MLB playoff betting favored St. Louis before their NLDS series with the Los Angeles Dodgers started, but they find themselves just trying to avoid elimination on Saturday when the host the Dodgers at Busch Stadium.

Dodgers vs Cardinals Odds – Saturday, October 10, 6:07 PM ET

Vicente Padilla (12-6, 4.46) is making the first postseason start of his 11-year career, and in seven career outings against the Cardinals, including three starts, Padilla is 2-1 with a 3.68 ERA. He’s never pitched at the new Busch Stadium, but strangely, Padilla was better away from home this year, going 7-2 in 13 games (12 starts) and a 3.60 ERA with the Dodgers and Texas Rangers. Sportsbook players may think this is a strange hurler to have out there when the Dodgers have Chad Billingsley, who is slated for Game 4 and had a lot of problems in the second half of the year.

Joel Pineiro (15-12, 3.49) should have a better record at home, but he was hurt by some poor run support early in the season. Pineiro is only 7-6 in 15 starts at home despite a 2.87 ERA, but the Cardinals came on later in the season for the 31-year-old. Pineiro is 2-0 in three career outings against the Dodgers with a 3.38 ERA, and he’ll be making his first postseason start since 2001, when he gave up a run on four hits in just two innings with Seattle, but he did manage to strike out five hitters.

Betting services favor St. Louis at home at -165, and they really should be tied at one in this series, if it wasn’t for an untimely and incredibly uncharacteristic error by Matt Holliday in the ninth inning of Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Dodgers. Pineiro gives the Cardinals an excellent chance to win, and it’ll also be interesting to see how Padilla fares in his postseason debut. He’s a veteran, but we’ve seen the playoffs eat up more experienced and talented pitchers before. It’ll be close, though, as the Cardinals are only one game better at home than the Dodgers are on the road. Go with the Cardinals in your MLB picks.

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Also Tim Tebow will very likely suit up for Florida, but may not start. Check out the latest college football odds

The sharp players are winning big time, but the square player is keeping the bookmakers in business. Louisiana Tech plays at Nevada tonight. SportsBook has Nevada -10, but BetUs Sportsbook has them laying 10.5 as most books do. The total is 57-58. Who has the big plays and winning picks for La. Tech-Nevada?

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Louisiana Tech plays at Nevada in a game televised on ESPN. The Wolfpack are -10.5 and -105 at Bodog, but are -10 at a few sportsbooks.  Here is the official betting preview.

The Bulldogs are 2-2 straight up and 1-2 against the spread. They are 0-2 in both cases on the road, getting outscored 34.5-13.5. The Wolfpack are 1-3 both straight up and to the college football odds, though 1-1 at home in both.

La. Tech is below average on offense getting just 4.3 yards per rush against teams normally allowing 4.7 and 6.6 yards per pass to 7.4. They are slightly above average on defense thanks to allowing just 7.6 passing yards per attempt to teams normally getting 8.5.

Nevada is sensational running the ball getting 6.9 yards per rush against teams normally allowing 4.3 and 6.8 yards per play to 5.6.

Though they hold teams to .3 yards per rush below their normal average, Nevada allows 9.3 passing yards per attempt versus teams normally getting just 8.5.

Nevada had every key player returning from a bowl team struggled against a tough early BCS-laded schedule of Notre Dame, Colorado State, and Missouri. They rebounded with a 63-28 humiliation of UNLV last week.

WR Houston Tuminello left La. Tech earlier in the week. Though fifth on the team in receptions, he is just one of two players with a TD reception.

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Against the spread records: Louisiana Tech is 5-22 as road underdogs of 10.5 or more and 9-22 off spread win. Nevada is 22-9 their last 31 at home and 10-2 laying 10.5 or more.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Yankees continue their series against the Twins, the Angels host the Red Sox, and the Stars seek a win up in Calgary.

