100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Blue Jackets +135

The Blue Jackets are set for their first game of the 2019-20 season as they host the Maple Leafs (1-0-0, 2 points) this evening.

Toronto is coming off a season opener of its own in which the team scored five goals in a win over Ottawa.

Although the Maple Leafs come into this season with higher expectations than the Blue Jackets, it was Columbus who took down the Lightning in the first round of last year’s playoffs while Toronto fell to Boston in the same round.

Last year, Toronto was one of the best offensive teams in the NHL with 3.49 goals per game (4th in the league). With 3.12 goals per game, the Blue Jackets ranked 12th.

Defensively, the Maple Leafs were 20th among all teams by letting in 3.04 goals per game. Columbus ranked 11th with 2.82 goals allowed per game.

Although Columbus was able to take down last year’s best regular season team with a sweep in the playoffs, they’ll be entering a new season without leading goal scorer Artemi Panarin and starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rockets -3½ -110

Coming off a 140-71 victory over the Shanghai Sharks, the Houston Rockets will face off against the Clippers in another preseason matchup. This will be Los Angeles’ first preseason contest, and will take place in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

After a 53-29 season, the Rockets will head into a new year with James Harden at the forefront of everything they do. However, Houston has added a big piece in the form of former Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russel Westbrook.

Last season, Harden scored 36.1 points per game while earning an average of 6.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists. Meanwhile, Westbrook racked up 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game.

Despite putting Westbrook and Harden together, the more anticipated duo will be that of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Leonard comes to LA after a championship season with the Raptors, and George arrives in his new home after playing with Westbrook in Oklahoma City last year.

Leonard, who averaged 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game last year, is unlikely to play in the Clippers’ two preseason games in Hawai’i.

In the 2018-19 season, George led the Thunder with 28 points per game. George also average 8.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Temple/East Carolina over47 -110

Two American Athletic Conference teams are set to battle it out when the Temple Owls (3-1) go on the road against the East Carolina Pirates (3-2). The over/under is set at 47.

Only a loss to Buffalo stains the record of the otherwise perfect Owls, having beaten both Georgia Tech and #21 Maryland. A balanced Temple team is scoring an average of 31 points a game on 433 yards of offense while allowing 17 points per game on 282 yards.

Temple enjoyed its best offensive performance when it exploded for 56 against Bucknell.

Temple quarterback Anthony Russo can boast 1,071 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air thus far in the season, but he’s also tossed six picks in four games.

East Carolina is through five games of its 2019 season. Wins over Gardner-Webb, Old Dominion, and William & Mary are overshadowed by two large defeats to NC State and Navy. On average, East Carolina is scoring 21 points per game on 370 yards of offense while allowing 23 points per game on 342 yards.

The Pirates’ best performance came against Gardner-Webb. Including a 31-point first half, East Carolina ended with a whopping 48 points.

Eastern Carolina has the pleasure of sending out four 100-yard rushers through five games of the season. Behind running back Demetrius Mauney and his 199 yards is quarterback Holton Ahlers, who’s rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns.

Look for receiver Blake Proehl to make some big plays tonight. Proehl has 20 catches for 283 yards and two touchdowns on the season.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Canadiens +140

After a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals in last year’s playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes are looking to start off the new season on a strong note as they play host to the Montreal Canadiens.

The Hurricanes defeated the Capitals 4-3 and swept the Islanders to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were swept by the Bruins. On the flip side, the Canadiens are looking for a second-straight year of progress after improving their win total from 29 to 44 a season ago.

In total, Montreal finished with 96 points on a 44-30-8 record. The Hurricanes ended the 2018-19 season with a record of 46-29-7 and 99 points.

Offensively, these two teams were very close last year. While the Canadiens were tied for 13th in the league with 3.00 goals per game, the Hurricanes scored a 16th-best 2.96 goals per game.

Defensively, Carolina was the better squad. By allowing just 2.70 goals a game, Carolina was tied for seventh in the NHL. Montreal was ranked 13thwith 2.88 goals allowed per game.

Brendan Gallagher, who led the Canadiens with 33 goals last season, returns to build on last year’s production.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Braves -134

The stage is set for an NLDS matchup between the NL Central-winning Cardinals (97-71) and NL East-winning Braves (97-65) in Atlanta.

While St. Louis is an average team on the road with a record of 41-40, the Braves are 50-31 at home. These two clubs met up for two three-game series during the regular season. With a record of 4-2, Atlanta won both series.

The Cardinals are going with right-hander Miles Mikolas (9-14, 4.16 ERA) to start the NLDS. Making his postseason debut, Mikolas had a strong end to the regular season. Over his last six starts, Mikolas struck out 35 in 35 2/3 innings while posting an ERA of 3.03.

Left-hander Dallas Keuchel (8-8, 3.75 ERA) will start for the Braves at home. Making his 10th postseason start, Keuchel is 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in his playoff career. Over his final nine outings of the regular season, Keuchel posted a 2.55 ERA.

The Braves will be in great shape if center fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and first baseman Freddie Freeman are at full health. While Acuna Jr. led the club with 41 home runs, Freeman was tops on the Braves with 121 RBIs.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Sharks +160

Hockey is finally back, and we get a particularly juicy opening-night matchup in the Western Conference as the Golden Knights host the Sharks in Las Vegas. These two teams will go head to head once again on Friday.

This is a grudge match for the Golden Knights, who were knocked out of the playoffs by San Jose in controversial fashion a season ago. In a Game 7 classic, Vegas was up 3-0 when Cody Eakin was given a five-minute major for cross-checking. NHL officials later said Aekin should’ve been given a two-minute minor, but the damage was done.

That penalty launched San Jose into a four-goal frenzy. A last-ditch Vegas goal sent the game to overtime, but the Sharks won the series and sent the Golden Knights packing.

Coming into a new season, the Sharks will be without Joe Pavelski, who scored a team-high 38 goals, and Evander Kane, who scored 30 goals of his own a season ago. Pavelski moved to the Dallas Stars; Kane is on a suspension.

However, San Jose will be happy to have a healthy Erik Karlsson. After offseason surgery, the two-time Norris Award winning defenseman is good to go.

Looking at last year’s teams, this is a defensive strength versus offensive strength.

Defensively, the Gold Knights were the 10th-ranked team in the league by allowing just 2.78 goals per game compared to the 3.15 goals the Sharks let in per game (21st). Offensively, the Sharks were much better, scoring 3.52 goals a game (T-2nd) while Vegas managed just 3.00 goals a game (T-13th).

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on A's -134

The stage is set for the American League Wild Card game as the Athletics (97-65) will play host to the Rays (96-66) in Oakland.

Both teams will feel as though they’ve been playing playoff baseball for a while now after having to stay ahead in a tight, three-team race for two Wild Card spots. Entering October, Tampa Bay won seven of its last 10. The Athletics won 13 of their last 18 in the regular season.

The visiting Rays will go with right-hander Charlie Morton (16-6, 3.05 ERA) to start. In two starts against the Athletics this season, Morton is 1-0 with a 0.68 ERA. In his seven postseason appearances, Morton is 2-2 with an ERA of 4.60.

Left-hander Sean Manaea (4-0, 1.21 ERA) gets the start for Houston. Manaea has been good enough since coming off the injured list on September 1 to keep Mike Fiers from starting. In three career starts against the Rays, Manaea is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA.

Oakland will be happy to have this game at home, as Morton has never won there in three starts. In his last five road games, Morton posted an ERA of 7.52.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Brewers +170

Before getting swept by the Rockies to close out the regular season, the Brewers (89-73) closed the season as the hottest team in baseball by winning 18 of 20. Tonight, Milwaukee gets its shot against the Nationals (93-69) in Washington.

This Brewers club rallied around the loss of MVP Christian Yelich, who led the team with 44 homers, 97 RBIs, and a .329 average before going down. In the end, Milwaukee finished two games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central, but three games ahead of the Mets for the second Wild Card spot.

The visitors in this contest will start with right-hander Brandon Woodruff (11-3, 3.62 ERA). The Brewers are fortunate to have a deep bullpen, as Woodruff is likely to only go a few innings after recently coming back from an oblique injury. With that being said, the Brewers are 18-4 when Woodruff pitched in the regular season.

At home, Washington is going with veteran right-hander Max Scherzer (11-7, 2.92 ERA). Although Scherzer has been one of the game’s best pitchers over recent years, he’s struggled in for the Nats in October. In four postseason games for Washington, Scherzer is 0-2 with a 3.72 ERA.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Bengals/Steelers under45½ -110

With a combined record of 0-6 through the first three weeks of the NFL season, both the Cincinnati Bengals (0-3) and Pittsburgh Steelers (0-3) will feel like the season is over with a loss in this evening’s Monday Night Football offering. The over/under is set at 45.5 points.

This contest will feature two of the bottom-eight teams when it comes to scoring. While the Bengals are scoring an average of 18 points a game (25thin the NFL), the Steelers are mustering just 16.3 points per game (30thin the NFL).

The biggest issue for both of these offenses, aside from injuries, is the fact that they’ve had little to no success running the football. With 64 rushing yards per game, Pittsburgh ranks 29thin the league. With 41.7 rushing yards per game, Cincinnati ranks dead last among all teams.

Neither defense has been particularly good, as the Bengals have allowed 27.7 points a game while the Steelers are letting up 28.3 points per contest. However, it’s the inept offenses that are keeping these teams winless.

The current Steelers offense looks entirely different from the one we always expected be among the league leaders over the past several years. Without Big Ben, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell, backup quarterback Mason Rudolph leads the team. On the season, Rudolph is 24 of 46 for 286 yards, four touchdowns, and two picks.

In short, neither offense on the field this evening has given us the confidence that we’ll see a total of 46 points on the scoreboard after 60 minutes of play.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Cowboys/Saints over47 -109

Sunday Night Football features a pair of NFC heavyweights as the New Orleans Saints (2-1) get set to host the Dallas Cowboys (3-0). The over/under is set at 47 points.

Dallas has gotten off to a brilliant start, taking down two division opponents on the way to an undefeated record thus far. In each of their first three games, the Cowboys have scored at least 31 points. On average, Dallas is scoring 32 points a game on 485 yards of offense.

Defensively, the Cowboys are allowing an average of 15 points a game on 347 yards. However, the Saints should present the toughest offense Dallas has seen to this point, even with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback.

Dak Prescott has been great through three games. Completing 74.5% of his passes, Prescott has thrown for 920 yards, nine touchdowns, and two picks. Ezekiel Elliot has gotten up to speed very quickly, having already rushed for 289 yards and a pair of TDs.

The Saints have faced a tough schedule to start the season, but they’ve won more than they’ve lost. And you can forgive New Orleans for dropping a game to the Rams after Drew Brees was injured in the middle of the contest.

Even with Brees sidelined, New Orleans was able to outscore Seattle in a 33-27 game a week ago. Bridgewater was good enough with 177 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Alvin Kamara was the MVP of the game, racking up 69 yards and a touchdown on the ground with another 92 yards and another score as a receiver.

On average, the Saints are scoring 24 points a game on 347 yards of offense while allowing 27 points on 453 yards.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Tigers +131

The Tigers (47-113) have been the worst team in baseball, but they have a chance to close out the season with two straight wins as they take on the White Sox (71-89) in Chicago in the final contest of the season.

Right-hander Spencer Turnbull (3-16, 4.59 ERA) will start the final game of the season for Detroit. Turnbull hasn’t earned a win since the last day of May, but he’s been good as of late. Over his last two outings, Turnbull has given up a total of three runs over 11 innings while notching 13 strikeouts.

At home, the White Sox are scheduled to send out Ross Detwiler (3-5, 6.85 ERA) to start. The Chicago left-hander faced the Tigers in early July when he held the opposition to two earned runs over six innings, but didn’t figure into the decision.

The Tigers haven’t enjoyed a ton of success this year, but Miguel Cabrera is still getting it done for his club. With a .281 average and 58 RBIs, Cabrera leads Detroit. Brandon Dixon has been the next-best hitter for the Tigers, batting in 52 runs while racking up a team-best 15 homers on the season.

Center fielder Victor Reyes is batting .320 with a home run and three RBIs over the last seven days for Detroit.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Cubs +178

The Cubs (83-77) picked a bad time to hit a rough patch. Before yesterday’s win over St. Louis, Chicago had lost nine straight. Meanwhile, the Cardinals (90-70) have watched their lead in the NL Central fade to just one game above the Brewers as St. Louis has dropped three straight. The Cardinals will host the Cubs this evening with just two games remaining on the season.

The visiting Cubs will send out Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.92 ERA) to start. The Chicago left-hander is making his final start of the season after skipping his last start with fatigue in his left shoulder. In 15 innings against the Cardinals this season, Hamels hasn’t allowed a single earned run.

Right-hander Adam Wainwright (14-9, 3.98 ERA) gets the start for St. Louis. Wainwright had a tough game his last time out. In five innings against the Diamondbacks, Wainwright allowed five runs and two walks. In four starts against the Cubs this year, Wainwright is 1-2 with a 3.91 ERA.

The Cubs will likely be without full services from Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez. While Baez has been pinch running, the other two are unlikely to see any game time.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Iowa State/Baylor over54 -110

Only a one-point loss to rival #19 Iowa has kept the Iowa State Cyclones (2-1) from a perfect record through three games. Saturday afternoon, the undefeated Baylor Bears (3-0) will play host to Iowa State. The over/under is set at 54 points.

