a leadoff double in the ninth to earn the save. Game 3 is Sunday in Toronto.
Ian Desmond had three of Texas's 13 hits and two RBIs. Ryan Rua also went 2-for-3 as the Rangers were 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position in dropping to 1-11 in ALDS home games.

Dodgers 4, Nationals 3
WASHINGTON -- Corey Seager hit a solo homer in the first and Justin Turner had a two-run shot in the third -- both off Max Scherzer -- as Los Angeles defeated Washington in Game 1 of their National League Division Series.
Dodgers starter and winner Clayton Kershaw was also hit hard as he allowed three runs and eight hits with seven strikeouts on 101 pitches over five innings.
Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen came on with one out in the eighth and gave up a two-out pinch-hit double to Clint Robinson. Jansen struck out pinch-hitter Chris Heisey looking for the third out, and set down the side in the bottom of the ninth, striking out Jayson Werth to end the game.
Scherzer took the loss, giving up four runs and five hits in six innings (91 pitches) with five strikeouts. Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman each had two hits for the Nationals, who lost five of six games to the Dodgers during the regular season. Turner and Yasmani Grandal had two hits apiece for Los Angeles.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Saturday’s six-pack

2007 NFL Draft wasn’t a great one for quarterbacks:

JaMarcus Russell, 1st pick………Brady Quinn 22nd pick

Kevin Kolb 36th pick…………John Beck 40th pick

Drew Stanton 43rd pick…….Trent Edwards 92nd pick

Isaiah Stanback 103rd pick……..Jeff Rowe 151st pick

Troy Smith 174th pick………..Jordan Palmer 205th pick

Tyler Thigpen 217th pick

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Giants (87-75) at Cubs (103-58)

Game: 2
Venue: Wrigley Field
Date: October 08, 2016 8:08 PM EDT

CHICAGO -- Kyle Hendricks might not necessarily be the second coming of Greg Maddux, but the crafty Chicago Cubs right-hander compares quite favorably with the Hall of Famer, according to San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

"He's a Maddux-type pitcher, he's cerebral, great stuff, great command and moves the ball around well," Bochy said Friday as the Giants and Cubs prepared to open their National League Division Series at Wrigley Field.

Hendricks (16-8 with a 2.13 ERA during the regular season) takes the mound for the Cubs in Saturday's Game 2 against Giants right-hander and ex-Cub Jeff Samardzija (12-11, 3.81). The Cubs lead the series after a 1-0 victory in the opener.

"(Hendricks is) a true pitcher. You look at other guys who don't have that velocity and they're smart pitchers," Bochy said. "He changes speeds, he's tough. ... He's got a great changeup, a great motion on it, it's hard to read the pitch."

Hendricks was the first Cubs pitcher to lead the majors in ERA since Bill Lee (2.66 ERA) in 1938. He went 9-2 with a 1.32 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) at Wrigley Field. It was also the lowest home ERA for any pitcher in baseball.

He has a 4.32 ERA in three career starts against the Giants.

Hendricks said he appreciated Bochy's compliment.

"I've heard those comparisons a few times. It's pretty humbling just to be mentioned in the same sentence with (Maddox)," he said. "I didn't really dissect too much from Greg's game pitching-wise, but mentally I think the approach he took of having simple thoughts ... and just making effective pitches, I really learned a lot from that."

Now in his third season, Hendricks made 31 appearances and 30 starts in 2016, working 190 innings and striking out 170 batters while walking 44. He went 7-1 with three no-decisions in the season's final two months.

Samardzija returns to a park he knows very well as a Cubs player for nearly seven seasons. He went 31-42 with a 3.97 ERA during that span.

Samardzija was traded to the Oakland A's in 2015, pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 2015 and joined the Giants as a free agent this season.

Nicknamed "The Shark," Samardzija was 3-4 with four no-decisions in the last two months of the season.

He had no decision in a Sept. 1 outing against the Cubs -- his only other start at Wrigley Field as a visiting pitcher -- allowing three runs and four hits in a five-inning outing as the Giants lost 5-4.

Samardzija got the Game 2 call that could have also easily gone to Matt Moore.

"I'm going to take it as (Bochy) has confidence in me and I'm not going to let him down," Samardzija said.

What's the secret to pitching at Wrigley Field?

"The flags," he said. "It's really the only thing that matters. ... You look at the (direction of the) flags and you kind of go from there. I think a lot of time it affects the hitters more than pitchers."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB

NL Divisional Series

Dodgers @ Nationals

36-year old Hill is 3-2, 1.84 in six starts (under 4-2) for the Dodgers; his only postseason start in a 12-year career was in 2007- he allowed three runs in three IP for the Cubs against Arizona. Hill didn’t pitch against Washington this year.

Roark is 3-3, 2.16 in his last seven starts (under 5-1-1); this is his first postseason start- he allowed one run in 2.2 IP in two relief stints for the Nationals two years ago, against the Giants. Roark lost 3-2 to LA June 21, allowing three runs in 7.1 IP. Washington is 10-7 in his home starts.

Dodgers are in playoffs for 4th year in a row- their last World Series title was in 1988. LA is 6-1 vs Washington this season; they lost six of last eight road games, but most of those losses came after they clinched the division. Nationals won six of last ten games; they jogged to NL East title— they’re in playoffs for third time in last five years.

Roberts is a rookie manager. Baker is 19-27 as postseason manager; he won NL pennant is 2002 with the Giants.


Giants @ Cubs

Former Cub Samardzija is 1-1, 1.37 in his last three starts; under is 12-1 in his last 13 starts. He allowed three runs in four IP in his only start against the Cubs this year. Giants are 8-6 in his road starts this year. This is his first postseason start- he allowed one run in one inning in a relief stint in 2008 against the Dodgers.

Hendricks is 5-1, 2.05 in his last seven starts; over is 6-3 in his last nine. Cubs are 9-4 in his home starts. He is 0-0, 5.19 in two postseason starts, both LY.

Giants are 3-5 against the Cubs this year; they’ve won five of last six games overall, after a dreadful second half of season. Chicago won ten of its last 13 games.

Bochy won three World Series in last six years; he is 43-31 as a postseason manager. Madden got Rays to ’08 World Series; he is 18-22 as a postseason manager.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Arthur Ralph Sports

Bonus Play: Sat: Arkansas +14

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Saturday’s six-pack

2007 NFL Draft wasn’t a great one for quarterbacks:

JaMarcus Russell, 1st pick………Brady Quinn 22nd pick

Kevin Kolb 36th pick…………John Beck 40th pick

Drew Stanton 43rd pick…….Trent Edwards 92nd pick

Isaiah Stanback 103rd pick……..Jeff Rowe 151st pick

Troy Smith 174th pick………..Jordan Palmer 205th pick

Tyler Thigpen 217th pick