Barack Obama Nobel Prize not, repeat not a shock

Grandmaster sports handicapper Joe Duffy is the best in the business when it comes to predicting NFL spread and betting line in college football winners. However, he has also established himself as the top political handicapper, accurately predicting most major elections.

Here is what he said yesterday about the Nobel Peace Prize, “The Nobel Prize has become notoriously left-leaning, rarely missing a chance to take a political potshot at George W. Bush. Hence US President Barack Obama would be a reasonable long shot at 14/1.”

Admittedly not a movie fan whatsoever, Duffy has also accurately predicted long shots in the Oscar Awards based on political messages.

Case in point, Duffy CEO of OffshoreInsiders.com is 14-5 the last 19 with four MLB underdogs along the way.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

The one college football game on tap for Friday night has Louisiana Tech at Nevada, with the Wolf Pack pegged as the 10.5-point home favorite (and the total at 58). Nevada pounded UNLV 63-28 last time out to grab their first win of the season; Mike Ball ran for five touchdowns in that contest. Louisiana Tech beat Hawaii 27-6 in their last game, as Daniel Porter ran for a pair of touchdowns.

As well, there’s a Canadian Football League game on the Friday schedule, with British Columbia at Edmonton. Oddsmakers have given the edge to the Eskimos, pegging them as the 4-point home favorites. The total for the game is 53 points.

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Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The Yankees will be looking to take a 2-0 lead in their ALDS with the Twins on Friday night when the teams play Game 2 in New York. The Yankees will send A.J. Burnett (13-9, 4.04 ERA) to the mound in that contest. Righthander Burnett beat the Rays in his last start of the regular season, holding them to one earned run over five innings of work. The Twins will counter Burnett with Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.03 ERA). Minnesota won all of righthander Blackburn‘s last four outings.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox and Angels will play Game 2 of their ALDS later on Friday, with Josh Beckett (17-6, 3.86 ERA) taking on Jered Weaver (16-8, 3.75 ERA). Righthander Beckett finished the regular season with two straight wins over the Indians and Royals, holding them to six earned runs over 11 innings of work. Righthander Weaver snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the A’s in his last outing, holding Oakland scoreless on three hits in his five innings.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

There are two games on the NHL’s schedule for Friday, with Florida at Carolina and Dallas at Calgary. The Stars have started the campaign at 0-0-2, falling in back-to-back shootouts vs. the Predators and Oilers. Brenden Morrow had two goals for Dallas in their last loss, while rookie Jamie Benn picked up his first NHL point. The Flames are a perfect 3-0-0 through their first three games of the season, collecting consecutive victories over the Canucks, Oilers, and Canadiens.

Tipping off on the hardwood . . .

The WNBA Finals come to a close on Friday, with Indiana at Phoenix in Game 5. The Mercury staved off elimination in Game 4 on Wednesday night, getting 22 points from Cappie Pondexter in the 90-77 road win. Penny Taylor added 17 points in the victory, while Tamika Catchings led the Indiana attack with 24 points.

The United States is the favorite in the President’s Cup 2009 according to golf odds. Cole Hamels wife Heidi Strobel Hamels gone into labor and some top handicappers have picks on tonight’s Missouri-Nebraska game.

On the NFL injury front, Eli Manning missed practice again today for the NY Giants.

Colliding on the gridiron . . .

The lone college football contest on the Thursday schedule is a ranked matchup between No. 21 Nebraska and No. 24 Missouri. The Cornhuskers are coming off a 55-0 shutout of Louisiana-Lafayette, with Roy Helu rushing for 83 yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers beat Nevada 31-21 in their last game, as Blaine Gabbert connected on three scoring passes. Oddsmakers have Nebraska pegged as the 3-point road favorite for Thursday night, with a total of 53.5 points.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

It’ll be Jon Lester (15-8, 3.41 ERA) vs. John Lackey (11-8, 3.83 ERA) on Thursday night as the Red Sox and Angels begin their best-of-five ALDS in Los Angeles. Lefthander Lester excelled in his final tuneup for the playoffs, holding the Indians scoreless on two hits over 6 1-3 innings of work to grab the victory. Righthander Lackey went just two innings against the Rangers in his last trip to the mound, surrendering two runs on four hits. Lackey last won on September 20.