Iowa State has already experienced a pair of very close games, one of which went to overtime. The Cyclones then took out their frustration from the Iowa game against UL Monroe by winning 72-20. On average, the Cyclones are scoring 39 points per game on 531 yards of offense while allowing 21 points per game on 33 yards.

The Cyclones offense has been spreading the ball and rolling. In addition to having four receivers over 150 yards, Iowa State can boast six total players of 60 yards rushing on the season. Leading the offense is quarterback Brock Purdy, who’s thrown for 989 yards, six touchdowns, and one pick.

Baylor hasn’t played the toughest competition in the world to start the season, but they’ve gotten the job done. The Bears also showed their offensive prowess by scoring 56 and 63 points in the first two games of the year.

On average, Baylor is scoring 47 points a game on 497 yards of offense while allowing 15 points a game on 261 yards.

Baylor has three rushers over 100 yards for the season, led by the 186 yards of John Lovett. Denzel Mims leads all receivers with 249 yards and three touchdowns through three games. Quarterback Charlie Brewer has thrown for 665 yards and seven touchdowns without a pick.

With two offenses that have shown explosive potential, 54 points should be surpassed before this contest is over.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Blackhawks +160

It’s the final game of the preseason for both the Chicago Blackhawks (2-2-1, 5 points) and Boston Bruins (3-0-2, 8 points), who face off this afternoon.

While Boston has won its two previous games over Philadelphia and New Jersey, Chicago is coming off a 0-6 loss to Washington.

Offensively, both the Blackhawks and Bruins were in the top half of the league a year ago. Chicago ranked 8thwith 3.26 goals per game, and Boston ranked 11thwith 3.13 goals per game.

Defense was a different story, as the Blackhawks struggled to keep the puck out of the net. Allowing 3.55 goals a game, Chicago ranked 30thin the NHL. On average, the Bruins gave up just 2.59 goals a game, which was good enough for 3rdin the league.

Chicago finished the 2018-19 regular season with a record of 36-34-12 and 84 points. Meanwhile, Boston racked up 107 points on a 49-24-9 record, which earned them a spot in the playoffs. After losing just two games on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, the Bruins fell to the Blues in Game 7.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Mariners +200

The Athletics (96-63) are on the verge of clinching an American League Wild Card spot, but they’ll likely need a win against the Mariners (66-93) in Seattle if they’re going to do so tonight.

Oakland is scheduled to send out right-hander Mike Fiers (15-4, 3.91 ERA) to start. In his last outing, Fiers held the Rangers scoreless over eight innings. After today’s outing, Fiers will be the likely starter for the AL Wild Card game on normal rest.

In three outings versus the Mariners this season, Fiers is 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA. In 11 career starts against Seattle, Fiers is 3-2 with a 6.15 ERA.

Left-hander Justus Sheffield (0-1, 6.10 ERA) will start for the Mariners at home. In his last outing, Sheffield allowed four runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings against the Orioles in Baltimore. This will be Sheffield’s first game against the Athletics.

Over the last seven days, shortstop J.P. Crawford has been the Mariners’ best bat, hitting .250 with a homer and five RBIs. On the season, Crawford is batting .231 with seven home runs and 45 RBIs.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Red Wings +105

After beating up on the Canadiens in back-to-back 3-0 fashion, the Maple Leafs (3-3-0, 6 points) are set to face off against the Red Wings (3-2-2, 8 points) this evening with the preseason nearing its end.

This contest will be one of two for the Maple Leafs before they kick off the season Wednesday night against Ottawa. The other will also be against Detroit.

The same can be said for the Red Wings, who have only two games versus Toronto remaining in the preseason schedule before heading to Nashville to take on the Predators on October 5.

The Maple Leafs were the much better offensive team a year ago. With 3.49 goals a game, Toronto ranked fourth in the NHL. With 2.73 goals a game, Detroit ranked 21st.

Neither team was great defensively. While Toronto let in 3.04 goals per game (20th), Detroit allowed 3.32 goals per game (27th) last season.

With a record of 46-28-8, the Maple Leafs finished the 2018-19 season with 100 points. Toronto was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Bruins in seven games.

The Red Wings had a tough year in which they missed out on playoff hockey. With a record of 32-40-10, Detroit concluded last season with 74 points.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Duke/Virginia Tech over52 -110

An important ACC clash will take place Friday night when the Virginia Tech Hokies (2-1) host the Duke Blue Devils (2-1). Virginia Tech is 0-1 in conference play, and this will be Duke’s first conference opponent.

After getting destroyed 42-3 by #2 Alabama, Duke responded well over the next couple of weeks by scoring 45 and 41 points in victories over North Carolina A&T and Middle Tennessee. On average, the Blue Devils are scoring 30 points a game on 413 yards of offense while allowing 24 points a game on 366 yards.

Senior Quentin Harris has been very good at quarterback for Duke. In addition to his 679 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions through the air, Harris also leads the team in rushing with 203 yards and another TD.

A big chunk of Duke’s scoring offense comes from freshman receiver Jalon Calhoun, who’s reeled in 15 passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns this year.

Virginia Tech endured a tough seven-point loss to Boston College to kick off the season, but rebounded with wins over Old Dominion and Furman. On average, Virginia Tech is scoring 27 points a game on 398 yards while allowing 23 points on 329 yards.

The Hokies offense is led by quarterback Ryan Willis, who’s thrown for 739 yards, seven touchdowns, and four picks.

Both defenses have looked less than dominant in their opportunities against cupcake competition, which means these capable offenses should be able to put up points Friday night. If the likes of Old Dominion and Middle Tennessee can score 17 or more, Duke and Virginia Tech are well equipped to reach their offensive averages or more.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Sharks -130

The NHL preseason continues with a Thursday night matchup between the Calgary Flames (3-2-1, 7 points) and San Jose Sharks (0-4-0, 0 points).

The Flames have been decent throughout the preseason, scoring 15 goals in five games on their way to three victories and an overtime loss. On the other hand, the Sharks have been very poor, losing all four of their matchups thus far.

However, San Jose will be eager to pick up the pace as they grow closer to regular season play.

This will be a contest between two of the top-scoring teams in the NHL a season ago. Calgary and San Jose were both tied for second in the league with 3.52 goals scored per game. Only Tampa Bay was better, with 3.89 goals per game.

Calgary was significantly better on defense in the 2018-19 season, allowing a ninth-best 2.72 goals per game. San Jose let in 3.15 goals a game, which was good enough for 21stin the NHL.

The Flames ended the season with 50 wins, 25 loss, and seven OT losses for a combined 107 points. In the playoffs, Calgary won only a single game and was knocked out in the first round by the Avalanche.

San Jose finished last season with 101 points on a 46-27-9 record. The Sharks made it to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Blues in six games.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Mariners +225

The latest installment of Thursday’s games will pit the Athletics (95-63) against the Mariners (66-92) in Seattle. Oakland has lost two of its last three games, scoring no more than three runs in any one of them.

In all likelihood, this will be the final game in a Mariners uniform for the man the fans affectionately call “King Felix.”

Felix Hernandez (1-7, 6.51 ERA), the Seattle right-hander, is set to hit free agency after 15 years with the Mariners. Hernandez spent much of the year on the injured list, and is 0-3 with a 6.51 ERA since returning to the rotation. The former AL Cy Young winner is 169-135 with a 3.42 ERA in his 15 seasons in Seattle.

The crowd will be with Hernandez, and very much against Sean Manaea (3-0, 1.14 ERA), who starts for Oakland. This is the Athletics left-hander’s final start of the regular season, with his availability for the AL Wild Card game in focus for Oakland. In his four starts since returning from shoulder surgery, Manaea has allowed only three runs.

In 10 career starts against Seattle, Manaea is 5-4 with a 3.90 ERA.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Eagles/Packers under46½ -110

Thursday Night Football features two preseason favorites within the NFC as the Eagles (1-2) head into Green Bay to take on the undefeated Packers (3-0). The over/under is set at 46.5 for this matchup.

For Philadelphia, an unexpected 27-24 loss to the Lions put them under .500. With only one win, which came over lowly Washington, the Eagles are in danger of falling to 1-3 if the Pack can win at home.

Thus far, Philly is allowing 26 points per game while giving up 357 yards of offense on average. Offensively, the Eagles are racking up 375 yards a game while averaging 25 points.

Meanwhile, the Packers have won all three games against the Bears, Vikings, and Broncos while holding their opponents to a maximum of 16 points. In the season opener versus the Bears, Green Bay only gave up three points in a 10-3 victory.

While the offense has been slow to start, putting up just 19 points a game on 305 yards, the defense has been wonderful. Despite giving up 354 yards of offense, the Packers defense is only allowing 11 points per game.

The mixture of one of the league’s top defenses and a struggling Green Bay offense is too much to pass up the under in this game.

Through three games, Aaron Rodgers has thrown for just 647 yards and four touchdowns, which is mediocre by his standards. Even if Rodgers picks up the pace while the Eagles score their average, it likely won’t be enough to reach 46.5 points in the game.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Navy/Memphis over53½ -110

Two undefeated AAC teams are set to go head to head on Thursday when the Navy Midshipmen (2-0) go on the road to take on the Memphis Tigers (3-0). The over/under is set at 53.5 points.

Navy has looked strong through two games, easily taking care of Holy Cross before defeating Eastern Carolina by a score of 42-10. On average, Navy is scoring 43 points a game on 499 yards of offense. The team has been good defensively by allowing just 8 points a game, but that’s come against inferior competition to what Navy will face Thursday.

After an impressive, low-scoring win over Ole Miss, Memphis went on to score 55 points against Southern and 42 points against South Alabama. On 487 yards of offense per game, the Tigers are averaging 37 points a game.

In five combined games, these two teams have scored at least 42 points in four of them, which makes the 53.5 point total look like a small number.

With quarterback Malcolm Perry throwing for just 254 yards and two TDs on the season, the running game is clearly the strength of the Navy offense. However, Perry has been incredibly efficient, earning those 254 yards on just 11 completions and 16 attempts.

Led by Perry’s 184 yards, Navy can boast three rushers over 100 yards and five over 50 yards thorough just two games. Perry has scored five times on the ground while fullback Nelson Smith has scored three and receiver CJ Williams has added another.

Memphis has been strong across the board on offense in their three games of the season. Quarterback Brady White is 52 of 72 for 718 yards, five touchdowns, and two picks.

The Tigers also have three rushers over 100 yards, but Kenneth Gainwell is the feature back. Gainwell has racked up 307 yards and three touchdowns through three games.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Nationals -156

With yesterday’s doubleheader wins over the Phillies (79-78), the Nationals (88-69) booked their ticket to October baseball whilst simultaneously knocking Philly out of contention. Tonight, the Nats will aim for a victory lap win over the Phillies in Washington.

Philadelphia enters this contest as losers of their last four games, three of which have come against Washington. The Nationals enter on a three-game winnings streak.

The visiting Phillies will send out Drew Smyly (4-7, 6.44 ERA) to start. The Philadelphia left-hander has tallied a 5.82 ERA in his last nine starts. In his last outing, Smyly didn’t make it out of the third as he allowed the Indians to rack up four runs on five hits.

Right-hander Anibal Sanchez (10-8, 3.91 ERA) is scheduled to start for Washington. Sanchez is 0-2 against the Phillies this season, but he’s been very good as of late. Over his last three starts, Sanchez is holding opposing batters to a .188 average and posting a 2.37 ERA.

Although Phillies slugger Bryce Harper leads the club with 34 homers and 109 RBIs, he’s been poor against tonight’s starter for the Nats. In 12 at-bats against Sanchez, Harper is batting just .083 with zero home runs.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Blue Jackets +130

Two teams with identical records are set to face off this evening in Buffalo as the Sabres (2-2-0, 4 points) host the Blue Jackets (2-2-0, 4 points) in another preseason matchup. These two played once already, with Columbus coming out on top by a score of 4-1.

Coming off a 47-31-4 season, the Blue Jackets are aiming to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again. Buffalo finished the 2018-19 season with a record of 33-39-10 and a point total of 76.

A season ago, the Blue Jackets scored 3.13 goals a game, which was good enough for 12thin the NHL. With 2.82 goals allowed per game, Columbus ranked 11thin the league.

With 2.70 goals a game throughout the 2018-19 season, the Sabres were tied with the Rangers for 23rdin the NHL. Buffalo was even worse defensively, letting in 3.27 goals per game and ranking 24thamong all teams.

While the Blue Jackets are coming off a 5-3 loss to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blues, the Sabres defeated the Maple Leafs by a score of 5-3 on Saturday in their last action.

With the turnover in rosters throughout the preseason we don’t know who will get the majority of the time on the ice, but look out for Jacob Lilja, who scored two of the Blue Jackets’ three goals against St. Louis on Sunday.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Phillies +165

The Nationals (86-69) are set for a division clash at home as the Phillies (79-76) are in town for the third game of what will be five straight contests between the two. We’re focusing on the evening game of today’s day-night doubleheader.

For the visitors from Philadelphia, right-hander Aaron Nola (12-6, 3.75 ERA) will be on the mound to start. In eight career starts on the road against Washington, Nola is 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA and 45 Ks in 43 innings. In his last outing, Nola allowed five runs over five innings against the Braves.

Right-hander Max Scherzer (10-7, 2.81 ERA) is set to start for the Nationals. In six starts since coming off the injured list, Scherzer has posted a 4.50 ERA. In his two games against the Phillies this season, Scherzer is 1-1 with a 0.75 ERA, but he’s still working himself back into form.

In 20 at-bats against Scherzer, Jay Bruce is batting .300 with a home run.

Slugger Bryce Harper leads the Phillies with 33 homers and 108 RBIs, and he’s been very good lately. Over the past seven days, Harper is batting .348 with two homers and six RBIs.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Bears/Redskins over 41½ -110

Monday Night Football features a pair of NFC squads with just one win between them through two weeks of regular season play as the Chicago Bears (1-1) go into Washington D.C. to take on the Redskins (0-2). The over/under is set at 41.5 points.

The Bears started off their 2019 campaign with a 10-3 dud against the Packers before defeating the Broncos by a score of 16-14. Although Chicago is putting up just 273 yards of offense per game, the team can be happy with Trubisky’s ball security thus far.

A Chicago defense expected to be in the top tier of the NFL is allowing 316 yards per game so far, which could provide an opening for a Washington offense that’s averaging 300 yards through the air, per game.

Leading that passing attack for the Redskins is Case Keenum, who’s looked good through two weeks of the season. On the year, Keenum has thrown for 601 yards and five touchdowns without a pick. Keenum is also completing around 70% of his passes.

While the Washington offense can score points, the defense isn’t doing the team any favors. After giving up 32 points to the Eagles in the season opener, the Redskins allowed 31 points to the Cowboys at home.

On average, Washington is giving up 459 yards of offense to opposing teams, which means this matchup will give Trubisky a chance to get back to his 2018 form in which the Chicago QB threw for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

Keep in mind that Washington has been very susceptible to big plays through the first two weeks of the season. Expect Matt Nagy to dial up some shots to Allen Robinson, Tarik Cohen, and David Montgomery.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rutgers +8½ -109

Each with one loss on the record, the Boston College Eagles (2-1) are set to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-1) on Saturday.

Thus far, Boston College has had very little trouble putting points on the board. Since an impressive 35-28 win over Virginia Tech to start the season, the Eagles have scored 45 and 48 points. Although Boston College is allowing 30 points per game, they’re scoring an average of 35.

After a strong start, Boston College suffered an embarrassing loss to Kansas after coming into the matchup as 21-point favorites. Against the Jayhawks, Boston College allowed 329 yards on the ground and 567 yards of total offense.

Eagles quarterback Anthony Brown completed just half his passes for 195 yards and a TD. Running back AJ Dillon rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown, but the Boston College offense was scoreless in the second half.

After a 48-21 win over UMass to start the 2019 season, Rutgers was demolished by #20 Iowa in the team’s second contest. With an extra week to prepare, Rutgers will attempt to improve its 24 points a game and 25 points allowed per game.

Against superior competition, Rutgers only managed 125 yards of offense. Now going up against a Boston College team that struggled to finish tackles a week ago, the Scarlet Knights should have more success on the back of Isaih Pacheco, who’s rushed for 223 yards and four TDs through the first two games of the year.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Air Force +8½ -110

A pair of undefeated teams will face off on the blue turf of Boise State as the #20 Broncos (3-0) host the Air Force Falcons (2-0). This game could have big implications for the Mountain West Conference standings at the end of the year.

The visitors are coming off an impressive overtime win against Colorado. Before that, the Falcons demolished Colgate in their season opener. The old-school Air Force offense has produced 454 yards per game while a strong defense is holding opponents to an average of 243 yards.

Don’t expect Air Force quarterback Donald Hammond to rack up a ton of yardage through the air. On just seven of 12 passes, Hammond threw for 155 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick. The Falcons’ offense relies much more heavily on the run game, which is led by Kadin Remsberg, who rushed for 146 yards against Colorado.

Boise State has started the year strong, taking down FSU in the opener before earning a close win against Marshall and blowing out Portland State. In contrast to an Air Force team led by defense, the Broncos want to outscore opponents. Boise State is averaging 516 yards of offense while giving up 280.

Averaging more than 300 yards a game, Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier has thrown for 927 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions on the season. Bachmeier’s favorite target is Khalil Shakir, who’s reeled in 17 balls for 237 yards and a TD.

Against a triple-option team that will wear any opponent down throughout the course of a game, Boise State will need its freshman QB to protect the ball and be efficient through the air. A relentless Air Force defense will love getting 8.5 points against a Broncos team that only managed 14 points against Marshall.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Red Sox +174

As the 2019 season nears its close, the Red Sox (80-72) are looking up at both the Rays (90-63) and Yankees in the AL East. Tonight, Boston aims to play spoiler as the team goes into Tampa Bay with the hope of dragging the Rays down in the Wild Card race.

This matchup features a hitting-versus-pitching dynamic. With 845 runs scored on the season, the Red Sox are more than 100 runs better than the Rays, who’ve scored 732. But when it comes to pitching, the 3.66 team ERA of Tampa Bay is far superior to Boston’s 4.63.

Right-hander Rick Porcello (13-12, 5.77 ERA) will be on the mound to start for the visiting Red Sox. In his last outing, Porcello held the Phillies to two runs over five innings in a win. In 167 starts at Tropicana Field in St. Pete, Porcello is 8-5 with an ERA of 2.87.

The Rays will be starting 35-year-old right-hander Charlie Morton (15-6, 3.16 ERA). In 15 home starts, Morton is 7-3 with a 2.74 ERA. In eight career starts against the Red Sox, Morton has posted a 4.26 ERA.

Mookie Betts, who’s been on the injured list, could return for this one. On the season, Betts is batting .293 with 28 homers and 78 RBIs.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Houston +5½ -110

Thursday night will feature an American Athletic Conference clash between the visiting Houston Cougars (1-2) and the Green Wave of Tulane (2-1).

Houston has two losses on the record, but they’ve also faced one of the toughest opening schedules in the nation. After an impressive performance in a loss to #4 Oklahoma, the Cougars easily defeated Prairie View before dropping last week’s contest to #20 Washington State by a touchdown.

On the season, Houston is scoring 30 points per game while giving up an average of 32.

Tulane has enjoyed an easier schedule, but they did run into a brick wall when they faced #10 Auburn, losing 24-6. The Green Wave easily took care of business against two inferior opponents in the lead up to this conference game.

So far, Tulane is scoring 35 points per game while allowing an average of 14. Tulane is also putting up 436 yards of offense per game while allowing 276.

Houston is getting 5.5 points on the road, which is an interesting line considering the Cougars dominated Tulane in a 48-17 game last season.

So far, Houston quarterback D’Eriq King is 42 of 77 for 434 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Tulane quarterback Justin McMillan is 37 of 67 for 424 yards, two touchdowns, and two picks.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Padres +147

Without Christian Yelich on the field, the Brewers (82-70) will host the Padres (69-83) for the fourth straight time this afternoon in Milwaukee. In each of the first three games of the series, the loser has scored just one run.

On the mound for the visitors will be left-hander Joey Lucchesi (10-8, 4.22 ERA). In over 153 innings pitched, Lucchesi has struck out 145 batters while allowing 52 walks and 22 homers. The second-year starter can boast a 5-1 record with a 4.33 ERA in 10 daytime games. In two career starts against the Brewers, Lucchesi is 1-0 with an ERA of 2.31.

Right-hander Jordan Lyles (11-8, 4.25 ERA) starts for the Brewers this afternoon. In his nine starts for the Brewers since coming over from Pittsburgh, Lyles is 6-1 with a 2.39 ERA. In 13 career appearances against the Padres, Lyles is 3-4 with an ERA of 5.02.

A Brewers offense that ranks 17thin the majors with 4.67 runs per game is now even worse without Yelich, who led the club with 44 home runs, 97 RBIs, and a .329 average.

For the Padres, Hunter Renfroe and Eric Hosmer lead the line. Renfroe has slugged 32 home runs while Hosmer leads the team with 95 RBIs.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Padres +132

Over their last 10 games, the Brewers (82-69) are 9-1 and are tied with the Chicago Cubs for the second National League Wild Card spot. Tonight, Milwaukee will host the Padres (68-83) at Miller Park.

In addition to their tight Wild Card race, the Brewers are also just two games back of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central as the season draws to a close. With playoff baseball out of reach, the Padres will play the part of the spoiler tonight.

On the mound, San Diego will turn to right-hander Dinelson Lamet (2-5, 4.06 ERA). A long layoff from Tommy John surgery hasn’t seemed to affect Lamet, who looks like the same pitcher. In his last outing, Lamet took the loss as he allowed three runs over five innings against the Cubs.

The Brewers will be sending out Adrian Houser (6-6, 3.84 ERA). The Milwaukee right-hander had allowed three runs or fewer in six straight outings before facing the Diamondbacks his last time out. In that recent start, Houser was taken deep by Paul Goldschmidt in grand-slam fashion.

After fracturing his right kneecap, Christian Yelich will be missing for the Brewers. Yelich led the team in all major offensive categories, including his .329 average, 44 homers, and 97 RBIs.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rockies +145

The Rockies (66-85) have won four straight games while the Mets (77-73) are watching their playoff hopes slip away as they’ve lost three of their last four. Tonight, Colorado will host the visiting Mets in the second game of their three-game set.

New York has struggled to score runs, earning just 11 over their past four contests. Meanwhile, the Rockies can’t seem to stop scoring. Over their four-game win streak, Colorado has scored 40 total runs.

Nolan Arenado has been a big part of the scoring spree of late. In addition to leading the club with 40 homers and 117 RBIs, Arenado is batting .476 with three home runs and nine RBIs over the last seven days.

Hoping to limit the hottest lineup in baseball at the moment will be Marcus Stroman (8-13, 3.35 ERA), who starts for the Mets. Since joining the Mets at the trade deadline, Stroman is 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA. In his last outing, Stroman last 6 1/3 innings in which he allowed one run on four hits.

The Rockies will be sending out right-hander Tim Melville (2-2, 5.16 ERA) to start. Melville is holding righties to a .211 average this season.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rockies +149

Coming off a three-game sweep of the Padres, the Rockies (65-85) have had no trouble scoring runs lately. Tonight, they’ll host the Mets (77-72) in Colorado.

Scoring a total of seven runs in a three-game set against the Dodgers, New York has lost two of its last three contests. Meanwhile, the Rockies were able to rack up 31 runs in their last three games. Those 31 runs would be good enough for 16thin the majors when taking into account everyone else’s run totals over the last seven days.

The visiting Mets will go with Steven Matz (10-8, 3.84 ERA) to start. The New York left-hander is 7-1 with a 1.94 ERA at home, but is just 3-7 with a 6.08 ERA when pitching on the road. With Colorado in fine form offensively, Matz could be in for another rough outing away from home.

Right-hander Antonio Senzatela (9-10, 6.87 ERA) will start for the Rockies at home. In his last outing, Senzatela allowed just one run on four hits over six innings against the Cardinals. Senzatela has faced the Mets twice, pitching a total of nine innings and going 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Jets +7 -115

Although much of the NFL’s offseason hype surrounded the Cleveland Browns (0-1) and New York Jets (0-1), both teams lost their season opener. Now, the Browns and Jets are set to face off in primetime on Monday Night Football.

Cleveland kicked of 2019 with a disappointing 43-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans. The Browns only allowed 371 yards while putting up 387 yards of offense themselves, but an all-around underwhelming performance ended in a 30-point loss.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield has the worst day for Cleveland, throwing for 285 yards and touchdown but tossing three interceptions. The Browns also expected more out of star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who caught seven balls for 71 yards.

The Jets looked poor offensively in their season opener, but lost by only a single point in a 17-16 contest against the Bills. While racking up just 243 yards of total offense, the Jets allowed Buffalo to help themselves to 382 yards, including 128 on the ground.

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold did better to protect the football, but was just 28 of 41 for 175 yards and a touchdown. Le’Veon Bell managed just 60 yards on 17 carries against a strong Bills rushing defense.

With the Browns allowing 123 yards on the ground a week ago, expect Bell to have a more prolific outing Monday night. A better performance from Bell and a repeat performance from Jamison Crowder, who caught 14 passes for 99 yards in Week 1, would allow New York to control the clock at home.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rams -2 -109

The Saints (1-0) have gone through the entire offseason thinking about a blown pass interference call that cost them a trip to the Super Bowl. On Sunday, New Orleans will get a chance at revenge as they go into Los Angeles to take on the Rams (1-0).

A wild Monday night affair ended with the Saints overcoming the Texans with a last-second field goal. As we’ve come to expect from New Orleans, Drew Brees and the offense made this team tick. The Saints shredded the Houston defense for 518 yards of total offense.

Despite missing some throws, Brees went 32 of 43 for 370 yards, two touchdowns, and one pick through the air. Michael Thomas was one the receiving end of 10 of those completions for 123 yards. On the ground, Kamara ran for 97 yards to help the Saints earn 148 total rushing yards.

While the Saints struggled to defeat a tough opponent, most expected the Rams to have an easier go against the Carolina Panthers, who just recently lost to the Buccaneers on Thursday night. In fact, the Rams were only able to earn 352 yards of offense while giving up 366.

In the end, Los Angeles won by three points, but quarterback Jared Goff wasn’t at his best. On 23 of 39 passing, Goff threw for 186 yards, one TD, and an interception.

The Rams, who are two-point favorites at home, will have been excited to see running back Todd Gurley have success running the football. On 14 carries, Gurley rushed for 97 yards.

With a 7-1 home record last season, only two of the Rams’ home wins were by five points or fewer.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on White Sox +117

Before a 10-inning, one-run loss yesterday, the White Sox (65-83) started a series against the Mariners (61-88) with a 9-7 victory. A late afternoon game in Seattle will decide who wins this series.