As well, both NLDS will hit Game 2 on Thursday, with Colorado leading late at Philadelphia and St. Louis at the Dodgers. Out west the Dodgers will send Clayton Kershaw (8-8, 2.79 ERA) to the hill Thursday; the Cards go with Adam Wainwright (19-8, 2.63 ERA).

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Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The NHL offers up a dozen games on Thursday, including the Red Wings looking to break into the win column against the division-rival Blackhawks. Detroit lost both of their season-opening games against St. Louis in Sweden, giving up nine goals in those two contests. Chicago is 1-0-1 after splitting a pair of games with Florida in Finland over the weekend. Patrick Kane had four points in two games.

Also on the ice on Thursday night: Anaheim at Boston, the Rangers at Washington, Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, the Islanders at Ottawa, Phoenix at Buffalo, New Jersey at Tampa Bay, Atlanta at St. Louis, Colorado at Nashville, Minnesota at Los Angeles, Calgary at Edmonton, and Columbus at San Jose. The Sharks are a disappointing 1-2 to kick off the 2009/10 campaign, and they fell 6-4 to the Kings on Tuesday. Dany Heatley has five points over three games.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Finally, the 2009 Presidents Cup gets underway on Thursday, with the United States pegged as the -280 Vegas favorite on their own soil. The International team is the +240 underdog for the event at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will lead an American team that also includes Steve Stricker, Kenny Perry, and Jim Furyk. Geoff Ogilvy, Vijay Singh, and Mike Weir highlight the International team, which doesn’t include Europeans.

Looking at the Twins vs Yankees odds, it’s easy to see to the heavy hitters are. In NASCAR, it’s the same as we head to the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California as Jimmie Johnson, a California native, as dominated the fall race on the West Coast. Who else should you watch in the fourth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup?

California Odds – Sunday, October 11, 3:15 PM ET

Jimmie Johnson (+350) – The No.48 driver has three wins in his home state, including the last two fall races. He led 228 laps last year, became the first driver to win from the pole at California, and he came in ninth in the spring race that was won by Matt Kenseth earlier this year. After last week’s slip-up that possibly cost Johnson a win, instead settling for ninth at Kansas, look for the No.48 Chevy to be on the prowl this week.

Jeff Gordon (+500) – Gordon, also a California boy, is one of three drivers with Johnson and Kenseth with three wins on the West Coast, and his second-place finish to Kenseth in the spring race was his ninth top-five in 18 trips to California. His 10.9 average is fifth among active drivers, and he may have sparked his Chase chances in your sports book with a runner-up finish to Tony Stewart at Kansas last week.

Mark Martin (+500) – The points leader has an 18-point lead over Hendrick teammate Johnson after a seventh-place run at Kansas, and he won this race back in 1998. Martin has seven top-10s in 16 California races, but he suffered an engine failure in the spring. 

Greg Biffle (+800) – The No.16 driver has a victory at California, taking the spring race in 2005, and he finished fourth here in the spring. Biffle had the dominant car at Kansas, leading 113 laps, and it seemed to work better on two tires than on four. Biffle is Roush-Fenway’s best title hope, and we’re betting management at RFR thinks the same.

Juan Pablo Montoya (+1000) – This is the driver to watch throughout the Chase: Montoya said that they’d race for wins once they got to this point, and he has three top-fives in a row. Once he gets a win on an oval under his belt, there’s no telling how good this team can be.

Sports Picks – He has the best starting average, and the best finishing average at California. Until further notice, Jimmie Johnson is the king at Auto Club Speedway.