Over the last seven days, both of these clubs have played six games. While the Mariners have scored just 24 runs over that span, the White Sox rank 11thin the majors with 31 runs scored.

Although the White Sox haven’t enjoyed a hugely successful season, the club features Tim Anderson’s MLB-leading .333 average and Jose Abreu’s American League-leading 116 RBIs.

On the mound, Chicago is set to start right-hander Ivan Nova (10-12, 4.69 ERA). After giving up three solo homers through the first two innings of his last outing, Nova settled in and threw 5 2/3 innings with no walks and gave up nothing else. Nova earned the win in that game.

The Mariners will be sending out rookie Justus Sheffield (0-1, 4.43 ERA). The Seattle left-hander only gave up a single run over six innings against the Reds in his last outing. In four outings in Seattle, Sheffield is 0-1 with a 5.71 ERA.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Diamondbacks -113

Following a tough series against the Mets and a loss in the current series opener, it’s fair to say the Diamondbacks (75-73) are due for a win. Tonight, Arizona will play host to the Reds (69-79).

For Cincinnati, right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (9-8, 4.06 ERA) gets the start. Over his last five starts, DeSclafani has struck out 27 in 31 innings while posting a 2.32 ERA. In his last outing, Arizona managed to score three runs, including a two-run blast, over six innings.

For Arizona, right-hander Merrill Kelly (10-14, 4.68 ERA) will start. In his last outing, Merrill gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings against the Mets. If not for Pete Alonso, who hit two solo shots, Merrill would have enjoyed a great start.

Kelly isn’t as poor as his record might let on. With a 3.17 run support average, which is the fifth-lowest in the majors, Kelly has done well to earn a 5-5 record and 3.50 ERA at home.

Eduardo Escobar leads the D-Backs with 34 home runs and 113 RBIs. Ketel Marte, who has a home run off DeSclafani, is batting a club-leading .327 on the year.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on New Mexico State +16 -110

It’s Aggies versus Aztecs on Saturday night as 0-2 New Mexico State plays host to 2-0 San Diego State.

San Diego State is coming off an upset 23-14 win over UCLA a week ago. So far, the Aztecs are scoring 14 points per game but allowing just six, due in large part to their shutout victory over Weber State to kick off the season.

New Mexico State may be winless through two games, but both were against quality opponents. After kicking things off against #23 Washington State, the Aggies went into Tuscaloosa to face #2 Alabama. Both games, which were on the road, ended in losses of at least 50 points.

San Diego State will need to be sharp if they’ll cover a 16-point spread on the road. That means the Aztecs will be counting on an efficient performance from running back Juwan Washington, who’s averaging 96 yards per game.

However, it’s the defense that leads the Aztecs. A solid UCLA team managed just 261 yards against the San Diego State D last week. Against the run, the Aztecs rank eighth in the nation.

Despite strong competition, New Mexico State quarterback Josh Adkins has looked pretty good. Although he’s thrown two picks versus one touchdown, Adkins is completing 65% of his passes and put up 366 total yards against two ranked opponents.

Against the spread, San Diego State is 2-8 out of their last 10 games overall.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Padres -114

Both the Padres (68-78) and Rockies (62-85) are coming off a loss after two straight wins. After tonight’s contest between the two in Colorado, one will be handed its second-straight loss.

The visiting Padres will send out Joey Lucchesi (10-7, 3.84 ERA) to start. The San Diego left-hander has been great over his last four starts, posting a 1.57 ERA. Lucchesi’s last outing came against the Rockies, in which he tossed six innings of shutout baseball.

While Charlie Blackmon is one of Colorado’s best bats, hitting .317 with 27 homers and 76 RBIs, he’s only batting .176 in 17 at-bats against Lucchesi.

Right-hander Jeff Hoffman (1-6, 7.06 ERA) will occupy the mound to start things off for the Rockies. Hoffman lasted 5 2/3 innings his last time out, holding the Dodgers to five hits and three runs while striking out eight batters and giving up two walks.

Padres slugger Manny Machado will be excited for a new series in Colorado. At Coors Field, Machado is batting .484 with three doubles and three dingers in seven games this season.

In their last eight games against Colorado, San Diego owns a record of 6-2.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Kansas +21 -115

Boston College has gotten off to a strong 2-0 start after dispatching both Virginia Tech and Richmond. Tonight, the Eagles with host the Kansas Jayhawks (1-1).

While Boston College has been able to put up points, scoring a total of 80 through two weeks of play, Kansas has struggled to do so. After squeaking out a 24-17 win against Indiana State, the Jayhawks managed only seven in a loss to Coastal Carolina.

Under new head coach Les Miles, the Kansas offense is expected to pick up as the season progresses, and the Jayhawks should be able to keep many games close with a defense that’s allowing an average of just 14.5 points per game on the season.

Offensively, Kansas can count on the running duo of Khalil Herbert and Pooka Williams Jr., the latter of whom was one yard shy of triple digits rushing on 22 carries last week.

Allowing an average of 20.5 points, the weakness of this Boston College squad could turn out to be a defensive line that lost plenty of talent from a year ago. However, the Eagles were able to comfortably take down Virginia Tech despite being 4.5-point dogs.

For Kansas, the key to this game will likely be turning the ball over. Boston College quarterback Anthony Brown hasn’t thrown a pick yet this season, but a Jayhawks defense that held Coastal Carolina to just 291 total yards last week could frustrate Brown enough to force the ball into tight windows.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Bucs +7 -105

Two 0-1 teams will face off in an NFC South showdown on Thursday Night Football as the Buccaneers of Tampa Bay go on the road to take on the Carolina Panthers.

The Buccaneers opened the 2019 season with a 31-17 beating at the hands of San Francisco in a game full of turnovers. While the 49ers gave the ball up twice, Tampa Bay gave it away four times. 

The biggest of Tampa Bay’s problems was Jameis Winston’s inability to protect the football. San Francisco picked off the Bucs quarterback three times, two of which were returned for touchdowns. That allowed the 49ers to pull away in a game in which Tampa Bay had an advantage in offensive yardage.

Winston was 20 of 36 for 194 yards with a touchdown in addition to those three aforementioned interceptions. If Winston can take better care of the ball, Tampa Bay has a great chance to move the ball against a Panthers team that allowed 352 yards of offense a week ago.

After falling behind 13-0, Carolina was never able to come all the way back to catch the Rams, who won the contest 30-27. Cam Newton threw for 239 yards and a pick on 25 of 38 passing in the game.

One of the league’s best weapons, Christian McCaffrey, kept the game close for Carolina. McCaffrey led the team in both rushing, with 128 yards and two touchdowns, and receiving, with 81 yards on 10 catches.

Carolina has several key players questionable to play Thursday, including tight end Greg Olsen and defensive end Bruce Irvin.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rockies +165

The Rockies (62-84) have taken two straight games off the Cardinals (81-64), both by a score of 2-1. This afternoon, the Rockies will aim to make it three straight wins in Colorado.

The visiting Cardinals will send out right-hander Miles Mikolas (8-13, 4.25 ERA) to start. In his last outing, Mikolas allowed one run in five innings, but also gave up a season-high four walks. In five appearances against the Rockies, Mikolas has posted an ERA of 6.05.

In limited action, several Colorado hitters have gotten to Mikolas. In nine at-bats against St. Louis’ starter tonight, Nolan Arenado is batting .444 with two homers and four RBIs. Daniel Murphy is 4-for-10 against Mikolas.

In 68 plate appearances, current Rockies are batting .313 against Mikolas.

For the home team, Tim Melville (2-1, 3.66 ERA) starts on the mound. In his last time out, the Colorado right-hander held the Padres to two runs over 5 2/3 innings while striking out eight batters. On the road, Melville is 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA.

While Colorado is 31.5 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West, St. Louis is clinging to a four-game lead over Milwaukee and Chicago in the NL Central.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rockies +151

The Rockies (61-84) managed to sneak by the Cardinals (81-63) with a 2-1 victory to open the series on Tuesday. Tonight, these two clubs face off once again in Colorado.

While the Cardinals are the better pitching team, boasting a fifth-best team ERA of 3.83, the Rockies have the advantage in the offensive side of the game. While St. Louis ranks 21stin the majors with 670 runs scored, the Rockies rank ninth with 742 runs scored on the season.

The visiting Cardinals will start right-hander Dakota Hudson (15-6, 3.40 ERA), who’s posted a 3.23 ERA over his 11 starts since the All-Star break. In his last outing, Hudson allowed one hit over six innings.

Colorado will be going with right-hander Antonio Senzatela (8-10, 7.19 ERA) to start. Senzatela will be aiming to regain the solid form he had during June, throughout which he posted a respectable 4.83 ERA. He’s had trouble with his fastball against left-handed hitters this year, which has inflated his ERA.

Against Senzatela, Yadier Molina is batting just .250 in 12 at-bats and Paul Goldschmidt is batting .267 in 15 at-bats.

Nolan Arenado leads the Rockies with 38 home runs and 110 RBIs on the season.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Phillies +151

Game 2 of a four-game series will take place tonight in Philadelphia when the Phillies (74-69) host the NL East-leading Braves (90-55). Although Atlanta took the series opener, Philly won the previous two games against the Mets in New York.

The visiting Braves will send out left-hander Max Fried (16-4, 3.86 ERA) to start. In his last outing, Fried held the Nationals to zero runs through his seven innings pitched. Fried has struck out eight batters or more in four of his last six starts.

J.T. Realmuto has been one the best Philly hitters against Fried. In this matchup, Realmuto is 4-for-10 with a home run and four RBIs. Jay Bruce is 2-for-5 and Sean Rodriguez is 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs.

On the mound for the Phillies will be Jason Vargas (6-7, 4.27 ERA). In his last outing, Vargas held the Reds to two hits while striking out six batters in 5 1/3 innings. In seven career outings against the Braves, Vargas is 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA.

In 136 plate appearances, this Braves lineup is hitting .234 against Vargas.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Raiders +3 -115

The final game of NFL’s Week 1 will feature a pair of AFC West teams as the Denver Broncos travel to Oakland to take on the Raiders.

With a record of 4-12, the Raiders were the worst team in the division a year ago. Denver failed to make the playoffs for the third straight season after a 6-10 performance in 2018.

Although a shaky preseason left questions about Antonio Brown and his availability for the Raiders’ opener, Oakland head coach Jon Gruden expected to have his star receiver on the field Monday night until the team released Brown on Saturday.

The passing game was expected to improve with Brown on the roster after Oakland ranked 18thin the NFL with 234 yards per game in 2018. Now, there’s one fewer game-breaking option for quarterback Derek Carr, who threw for 4,049 yards with 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions a year ago.

The Broncos were far from an explosive offense last season, ranking 24thin the league with 20.6 points per game. With the addition of veteran Joe Flacco to the roster, Denver figures to improve. In nine games last season, Flacco threw for 2,465 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six picks.

For a team that allowed a 22nd-best 365 yards per game in 2018, three points is a lot to lay for the Broncos on the road. With Brown absent for much of the Raiders’ preseason, his release could very well be overstated in the line for this game.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Cubs -144

The Cubs (76-66) kick off a four-game set against the Padres (66-76) in San Diego this evening. With injuries to Javier Baez, Addison Russel, and Kris Bryant, Chicago may have to mix and match on the left side of the infield.

Right-hander Kyle Hendricks (9-9, 3.39 ERA) will be on the mound to start for the Cubs. In his last outing, Hendricks notched seven strikeouts and held the Mariners to one run over six innings. In nine career starts against the Padres, Hendricks is 5-2 with a 2.98 ERA.

San Diego will counter with rookie right-hander Cal Quantrill (6-6, 4.57 ERA). Quantrill had made himself a reliable starter for the Padres, but he’s struggled lately. In each of his last two starts, Quantrill has allowed eight earned runs.

In nine starts at home, Quantrill is 3-2 with a 4.44 ERA.

Out of Hendricks’ last 10 games coming off six days of rest, the Cubs are 7-3. Of their last 19 games to open a new series, the Padres are 6-13. And of their last 15 games at home against a team with a winning record, San Diego is 4-11.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Giants +7½ -110

The New York Giants are getting more than a touchdown on the road as they travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys in an NFC East showdown.

While the Cowboys progressed to the second round of the playoffs after taking the division crown a year ago, the Giants finished the 2018 season with a record of 5-12.

Although Dallas will have Ezekiel Elliot on the active roster for this Week 1 matchup, the star running back has only been through one padded practice in the offseason. Elliot should start, but don’t expect a full workload.

Speaking of star running backs, New York will hope to control the game through Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 1,307 yards and 11 touchdowns in his rookie campaign. Any success with Barkley on the ground will help a passing offense that ranked 11thin the NFL in 2018.

While Dallas has more talent on the roster, the offense struggled in the red zone last year. By scoring in only 52% of their red zone trips, they ranked 26thin the league in that category.

On the flip side, New York ranked 12thin red zone defense a year ago, which means Dallas could have to settle for field goals more often than not.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Braves +120

As winners of nine straight, the Braves (89-54) are the hottest team in baseball. If the Braves can push that streak to 10, they’ll complete a four-game sweep of the Nationals (78-63) in Atlanta.

Two of the National League’s best pitchers will face off in this one, as Washington right-hander Max Scherzer (9-5, 2.60 ERA) takes on Atlanta right-hander Mike Soroka (11-3, 2.53 ERA).

In a 90-pitch outing against the Mets, Scherzer struck out seven but allowed four runs and a walk. Scherzer holds an ERA of 4.40 with a 0-0 record over his last three starts. Looking towards the postseason, the Nationals didn’t pitch more than five innings of two of those three outings.

Soroka experienced a first for his career when he allowed two homers to the Blue Jays in his last outing. Soroka will now be aiming for another performance like he had against the Nats on the last day of July, allowing one run over seven innings.

In addition to a 10-2 record for the Braves when Soroka pitches on five days of rest, the club is 12-2 in Soroka’s last 14 outings against NL East competition.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Arkansas State +1½ -110

Seeking its first 2-0 start in two decades, the UNLV Rebels (1-0) will host the Arkansas State Red Wolves (0-1) Saturday evening in what figures to be a tight matchup.

Despite big passing numbers from its quarterback, Arkansas State lost to SMU by a touchdown at home in Week 1 of the season. Against Southern Utah, UNLV took care of business and won by a score of 56-23.

In their opening game loss, Arkansas State quarterback Logan Bonner threw for 324 yards and four touchdowns, all of which were caught by Omar Bayless. Bayless finished the game with 10 catches for 132 yards, and proved that the Red Wolves have a scary quarterback-receiver combination.

The downfall for Arkansas State in Week 1 came in the form of a kickoff returned for a touchdown and 11 penalties, both of which should be correctable coming into the second game of the season.

Against significantly inferior competition, it’s hard to gauge just how well UNLV can carry over its 534-yard performance against Southern Utah. However, they’ll be hoping for more from Charles Williams, who rushed for 143 yards on 15 carries.

Of UNLV’s last 13 Week 2 games, the Rebels have won only three.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rockies +158

Before Colorado’s 3-2 win on Friday, the Rockies (60-82) had lost nine straight. With another win over the Padres (64-76) on the road, Colorado can start a winning streak this evening.

The Rockies will have a great chance if they can limit the longball. While the Padres have more home-run potential, with 200 homers on the season, the Rockies have been better offensively with a 739-610 advantage in runs scored this season.

Right-hander Jeff Hoffman (1-5, 7.35 ERA) will start for the Rockies. Despite allowing a homer on the first pitch of his last outing, Hoffman recovered well enough to hold Pittsburgh to two runs over five innings. Against the Padres, Hoffman is 1-1 with a 1.08 ERA.

Padres left-hander Joey Lucchesi (9-7, 4.00 ERA) will be opposite Hoffman. Although Hoffman allowed one run over six innings against the Giants in his last outing, he was one hit away from giving up plenty more after escaping a bases-loaded jam in the sixth.

San Diego is just 1-5 in their last six games at home against a righty. The Padres are also terrible in the second game of series, losing five straight.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Twins -167

As the Indians (81-60) open a three-game set against the Twins (87-53) in Minnesota, this feels like their big chance to cut the 6.5-game gap between themselves and the AL Central leaders. However, that prospect doesn’t look likely for a Cleveland team that’s won just two of its last seven.

The Twins, who’ve won 10 of 12, will be leaning on their MLB-best 272 home runs to get out ahead of Cleveland. With 824 runs scored (1stin MLB), the Minnesota offense has been significantly better than the Cleveland lineup, which has scored just 665 runs (18thin MLB).

Hoping to limit those home runs, right-hander Adam Plutko (6-4, 4.53 ERA) will start for the Indians. Plutko last faced the Twins just under a month ago. In that contest, Plutko allowed four runs on nine hits in six innings in a frustrating outing.

Opposite Plutko will be Michael Pineda (11-5, 4.11 ERA), who starts for Minnesota. The Twins right-hander hasn’t faced Cleveland since March, when he lasted four innings and allowed no runs. Pineda has won five straight decisions and four straight starts.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on William & Mary +35½ -110

Only two teams in the Coastal division of the ACC earned a victory in Week 1; Virginia was one of them. Tonight, the Cavaliers (1-0) will play host to the visiting William & Mary Tribe (1-0).

The Lafayette Leopards fell victim to William & Mary in the Tribe’s kickoff game by a score of 30-17. Virginia faced much stiffer competition in the form of Pittsburgh, but won by the similar score of 30-14.

Sandwiched between Pitt and Florida State, who the Cavaliers play next week, this William & Mary contest is shaping up to be a trap game for Virginia.

Getting 35.5 points, the Tribe will rely on their two best aspects of the game from a week ago to keep this contest as close as possible: the run game and turnovers. Led by Hollis Mathis, William & Mary rushed for 265 yards as a team. The defense provided assist after assist for the offense with four takeaways.

Defense led the way for Virginia in last week’s victory. In addition to only being penalized three times as a team, the Cavaliers held Pittsburgh to just 78 yards on the ground.

Time could fly by in this one with both teams attempting to get the running game going. If that’s the case, Virginia should struggle to reach the 35.5-spread.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rays -184

Coming off a run of three straight losses, the Blue Jays (55-85) have now lost 12 of their last 15 contests. Meanwhile, the Rays (82-59) have won six of their last seven and have the shortest of grips on an AL Wild Card spot with a 0.5-game advantage over Oakland and Cleveland.

Tampa Bay will look to stay in control of their playoff destiny with a win at home tonight.

In that effort, the Rays will start right-hander Austin Pruitt (2-0, 4.78 ERA), who makes just his second start of the season. In his first start, Pruitt was great. He pitched 5 1/3 innings against the Indians without allowing a run in a victorious outing.

For Toronto, Trent Thornton (4-9, 5.34 ERA) will begin the game on the mound. The Blue Jays right-hander has faced Tampa Bay three times this season, and he’d like to forget them all. In those 11 1/3 total innings, Thornton allowed 23 hits and 14 runs.

Those beatings at the hands of the Rays are a big part of why the Blue Jays are just 2-7 in Thornton’s last nine starts against AL East teams.

Tampa Bay is a perfect 6-for-6 in their most recent home games against right-handed starters.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rockies +300

The Rockies (59-81) have a tough task in front of them when they take the field this evening in Los Angeles to go up against the National League-leading Dodgers (91-50), who’ve just beat them twice.

While this would normally feel like a formality with All-Star starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-5, 2.35 ERA) starting for the Dodgers, Ryu’s dip in form makes this an interesting affair, especially considering how big of a dog Colorado is. Just a few weeks ago, Ryu was the frontrunner for the NL Cy Young. Now, Los Angeles is worried about their ace heading into the playoffs.

In his last three starts, Ryu is 0-3 with an 11.05 ERA while giving up five of his 15 total home runs allowed. In his three starts against Colorado, Ryu is 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA.

For the Rockies, Antonio Senzatela (8-9, 6.95 ERA) gets the start. The Colorado right-hander hasn’t been great over his past five starts, but he’s only allowed two homers over that stretch.

In eight at-bats against Senzatela, MVP candidate Cody Bellinger has just one hit. In 11 at-bats, Joc Pederson is batting .182 against the Rockies right-hander.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Brewers +150

It took 10 innings for the Astros (90-49) to take down the Brewers (70-67) in the series opener yesterday. Despite that loss, Milwaukee has won three of its last five and is ready to take on Houston once again.

Defending Milwaukee’s 39-30 home record will be right-hander Jordan Lyles (9-8, 4.55 ERA). After posting a 9.00+ ERA in his last nine starts with Pittsburgh, Lyles has been a different pitcher since putting on a Brewers uniform. In six starts since that time, Lyles is 4-1 with a much-improved 2.51 ERA.

Opposite Lyles will be right-hander Zack Greinke (14-4, 2.99 ERA). Without his best stuff against the Rays his last time out, Greinke gave up six hits, a walk, and five runs over five 2/3 innings.

A pair of Brewers have been good against Greinke. In 12 at-bats, Lorenzo Cain is batting .333 with a home run. In 20 at-bats against Greinke, Christian Yelich is batting .350.

Yelich is having an MVP year, and that didn’t stop in yesterday’s game. With a home run in the bottom of the ninth, Yelich tied the game before Houston responded with the game-winning homer an inning later.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Louisville +18½ -110

The Louisville Cardinals will open their 2019 campaign at home against the visiting #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Monday night.

After a dreadful 2-10 season, Louisville has overhauled the coaching staff and taken the program in a new direction. That fresh start is much needed for a team that allowed 44 points per game while scoring just 19 themselves.

It was a very different 2018 for Notre Dame, who ended the year with a 12-1 record with a loss in the semi-final round of the College Football Playoff. The Fighting Irish scored an average of 31 and allowed 18 per game.

After earning a 47-16 record over five seasons with Appalachian State, new Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield will put his own twist on a team that returns 16 starters. Perhaps his most important job will be improving starting quarterback Jawon Pass, who threw for 1,960 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 2018.

Despite owning the 13th-ranked scoring defense in the country, Notre Dame struggled to win their first three games last season. The offense was slow to get started, as the Irish failed to score 25 points against #14 Michigan, Ball State, and Vanderbilt.

On the back of 2,628 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, Ian Book will start for Notre Dame. If Louisville can turn Book over, 18.5 will be a lot of points to overcome.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Phillies +140

While the Phillies (70-65) were able to cap off a three-game series against the Mets with a 5-2 victory, the Reds (64-73) enter a new series as losers of four of their last five. This afternoon, Philadelphia will square off with the Reds in Cincinnati.

Despite a lower home run total than the Reds (196-170), the Phillies are the better offensive team with 657 runs scored on the season compared to Cincinnati’s 618.

On the mound, Philadelphia will be starting left-hander Drew Smyly (2-6, 6.95). Smyly will be hoping to regain his form from early on in a Phillies uniform. In his first two starts with the club, Smyly allowed one run through 13 innings in two starts.

Cincinnati is scheduled to start right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (9-7, 4.05 ERA). In 50 career appearances at the Great American Ballpark, DeSclafani is an even 19-19 with a 4.25 ERA.

Bryce Harper will hope to find continued success against DeSclafani. In 11 at-bats, the Phillies slugger is batting .364. In addition to leading the team in homers (29) and RBIs (97), Harper is batting .308 with a pair of home runs over the past seven days.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Houston +23½ -110

The Houston Cougars have a tough task to start out the 2019 season as they travel into Norman to take on the #4 Sooners of Oklahoma.

Houston defeated its only ranked opponent last season with a 57-36 win over #21 South Florida, and finished the year with a record of 8-5. The Cougars won games by outscoring their competition as they put up 43 per game while allowing an average of 37.

Coming off a 12-2 season, Oklahoma is the favorite to win the Big 12. A high-scoring loss to Alabama knocked the Sooners out of the College Football Playoff at the semi-final stage. On average, Oklahoma scored 48 points and allowed 33 per game in 2018.

23.5 points is a lot to give a team that finished seventh in FBS in total offense with 512.5 yards per game, especially considering they’ll have returning quarterback D’Eriq King. In addition to 2,982 yards and 36 touchdowns through the air, King added 674 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

The Sooners have had the pleasure of having Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray at QB in recent years, and they might be spoiled again with Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts arriving. While going 26-2 as a starter for the Crimson Tide, Hurts threw for 5,256 yards and 48 touchdowns as well as racking up nearly 2,000 yards as a rusher.

Defense is the bigger worry for Oklahoma after holding only two teams under the 20-point mark a season ago. The Sooners allowed at least 40 points on six occasions.

Against the spread, this solid Houston team is 15-4 in its last 19 competitions on grass.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Pirates -103

If the Pirates (59-77) get a win tonight, they’ll complete a four-game sweep of the Rockies (59-78) in Colorado. Both clubs have been poor all year, but they’re trending in different directions at the moment.

The Pirates have won three in a row (all against the Rockies), four of their last five, and seven of their last nine. Meanwhile, the Rockies are losers of five straight and have dropped nine of their last 10 contests.

Pittsburgh has scored a total of 31 runs in three victories over Colorado this week.

Left-hander Steven Brault (3-3, 4.06 ERA) will aim to keep the momentum going for the Pirates. Over his last 12 starts, Brault has posted an ERA of 2.84. In his last outing, Brault gave up three runs to the Phillies without his best.

The Rockies are expected to go with Jeff Hoffman (1-4, 7.81 ERA). In his last outing for Colorado, Hoffman allowed four home runs and seven runs in just two innings.

Pittsburgh has won each of its last six games versus NL West competition while Colorado is 0-9 in their last nine efforts against the NL Central. The Rockies are also 0-5 in their last five home games.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Royals +106

With just 47 wins on the season, the Royals (47-89) have been poor in 2019. The Orioles (45-89), who are 42 games back of the AL East-leading Yankees, have been worse. Both of these clubs will face off tonight in Kansas City.

After dropping the first game of this three-game set, the Royals will turn to Jorge Lopez (2-7, 6.56 ERA) on the mound. The Kansas City right-hander has been great against Baltimore, boasting a 2-0 record alongside a 1.50 ERA in his career. In his last start, which came against the Orioles, Lopez allowed just one run on two hits over five innings.

Lopez will be opposed by Dylan Bundy (6-13, 4.98 ERA) on the side of the Orioles. Bundy’s latest outing resulted in a win, although eight hits and three total runs were surrendered in five innings by the Baltimore right-hander.

Bundy will be hoping to avoid a repeat of a start against Baltimore last season in which he became the first ever pitcher to allow four homers without recording an out. In that horrid 2018 start, Bundy faced seven batters and allowed seven runs.

With a loss today, Bundy would join the 14-loss club occupied by just two others right now this season.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Indiana -17 -108

The Indiana Hoosiers will get the 2019 season rolling in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis against the Ball State Cardinals in a matchup of unranked teams.

Indiana missed out on a bowl game last year after finishing the regular season at 5-7 and 2-7 in the Big Ten. However, the Hoosiers routed Ball State by a score of 38-10.

In addition to that loss to the Hoosiers, Ball State ended with a single win in their final five games to end up 4-8.

Indiana comes in as the significant favorite, and their advantage offensively against a poor Ball State defense is a big reason why. The Hoosiers have one of the more productive running backs in the Big Ten in sophomore Steven Scott III, who ran for 1,137 yards and 10 touchdowns on 228 carries in his freshman campaign.

Meanwhile, Ball State is coming off a 2018 season in which they allowed over five yards per carry and gave up 36 rushing touchdowns, which was the eighth most in the nation. The Cardinals finished 106thin total defense a year ago.

Ball State is 1-5 against the spread in their last six games at a neutral site.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Wake Forest -3½ -110

The Utah State Aggies will face their first test of a new season at Wake Forest against the Demon Deacons.

Utah State’s victory over North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl earned them an 11-2 record in 2018. One of their two losses came in the season opener in which they fell to #11 Michigan State by a touchdown.

Wake Forest enjoyed less success, but reached the Birmingham Bowl and defeated Memphis to finish 7-6 a year ago.

In 2018, the Aggies were able to score 47 points per game while giving up just 22, albeit in the Mountain West. Facing stiffer competition in the ACC, Wake Forest allowed an average of 33 whilst scoring 32 themselves.

While Utah State returns quarterback Jordan Love, who threw for 3,567 yards, 32 touchdowns, and six interceptions last season, they’ll kick off the season with an inexperienced offensive line and without last year’s head coach, Matt Wells.

After coming in for an injured Sam Hartman, junior quarterback Jamie Newman will start for the Demon Deacons. Including his impressive 328-yard performance against Memphis, Newman led Wake Forest to a 3-1 record in his four games under center.

If history is any predictor, Wake Forest will be happy about its 46-10 throttling of Utah State two years ago.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Blue Jays +190

The Astros (87-48) are coming off a tough 9-8 loss to the Rays and now turn their attention to a series against the Blue Jays (54-81) in Toronto. The Blue Jays just split a two-game series with a good Braves team.

As heavy favorites on the road, Houston will go with Wade Miley (13-4, 3.13 ERA) to start. With opponents hitting .233 against him, Miley has been consistently strong for an Astros team that’s 19-8 in his starts this season. In 10 career starts against Toronto, Miley is 2-7 with a 4.47 ERA.

Although not many Blue Jays have faced Miley, Justin Smoak certainly has. In 13 at-bats against the Astros left-hander, Smoak is batting .385 with two homers and three RBIs.

Toronto is scheduled to go with right-hander Trent Thornton (4-8, 5.34 ERA) this evening at home. Although Thornton allowed three earned runs to the Mariners in his last outing, he pitched 6 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball against the Astros in a June start.

Keep an eye on rookie Cavan Biggio, who will be up against the team his father played 20 MLB seasons for. Biggio is 3-for-7 with a pair of walks in his most recent at-bats.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Utah -6.5 -110

Brigham Young University will host #14 Utah to open the 2019 season in a long-running series between these in-state rivals. The Utes have won the last eight contests between these two programs, including a 35-27 win at home in the most recent meeting.

The Cougars of BYU capped off the season with a win over Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl to go 7-6 on the year. A defeat at the hands of Northwestern gave Utah a final record of 9-5 in 2018, but the Utes registered an impressive win against Stanford on its way to a Pac-12 South victory.

With the return of seven starters on each side of the ball, Utah will aim to improve on their 28 points per game while holding opponents to 19 points a game (ranked 17th) from a year ago. The Utes will return senior running back Zack Moss, who led the team with 1,092 yards and 11 TDs, and both Jason Shelley (1,162 yards; five TDs; six picks) and Tyler Huntley (1,788 yards; 12 TDs; six picks), who both saw significant action at quarterback.

BYU made a huge jump in 2018 after a 4-9 season the year prior. That progress figures to continue with 17 starters returning this season.

The Cougars ranked 24thin scoring defense but were average on offense. Zach Wilson will lead the squad from the QB position. Last season, Wilson threw for 1,578 yards, 12 touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Against the spread, Utah is 4-0 in their last four August games.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on White Sox +180

The pressure is on the Twins (81-51), who are fighting to keep their 3.5-game lead over the Indians in the AL Central. Today, Minnesota will go into Chicago to take on the White Sox (60-72).

The White Sox have a couple of things going in their favor in this contest. First, they’ll be playing at home, where they could own a .500 record with a win this afternoon. Second, they’ll be facing one of Minnesota’s least-reliable pitchers at the moment, Jose Berrios (10-7, 3.53 ERA).

Despite a solid record for a starter, Berrios has lost his form in the month of August. The right-hander’s lack of command has delivered him an 8.44 ERA over his last four starts. Through 21 1/3 innings this month, Berrios has allowed a total of 20 earned runs. In his last outing, Berrios gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings.

In 18 at-bats against Berrios, James McCann is batting .289 with three homers and nine RBIs.

Right-hander Dylan Cease (3-6, 5.76 ERA) will start for Chicago coming off his second home victory and recording nine strikeouts.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Royals +150

With one of the weaker remaining schedules in the majors, the Athletics (76-55) have a great shot at postseason baseball. With grip on the second AL Wild Card spot at the moment, Oakland is aiming for another win in Kansas City against the 46-87 Royals.

The biggest obstacle standing in Oakland’s way is right-hander Jacob Junis (8-12, 4.89 ERA), who starts for Kansas City this evening. Facing a minimum of 50 at-bats, Junis has the second-lowest average allowed with runners in scoring position in the AL since June 11. Under that criteria, Junis has held batters to 12-for-62 (.194).

On the mound for the Athletics will be Tanner Roark (8-8, 3.95 ERA). Roark was brought over from the Reds at the trade deadline, and he’s been solid since then. In his last outing, Roark held the Yankees to two runs in 6 1/3 innings.

Although Kansas City hasn’t been great this season, they’ve been able to count on second baseman Whit Merrifield consistently. In addition to his .299 average on the year, Merrifield is batting .293 with four doubles, three homers, and 11 RBIs in August.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Mariners +180

Two teams with plenty of home-run power will face off in Seattle tonight when the Mariners (56-76) host the Yankees (86-47).

The matchup on the mound will feature two Japanese pitchers as New York’s Masahiro Tanaka (9-7, 4.68 ERA) goes up against Seattle’s Yusei Kikuchi (5-8, 5.19 ERA).

Although Tanaka has pitched relatively well this month, the right-hander’s last start will have been tough to swallow. Against the Athletics, Tanaka allowed eight hits and five runs in six innings of play.

Kikuchi will have a couple of things going for him when he makes the start today. First of all, the left-hander tossed a shutout against Toronto his last time out in a 7-0 victory. Second, Kikuchi is now coming off plenty of rest after skipping a start in order to manage his pitch count.

Both pitchers will need to be careful of the power in either team’s lineup. While the Yankees are second in home runs with 244, the Mariners aren’t far behind with their fifth-best 210 dingers.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Padres +150

While the Padres (60-69) are coming off a win against Boston, the Dodgers (86-46) fell to the Yankees by a score of 5-1 yesterday. Tonight, San Diego will play host to New York in the opener of a three-game series.

The pitching matchup will be an interesting one, as the Dodgers continue their run of tryouts to see which arms will play a part in the postseason. We’ll see Dodgers right-hander Dustin May (1-2, 4.26 ERA) up against Padres left-hander Eric Lauer (6-8, 4.47 ERA).

May is currently the Dodgers sixth starter, although he hasn’t found much success in any role thus far. His last outing was one of relief, in which he gave up a grand slam. May faced the Padres in his first appearance in the majors, allowing nine hits and four total runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Of the 65 pitchers in the majors who’ve started against the Dodgers at least six times, Lauer is the best. While Lauer has an 8-15 record against the rest of the league, he’s 4-0 with a 1.72 ERA in six starts against Los Angeles. In 36 2/3 innings against the Dodgers, Lauer has allowed a total of just 26 hits and seven earned runs.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Blue Jays +141

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100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Miami-FL +7½ -110

College football is finally back, and it all kicks off Saturday in Orlando when the #8 Florida Gators (0-0) take on the interstate rival Hurricanes of Miami (0-0), who are unranked.

Before defeating Michigan by a score of 41-15 in the Peach Bowl, Florida went 9-3 in the regular season last year. Miami comes into 2019 after a disappointing 7-5 regular season that ended with a 35-3 loss to Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl.

The Hurricane faithful are excited about new head coach Manny Diaz after Mark Richt’s departure. Diaz is already making his mark, choosing redshirt freshman Jarren Williams to start over Ohio State transfer Tate Martell at quarterback.

Dan Mullen will lead the Gators and quarterback Feleipe Franks, who threw for 2,457 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions last season. Florida went through rough stretches as an offense in 2018. In losses to Georgia and Missouri, the Gators scored just 17 points in each.

With a Florida offense that’s looked sluggish at times, the 7.5-point spread looks enticing for a Miami defensive that had 40 sacks and allowed just 136 yards per game passing last season. The Hurricanes defense, which returns six starters, will also be excited to see what senior defensive end Trevon Hill can add after recording 11.5 sacks in 16 games at Virginia Tech.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Yankees +139

The Yankees (84-46) were able to get back on track in dominant fashion by defeating the Dodgers (85-45) by a score of 10-2 in the opener for this series between two of baseball’s best. They’ll go into Los Angeles as the road dog to try and do it all over again.

New York’s offensive prowess reared its head against one of the best pitchers in the majors yesterday. The Yankees have now scored 50 more runs than the Dodgers by a tally of 766 to 716.

Carrying that confidence into this afternoon’s matchup, the Yankees will go with veteran left-hander CC Sabathia (5-7, 5.01 ERA) to start. Sabathia has been good on the road in his career (130-83, 3.82 ERA), and has been great at Dodgers stadium, earning a record of 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA in two games.

Tony Gonsolin (1-1, 3.00 ERA) will start for Los Angeles. The inexperienced right-hander will be making his fourth career start. In his last outing, Gonsolin needed 72 pitches to record the 12 outs of his four-inning start in which he allowed five hits and one run.

Since June 15, the Yankees are tops in the majors with a record of 43-19.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on White Sox +140

After taking the win in Game 1 of a four-game series, the White Sox (58-69) improved their home record to an even 31-31. Riding the momentum of three wins in their last four contests, Chicago will try to improve that record yet again as they host the Rangers (63-66).

This hasn’t been the year Chicago wanted it to be, but the club has been good offensively as of late. Over the past seven days, the White Sox are ranked 10thin the MLB with 34 runs scored.

That White Sox lineup will try to do some damage to Rangers right-hander Lance Lynn (14-8, 3.60 ERA). Despite a good overall record, Lynn is 5-7 in 13 starts on the road. In his last three outings, Lynn is 0-2.

Against Lynn, several White Sox have a good batting history. In nine at-bats, Welington Castillo is 5-for-9 with two homers and two RBIs. In 10 at-bats, Leury Garcia has five hits. And in 13 at-bats against Lynn, Tim Anderson is batting .309 with a homer and four RBIs.

On the mound for Chicago will be Dylan Cease (2-6, 5.93 ERA), who will make his first career start against the Rangers.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Giants +162

The Giants (63-64) have been very solid on the road this season, earning themselves a 34-31 record away from home. San Francisco will need to be in form today in Chicago when they take on the Cubs (68-58), who are hanging on to a 0.5-game lead in the NL Central.

This Thursday afternoon affair will feature Giants right-hander Jeff Samardzija (9-9, 3.54 ERA) and Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (8-9, 3.37 ERA).

After spending his first seven seasons in Chicago, this will be Samardzija’s fourth start against his former club. That’s bad news for the Cubs. In nine starts since the calendar turned to July, Samardzija has been one of the best pitchers in baseball with a 2.09 ERA.

Hendricks is 3-2 in seven career starts versus San Francisco. In his last 10 starts, Hendricks is 1-5 with a 3.96 ERA.

For Chicago, Nicholas Castellanos comes into this afternoon’s game as the hottest hitter after homering in three straight games. However, Castellanos is batting just .083 in 12 at-bats against Samardzija.

With five games between themselves and the second Wild Card spot, the Giants will be eager to avoid a sweep.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Marlins +180

With a 28.5-game gap between them in the NL East, the Braves (75-52) and Marlins (45-79) will go head to head tonight in Atlanta in the middle game of a three-game series.

Although the Braves are riding a three-game win streak, they’ve been unable to score more than five runs in any of their past four games.

While these two clubs are at opposite ends of the division, the playing field will be leveled tonight on the mound. Miami left-hander Caleb Smith (8-6, 3.63 ERA) will face off against Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran (7-8, 3.71 ERA).

In his last start, Smith held one of the best teams in baseball to one run when he threw five innings against the Dodgers. In fact, Smith only allowed one hit; a home run. The Marlins left-hander has struck out 131 in 111 2/3 innings pitched on the season.

In contrast, Teheran is coming off the shortest start of his career. In just 1 1/3 innings against the Mets, Teheran allowed eight hits, one of which was a homer, and six runs. Although he faced 14 Mets, Teheran retired just three of them.

Martin Prado is batting .314 in 35 at-bats versus Teheran.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Mets +149

Although the Mets (64-60) have cooled off after a stretch of 15 wins in 16 games, they’re currently winners of three of their last four while scoring a total of 25 runs in those three wins. Tonight, New York will be hosting the 74-51 Indians.

Battling to gain ground in the NL East and Wild Card races, the Mets will turn to Steven Matz (7-7, 4.33 ERA). With a 31-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio, Matz has been very good in six starts since the middle of July. In that time frame, the Mets left-hander has posted a 3.06 ERA.

Facing off against Matz will be Indians right-hander Shane Bieber (12-5, 3.27 ERA). In his last start, Bieber gave up two solo dingers. Home runs have become an issue for Bieber lately, allowing six homers in his last four starts.

Bieber will have his hands full with two Mets hitters in particular. In addition to just breaking the NL rookie record with his 40thhome run of the season, Pete Alonso is 11-for-17 with two doubles, two homers, and 10 RBIs over his last four games.

Over the last seven days, Mets shortstop Amed Rosario is batting .483 with three doubles, a triple, and five RBIs.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Orioles -123

When the Orioles (39-85) host the Royals (44-80) tonight in Baltimore, they’ll be counting on the pitching matchup to gain the advantage.

Kansas City will start struggling right-hander Jorge Lopez (1-7, 6.51 ERA) against Orioles lefty John Means (8-8, 3.76 ERA). While Means isn’t in the best form of the season, he’s been enjoying more success than Lopez. In his last start, Lopez didn’t make it out of the second inning after allowing five total runs (four earned) on three walks and two hits.

Lopez will now be on the mound for a team that’s lost four of its last five contests.

Both clubs have been relatively equal offensively. Baltimore carries a slight edge in terms of runs scored (539-535) and home runs (155-125), but the Royals and Orioles have identical .244 team batting averages.

This will be the first game of the series, which is good for the Orioles. When Means is starting a series, the Orioles are winners of four of their last five. Additionally, Means has a 4-1 record in his last five starts at home against a team under .500.

The Royals are 1-11 in Lopez’ last 12 starts, and 1-9 in their last 10 in Baltimore.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Pirates +143

Despite having a share of the lead in the NL Central, the Cubs (65-58) have won just four of their last five games. Tonight, they’ll take their 24-39 record on the road into Pittsburgh when they face off against the Pirates (57-71), who’ve won three of their last five.

Coming off his first win in the majors, Mitch Keller (1-1, 7.94 ERA) will start for the Pirates. In that outing, the right-hander gave up a single earned run (two total) through five innings.

The Cubs will be sending out left-hander Jose Quintana (10-7, 4.11 ERA), who received a no-decision in a loss to the Phillies in his last start. In six innings, Quintana threw 110 pitches, so we’ll see how long he can last tonight.

Pittsburgh shortstop Kevin Newman is 4-for-9 against Quintana and holds a batting average of .301 on the year. Other Pirates to look out for are Bryan Reynolds, who leads the club with a .334 average, and Josh Bell, who leads the team with 31 homers and 98 RBIs.

Coming into this series, the Cubs had lost five of their last seven on the road.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Cardinals +153

It’s a very tight race in the NL Central, and the Cardinals (63-55) are doing their best to take control. As winners of five straight, St. Louis has moved into a tie for first alongside the Cubs, with the Brewers 1.5 games back. In four of those five wins, St. Louis held the opposing team to two or fewer runs.

Tonight, the Cards will pay a visit to the Reds (56-63), who have lost four straight and now find themselves in fourth place in the division with a 7.5-game gap between themselves and the top.

Hoping to stop the bleeding, Cincinnati will go with Sonny Gray (7-6, 3.10 ERA) to start. The Reds right-hander faced St. Louis for the first and only time of his career in April when the Cards took the victory by a score of 5-2.

St. Louis will hand the ball to right-hander Michael Wacha (6-5, 5.54 ERA), who has won seven straight appearances at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. In 21 career games (17 starts) against the Reds, Wacha is 12-1 with a 2.79 ERA.

If the Reds can win this four-game series, they’ll get themselves back in the thick of the NL Central race. If St. Louis is victorious, they’ll give themselves an opportunity to take sole control of the division.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Twins +103

Neither team on display this afternoon in Milwaukee can afford to let too many games get away from them. The visiting Twins (72-47) have a 0.5-game lead in the AL Central while the Brewers (62-58) trail the NL Central-leading Cubs by 2.5 games.

The Brewers are losers of two straight, and face a tough task against a powerful Twins lineup. Sure, the Brewers have Christian Yelich and his 39 home runs, but Minnesota has hit a majors-best 230 homers and sits third in the MLB offensively with 682 runs scored.

On the other hand, the Brewers score an average of 4.76 runs per game. That’s good enough for 16thin the majors.

Milwaukee will send out Gio Gonzalez (1-2, 3.20 ERA) to face that dangerous lineup. When he faced Minnesota earlier this season, the Brewers left-hander gave up our runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Starting for the Twins will be right-hander Kyle Gibson (11-5, 4.24 ERA). In 32 at-bats, Gibson has held Milwaukee center-fielder Lorenzo Cain to a .188 average with no homers or RBIs allowed.

Although the Brewers can normally lean on their 35-26 home record, the Twins and their 36-21 away record are even better on the road.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Pirates +170

Tonight’s game in Los Angeles will feature the visiting Pirates (49-69) taking on the Angels (58-62) in the second game of a three-game series. The series opener went the way of Pittsburgh by a score of 10-2.

The Pirates lineup appeared to rediscover its power yesterday. Four different batters hit a homer in that contest, including All-Star Josh Bell, who’s now his three home runs in two games. Bell leads the team with 30 homers and 95 RBIs (tied for most in the majors).

Starling Marte was also able to get back on track in the series opener by going 3-for-5. 

That Pittsburgh lineup will aim to get the best of Angels right-hander Griffin Canning (4-6, 4.76 ERA). Canning hasn’t pitched since July 30 when he was place on the injured list with elbow inflammation.

For the Pirates, right-hander Trevor Williams (4-5, 5.06 ERA) will be on the mound. Before his previous start, Williams posted a 3.00 ERA in three straight solid starts.

Williams and the Pirates sluggers will look to get the better of an Angels team that’s dropped 13 of their last 17 games.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Reds +102

Two teams that are in contention for the NL Wild Card will face off this evening when the Reds (56-60) visit Washington to take on the Nationals (62-55). Cincinnati is attempting to make up ground from five games back of the second Wild Card spot, while Washington has a 0.5-game cushion atop the Wild Card standings.

The Reds will go with right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (7-6, 4.20 ERA) to start. In seven appearances (four starts) against the Nationals, DeSclafani is 2-0 with a 2.17 ERA. In seven at-bats, DeSclafani has blanked Nats slugger Anthony Rendon, who leads his team with 25 homers and 90 RBIs.

Max Scherzer is out with an upper back strain, so Washington is sending out Ericke Fedde (2-2, 4.20 ERA) for this one. The right-hander has been inconsistent; he recently gave up nine runs in a start against Atlanta.

The stats tell us the Nationals are facing an up-hill battle in this one. In addition to being 4-10 in their last 14 against NL Central competition, the Nationals have just three wins in Fedde’s last 13 starts at home.

In contrast, the Reds have won five of their last six, and are a perfect 6-0 in their last six against right-handers.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Tigers +110

Detroit will be the location of another AL Central battle between the Royals (42-76) and Tigers (35-79) this afternoon. Before yesterday’s loss to Kansas City, Detroit won the first two games of this four-game series.

Now, as winners of three of their last five, the Tigers will turn to left-hander Daniel Norris (3-9, 4.76 ERA) to start this contest. In 11 career outings (10 starts) against Kansas City, Norris has a 3.95 ERA.

For the Royals, Jakob Junis (7-10, 4.88 ERA) will start on the mound. The right-hander has given up 146 hits, 48 walks, and 24 homers in 138 1/3 innings pitched on the season.

In 13 at-bats against Junis, Tigers center-fielder JaCoby Jones is 5-for-13 with a cumulative cycle and two RBIs. John Hicks is batting .444 with a homer in nine at-bats against Junis.

Although Detroit is trailing Kansas City in the division, the Tigers have been the better hitting team over the last seven days. With 37 runs scored, Detroit is ranked 10thin the majors over that stretch. Kansas City follows behind at 13thwith 32 runs scored.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rockies +190

Although the Padres (54-61) are significant favorites at home against the Rockies (52-64), the visitors have two big advantages in tonight’s contest.

First, Colorado is the better offensive team. With 611 runs scored on the season, the Rockies rank seventh in the majors. Also boasting the fifth-best average (.267), Colorado is particularly adept at producing extra-base hits. The Rockies rank first and second in the MLB with 35 triples and 244 doubles, respectively.

On the other hand, the Padres have scored just 518 runs, which is good enough for the 22ndrank.

The Rockies’ other advantage is the fact that Padres starter Chris Paddack (7-5, 3.19 ERA) appears to be pushing his limits. The right-hander has pitched 104 1/3 innings so far this season, but his career high in the minors was just 90 innings.

If Paddack is indeed reaching a ceiling, his last outing is evidence. The Dodgers rocked Paddack for six earned runs in that start.

On the mound for Colorado will be right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez (0-4, 5.95 ERA). Although the Rockies have lost all four of his starts, Gonzalez hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any one of those contests.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on A's -176

The Athletics (65-50) will be strong favorites when they go into Chicago to take on the White Sox (51-62), and for good reason. Oakland has a better lineup, and better staff, and the advantage in tonight’s pitching matchup.

For the A’s, Mike Fiers (10-3, 3.46 ERA) will start. The right-hander is currently on an impressive personal streak of 17 straight starts without a loss. In his last 16 outings, Fiers is 8-0 with a 2.26 ERA. And his 2.42 ERA since late April is good enough for second best among American League starters.

The White Sox will be sending out Ross Detwiler (1-2, 5.72 ERA), who’s faced the A’s once. In that appearance, the White Sox left-hander lasted 3 1/3 innings in which he gave up seven hits and five total runs.

Leading the team with 24 home runs, Jose Abreu has been a bright spot for a struggling Chicago club. However, Abreu is batting just .167 in 18 career at-bats against Fiers.

The White Sox have gotten beaten up by the AL West lately, going 7-20 in their last 27 against the division.

Oakland will be excited to face another lefty. Against left-handed starters, the A’s are 44-19 in their last 63 games.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Cubs -123

Two hot teams will clash this evening when the Cubs (62-52) visit Cincinnati to take on the Reds (54-58). Coming into tonight’s game, the Reds are winners of four of their last five while the Cubs have been victorious in five of their last six.

For Chicago, Cole Hamels (6-3, 2.84 ERA) will start. There was no rust when Hamels came back from the injured list for his last outing in which he threw five scoreless innings with six strikeouts and no walks. Since the first day of June, the Cubs left-hander can boast a 1.07 ERA with 43 Ks in 42 innings.

The Reds will counter with left-hander Alex Wood (1-0, 3.18 ERA), who aims to get his first win as a Red in Cincinnati. In his last start, Wood gave up two solo home runs.

In addition to their seven-game lead over the Reds in the NL Central, the Cubs also hold the advantage offensively. With a .254 team average, 570 runs scored, and 179 homers, Chicago ranks better than Cincinnati’s .247 team average, 508 runs scored, and 153 homers.

Look for Kris Bryant to do some damage in this contest. Against Wood, Bryant is 3-for-8 with a home run and three RBIs.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Diamondbacks -133

Both the Phillies (59-54) and Diamondbacks (57-57) will send out starting pitchers who were acquired at the trade deadline when these two teams face off in Arizona tonight.

For Philadelphia, left-hander Jason Vargas (6-5, 3.93 ERA) will be making his second start for the club. His debut against the White Sox ended in a 15-inning loss for the team, with Vargas allowing two runs in six innings.

This will be the first start in a Diamondbacks uniform for Zac Gallen (1-3, 2.72 ERA). The 24-year-old will aim to get off to a fast start for Arizona after tossing seven innings of two-run ball in his last start for Miami against a dangerous Twins lineup.

Gallen has the advantage between these two pitchers when it comes to potential run support. The Diamondbacks lead the Phillies in runs scored (594-540), home runs (160-145), and team average (.259-.247).

While the Philly batters haven’t faced Gallen, this Arizona lineup has some limited experience against Vargas. Adam Jones has enjoyed the most success of the D-Backs bats in that particular matchup, hitting .375 with a homer in eight at-bats.

In a tight NL Wild Card race, a win for the Diamondbacks here would bring them within 1.5 games of Philly, who currently own the second spot.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on White Sox -104

With the White Sox (49-61) and Tigers (32-76) facing off in day-night doubleheader fashion today, we’ll focus on the latter game between these two AL Central clubs.

For Chicago, winners of their last two games, Hector Santiago (1-0, 6.75 ERA) will start. This will be the left-hander’s first start for the White Sox since coming over from the Mets in late June.

The good news for Santiago is that he’ll be pitching against the worst team in baseball, and the only club unable to break through the 400-run mark. Detroit has scored just 392 runs on the season, and have a league-worst run differential of -215.

For the Tigers, right-hander Drew VerHagen (1-2, 11.66 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound. In his two starts since returning to the starting rotation, VerHagen has allowed 16 hits and 11 total runs through just 8 2/3 innings.

As losers of 10 of their last 12 games, including four straight coming into the day, Detroit owns a 13-37 record at home. And in addition to losing four straight Tuesday games, the Tigers are winless in VerHagen’s last six starts.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Brewers -125

When the visiting Brewers (57-56) kick off their series with the Pirates (48-63), they’ll be well aware that Pittsburgh has lost 18 of their last 22 games while failing to win any of their previous seven series.

Milwaukee can look at this matchup as coming at the perfect time, as the Brewers are looking for more run production from their bats. If they’re going to chase down the Cubs, who own a four-game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central, they’ll do so with offensive weapons.

And you can’t mention Milwaukee weapons without talking about right fielder Christian Yelich. The 27-year-old is an obvious MVP candidate with 37 home runs, 82 RBIs, and a .330 average on the season.

Yelich will be aiming to lift those numbers against Pirates right-hander Dario Agrazal (2-2, 3.65 ERA), who’s struggled lately. In his last two starts, Agrazal has given up five homers and eight earned runs. His most recent outing against Cincinnati ended in just 3 2/3 innings after allowing three runs on six hits.

Jordan Lyles (6-7, 5.15 ERA) takes the mound for Milwaukee. Lyles earned the win in his first start with the Brewers since being traded from Pittsburgh.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Phillies -151

If the Phillies (58-52) are going to make progress in the Wildcard race this afternoon, they’ll need to take care of the White Sox (47-61) in Philadelphia.

After being acquired from the Rangers just weeks ago, left-hander Drew Smyly (2-5, 6.85 ERA) will make his third start of the season for the Phillies. He’s been fantastic in the new uniform, giving up a single run through 13 innings pitched thus far.

There’s a great chance Smyly will be able to continue that form against a White Sox lineup that’s averaging 4.08 runs per game, which is good enough to rank them 28thin the majors.

Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (5-9, 5.43 ERA) will start for Chicago, who sit 20 games back of Minnesota in the AL Central. Lopez is in search of just his third road win this afternoon.

Although the White Sox have a better batting average as a team (.250-.245), the Phillies have a significant advantage when it comes to runs scored (524-439) and home runs (142-119).

Chicago is 5-16 in their last 21 games, and have just four wins in their last 16 games away from home. And while the White Sox are 1-4 over Lopez’ last five starts, the Phillies are 4-1 in their last five games at home versus the White Sox. 

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on A's -130

Both the Athletics (62-48) and Cardinals (58-50) come into tonight’s contest after having Friday off. While the A’s are chasing the Astros in the AL West, the Cardinals are fighting to keep or extend their 0.5-game lead in the NL Central.

Starting this evening’s game in Oakland for the Athletics will be Mike Fiers (9-3, 3.54 ERA), who’s on a run of 17 straight games in which he’s allowed three or fewer runs. The right-hander owns the AL second-best ERA of 2.46 since April 26, and can boast a 1.45 ERA in nine career games against St. Louis.

The visitors will be sending out right-hander Dakota Hudson (10-5, 3.88 ERA). Hudson’s Win-Loss record is slightly misleading, especially lately. Despite a 5-2 record over his last seven outings, Hudson has a 4.63 ERA after giving up 18 earned runs in 35 innings.

The Athletics come into this game as winners of four of their last five, and have won four of their last five against right-handed starters in interleague play.

In the other dugout, the Cardinals have just one win in their last five road games against teams with a winning record, and are 2-5 in those same circumstances in interleague play.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Rangers -215

The worst team in baseball will pay a visit to Arlington, Texas when the Tigers (32-72) take on the .500 Rangers (54-54).

Detroit is at the bottom of the barrel in terms of runs scored, with 376, while the Rangers have a good offense, putting up a seventh-best 574 runs. The numbers for team batting average aren’t much different, as the Tigers are also last in the majors in this category with an abysmal .231.

Ranked 29thin the MLB, the Tigers are only better than Miami when it comes to hitting home runs. Detroit’s 98 homers beat the Marlins’ 89, while Texas sits in the middle of the league with 155.

That’s all great news for right-hander Lance Lynn (13-6, 3.83 ERA), who starts for the Rangers tonight. Lynn is a top-10 pitcher in the American League in wins, with 13, and strikeouts, with 160. In his last 17 games, Lynn has shown off a consistency of going at least six innings in every start while earning an 11-4 record.

The Tigers will go with rookie Tyler Alexander (0-1, 3.86 ERA), who will make his fourth major league start. The left-hander struggled his last time out when he gave up eight hits and four runs through 4 1/3 innings.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Cubs +118

There’s a deadlock at the top of the NL Central, and either the Cubs (57-50) or Cardinals (57-50) will take control of the division after tonight’s contest between the two teams. Milwaukee trails both Chicago and St. Louis by a single game.

The visiting Cubs will go with veteran lefty Jon Lester (9-6, 3.63 ERA), who’s coming off a no-decision in which he threw seven innings of scoreless baseball. Lester is 8-5 with a 3.02 ERA in his 19 career starts against St. Louis. In his last seven games, Lester is a strong 4-1 with a 2.91 ERA.

The home team will start Jack Flaherty (4-6, 4.17 ERA). The Cardinals right-hander is just 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in his seven career outings against Chicago, including an 0-1 record and 5.65 ERA in three starts this season.

Of the Cubs hitters, Anthony Rizzo should be excited to face Flaherty again. In his 12 at-bats against Flaherty, Rizzo is batting .667 with two homers and five RBIs.

Chicago is the better hitting team overall, leading the Cards in average (.251-.244), runs scored (533-483), and home runs (166-137).

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Dodgers -128

The first team to reach 70 wins will be in Colorado this afternoon as the Dodgers (70-39) visit the Rockies (50-58). Los Angeles has dominated this matchup, winning nine of the 12 contests thus far.

Cy Young candidate Hyun-Jin Ryu (11-2, 1.74 ERA) will get the start for the Dodgers. In his last four starts, the left-hander has allowed just four runs and holds a 1.35 ERA. Ryu’s 1.74 season ERA leads the majors.

Right-hander German Marquez (10-5, 4.88 ERA) will be opposite Ryu. Marquez may still be trying to forget his mid-July start against the Giants in which he gave up 11 earned runs in fewer than three innings.

With a 6-18 record in the month of July, the Rockies will need Marquez to be the best version of himself if they’ll have a decent chance against the National League’s best team. Marquez will likely need to go deep into the game, too, considering Colorado’s team ERA of 5.45 compared to LA’s 3.42 ERA.

While the Rockies have just one win in their last eight against left-handed pitching, the Dodgers are perfect in Ryu’s last four games coming off four days of rest.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Marlins +145

The Twins (64-41) are clear favorites against the Marlins (41-63) tonight in Miami, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

Although the Marlins have struggled this year, they’ve found some momentum coming into this one. As winners of five of their last six, Miami isn’t the walkover they’ve been in previous periods throughout the season.

Furthering that Marlins momentum will be rookie starter Zac Gallen (1-2, 2.76 ERA). The right-hander is coming off an impressive performance in a win against the White Sox. Gallen went a career-long seven innings in which he notched career bests in hits allowed (two) and strikeouts (nine).

Despite a formidable record, Minnesota right-hander Jake Odorizzi (11-5, 3.84 ERA) comes into tonight’s contest on the back of a horrid month. Throughout July, Odorizzi is 1-2 with a 9.35 ERA. The worst of it all came in his last outing against the Yankees when Odorizzi gave up a season-high nine runs on 10 hits.

Miami shortstop Miguel Rojas leads the club with a .289 average, and he’s coming into this evening’s game on a hot streak. Over the last seven days, Rojas is batting .400 with three homers.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Dodgers -129

The Dodgers (69-38) are coasting in the NL West, and they’ll be looking to be the first team in baseball to reach 70 wins tonight against their division rival in Colorado when they face the Rockies (49-57).

The last time Los Angeles came to town, the Rockies were second in the division. Now, Colorado is sitting in last place and 19.5 games back of the Dodgers, due in large part to 9-22 skid.

The Dodgers will turn to Kenta Maeda (7-7, 3.81 ERA) to extend or hang on to their 6.5-game lead in the National League. Against the Rockies, the Los Angeles right-hander is 1-0 with a 2.76 ERA in three games this season, and 6-3 with a 2.41 ERA in 18 career appearances.

Colorado will start right-hander Josh Gray (9-7, 4.05 ERA). Gray has struggled against several Los Angeles hitters, with at least six batting a .320 or higher in a minimum of eight at-bats.

MVP candidate Cody Bellinger is one such player, hitting a monstrous .643 in 14 at-bats against Gray. If he keeps those numbers up tonight, he’ll add to his season totals of 34 homers, 79 RBIs, and a .327 average.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Royals +166

Kansas City will be the site of another AL Central clash between the visiting Indians (62-42) and Royals (39-67) this afternoon.

Making his 17thstart of the season for Kansas City will be Danny Duffy (4-5, 4.32 ERA), who’s coming off one of his best performances of the year. In a no-decision against the Braves Tuesday, the Royals left-hander gave up one run over six innings and notched 11 strikeouts.

While the Royals won’t expect a perfect game from Duffy, he’s slowed some of Cleveland’s core hitters. Against Duffy, Jose Ramirez is batting .250 in 24 at-bats, and Jason Kipnis is holds a .241 in 29 at-bats.

The Indians will counter with right-hander Trevor Bauer (9-7, 3.49 ERA). Kansas City’s Whit Merrifield has gotten the better of Bauer, going 9-for-27 against the veteran pitcher. Merrifield is leading the team with a .302 average on the season, while Jorge Soler, who’s hitting .429 with a homer in seven at-bats against Bauer, leads the club with 27 home runs and 72 RBIs.

The home-dog Royals will also be looking for production from rookie centerfielder Bubba Starling, who’s been able to add offense to his consistently great defense. After getting a hit in 11 of his first 12 games, Starling is batting .319.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Braves -116

The Braves (61-43) will be looking to extend their 6.5-game NL East lead over the Phillies (54-49) tonight in Philadelphia. The Phillies are third in the division, trailing Washington by a game.

Atlanta will have the benefit of a fresh arm, as left-hander Max Fried (10-4, 4.08 ERA) hasn’t pitched since developing a blister on July 15. In his last outing, Fried threw five scoreless innings with just three hits.

If the Phillies will be able to tighten the gap between themselves and Atlanta, they’ll need an above average performance from Zach Eflin (7-10, 4.25). That doesn’t look particularly likely considering Eflin’s 1-3 record and 9.38 ERA over his last five starts.

Led by Freddie Freeman’s 25 homers, 81 RBIs, and .304 average, the Braves have the better lineup. As a team, they have a better average (.261 to .243), more home runs (157 to 129), and more runs scored (547 to 487).

Atlanta leftfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. has been adding to those totals lately. He’s currently riding a majors-best streak of reaching base in 30 straight games. Over his last seven games, Acuna Jr. has a homer, six RBIs, six stolen bases, and a .393 average.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on Giants +140

The month of July has been a pivotal one for the Giants (52-51) and Padres (48-54), but for very different reasons. These two clubs faced off against each other on July 1, when the Giants were 11 games below .500 and the Padres were a game over .500.

Since then, the Giants have gone on an MLB-best 16-4 run while the stalling Padres have only managed six wins in 19 games, including seven straight losses at home.

Tonight, San Francisco will visit San Diego in a battle of teams trending in two starkly different directions.

With a 4-0 record over his last four away starts, the Giants will be happy to put right-hander Jeff Samardzija (7-8, 4.08 ERA) on the mound. Personally, Samardzija owns a 2.59 ERA and 2-0 record in his last five games against the Padres at Petco Park.

Opposite Samardzija will be Joey Lucchesi (7-5, 4.27 ERA). The Padres left-hander is perhaps unlucky to get the start in the first game of this series considering San Diego has lost six straight series openers. On the flip side, the Giants are 6-2 over the last eight series openers when Samardzija starts.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on White Sox -111

Tonight’s third game will decide a currently split series in Chicago between the Marlins (37-62) and White Sox (45-53).

With only Baltimore and Detroit projected to finish worse than Miami, the Marlins are expected to finish at the bottom of the barrel in National League, due in large part to unreliable pitching. We’ll see what right-hander Zac Gallen (0-2, 3.63 ERA) can provide for Miami when he makes his sixth career start.

Taking the mound for Chicago will be Reynaldo Lopez (5-8, 5.76 ERA), who’s pitched well in his two starts since the break. His last outing ended in a win after allowing two runs and striking out eight through seven innings.

The White Sox have five wins out of their last seven home games, and the team has reacted well when Lopez is pitching on four days of rest, winning four straight. Trending in the other direction are the Marlins, who are winless in Gallen’s last four starts.

Lopez and his defensive unit will be aiming to add to their streak of allowing four or fewer runs in each of the last four games.

100* Sharp Money Syndicate Play on A's +143

Tuesday night’s matchup between the Athletics (57-44) and Astros (65-37) will feature a pair of solid pitchers.

Houston’s Wade Miley (8-4, 3.25 ERA) will take the mound for the hosts. The left-hander hasn’t given his club much reason to complain this season, although he only lasted 5 1/3 innings his last time out. Miley has given up 17 homers and 36 walks over 113 innings so far this year.

Right-hander Mike Fiers (9-3, 3.64), who will start for the A’s, has picked up the pace on an already-strong season. Since April 26, Fiers holds an ERA of just 2.44, which is good enough for second in the American League among starters in that span.

If Fiers continues that form, you’d expect him to be handing the ball off to the bullpen with a lead intact, even against a lineup like Houston’s. Oakland’s right-hander has seven wins and no losses over his last 13 starts, and should give the road-dog A’s a great chance in this contest.

Matt Chapman is the likeliest player to do damage to the Astros, carrying a run of three doubles, one homer, five RBIs, and a .375 average over the last seven days.