The set-up: The Golden State Warriors are now 13-0 in this year's postseason (9-4 ATS), after a dominating 113-91 victory over the Cavs in Game 1 this past Thursday. Kevin Durant is making his first Finals appearance since losing to LBJ and the Miami Heat as a member of the OKC Thunder in 2012, and he certainly "came to play," scoring 38 points while adding eight rebounds and eight assists (zero TOs!). Curry, a huge disappointment in last year's Finals but the Warriors' best player during the team's playoff run so far, added 28 points (shot 6 of 11 on threes) plus had 10 assists. LBJ had 28-15-8 but it was a 'quiet' game for him, as Golden State's defense held the Cavs to 34.9% shooting and forced 20 TOs (LBJ had eight)! The Cavs came in averaging just a tick over 116 points in the 2017 playoffs but were held to just 91 points!

Cleveland: Kyrie had 24 poinst and Love another double-double (15 & 21) but Thompson and Smith (Cleveland's other two starters), combined for only three points (all by Smith). Cleveland added talent during the regular season in an effort to get LBJ the help he asked for but PG Deron Williams, SG Kyle Korver and PF Derrick Williams combined to go scoreless on 0-of-9 shooting off the bench in Game 1. Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue noted that it's been a while since his team had seen the Warriors and that experience is bound to help. "Just getting a chance to see how they play, the style of play, how fast they play, you can't really simulate that in practices," Lue said. "You got to really get out here and get a chance to do it firsthand. When we experience that, we're able to adjust, we're a lot better."

Golden State: Adjusting is fine but the Cavs have to be worried that the Warriors didn't play their best, either (other than K.D. and Curry). Green and Thompson combined to shoot an awful 6 of 28, as Golden State shot 42.4 percent for the game, including 12 of 33 on threes. What the Warriors did do well is take care of the ball (just four turnovers) and grab 14 offensive rebounds. Green (3-of-12) and Thompson (3-of-16) shot horribly but both are outstanding defenders.

The pick: The talk has turned into "Can the Warriors become the first team to go through the postseason undefeated." However, while favorites are now 18-9 ATS in Game 1 of the NBA Finals since 1991 (current 12-1 ATS run since 2005!), it should be noted that favorites are just 9-16-1 ATS in that same span, including entering tonight's Game 2 on a 2-7 ATS run. Yes, I expect a much better effort from the Cavs, as the team's 91-point effort was the first time the Cavs had been held to under 108 points in 14 postseason games in 2017. However, I also expect the Warriors to shoot better overall, especially Green and Thompson. The over/under number is down a few points from Game1 and I believe the best value is on the Over, which is a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cubs returned home off an 0-6 West Coast trip, getting swept by the Dodgers and then the sad-sack Padres. Waiting for them were the hated Cardinals and the "Friendly Confines" have been good to the Cubs so far this weekend, with a 3-2 win on Friday and a 5-3 win on Saturday. The Chicago Cubs are just 27-27 in 2017, in large part because several of their young stars have failed to live up their expectations. They now go for a three-game sweep of the 26-27 Cards Sunday night on ESPN.

The pitching matchup: Michael Wacha (2-3 & 3.99 ERA) takes the mound tonight for St. Louis and Kyle Hendricks (4-3 & 3.75 ERA). Wacha is win-less in his last six starts (he's 0-2 and the Cards 1-5), He hasn’t made it through five innings in either of his last two outings, allowing10 runs (nine earned) in just seven innings. Wacha has not pitched well vs. the Cubs in his career, going 4-5 with a 5.82 ERA in 11 starts (team is 5-6). Hendricks retired the first 10 batters he faced Monday at San Diego but a grand slam from Hunter Renfroe ultimately ruined his day. After a slow start in 2017, he has five quality starts in his last seven outings and he owns a 1.96 ERA in his last three home starts. Hendricks is 1-2 with a 3.78 ERA in eight starts against the Cardinals (Cubs are 4-4).

The pick: The Cardinals have not scored more than four runs in any of their last 10 games (3-7 record) and the Cubs surely aren't ripping the cover off the ball, either. Chicago was held to nine runs in its 0-6 West Coast trip and has a modest eight runs the first two games of this series (that's 2.13 RPG over the team's last eight games. However, the over is 7-2 in Wacha's nine starts in 2017 and in his 11 career starts against the Cubs, the ob\ver is a remarkable 10-1. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The 24-30 Kansas City Royals are tied for last place in the AL Central with the Chicago White Sox and are just one-half game ahead of 24-31 Oakland, for the worst record in the AL. However, they have pretty much owned the defending AL champs (Cleveland) these last eight days. The Royals took two of three at Cleveland last weekend and rolled over the Indians in the first two games of this current series by a combined score of 16-5. "We have to get a little rest and come back and play a lot better because that wasn't close to good enough," Cleveland manager Terry Francona told reporters after Saturday's 12-5 setback. The good news for Cleveland is that no team is playing all that well in the AL Central, so despite the Indians' 28-26 record, they are just one game out of first place.

The pitching matchup: Trevor Bauer (5-4 & 6.00 ERA) gets the ball for Cleveland and Eric Skoglund (1-0 & 0.00 ERA) makes his second ML start for Kansas City. Bauer's season numbers are not good but he is 3-0 in his last four starts (Indians are 3-1), posting a 4.13 ERA but he also owns a 36-4 KW ratio in that span. Bauer is 1-2 with a 3.56 ERA in seven career starts against the Royals (team is 4-3). Skoglund made his major-league debut against Detroit on Tuesday and scattered two hits and one walk over 6 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out five. He was 2-3 with a 4.53 ERA in eight starts at Triple-A before being recalled and owns a 3.74 ERA in 60 career minor-league games.

The pick: The Royals bats figure to cool off some after 16 runs on 22 hits the last two games plus after out-dueling Detroit's Justin Verlander on Tuesday, Skoglund will hardly be intimidated against Bauer. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Orioles saw their three-game winning streak halted Saturday with Boston's 5-2 win. That victory allowed the 30-25 Red Sox to leap-frog the 29-25 Orioles, as both team chase the 32-21 first-place Yankees in the AL East. The rubber match of the series goes Sunday with the winner opening the new week in second-place.

The pitching matchup: Chris Sale (6-2 & 2.77 ERA) of Boston and Chris Tillman (1-2 & 5.87 ERA) square off in today's contest. Sale is coming off his worst (and shortest) outing of the season but still managed to win his fifth consecutive decision despite giving up six runs (five earned) on 10 hits over five innings. Sale has been reached for 10 runs in his last two outings and has not recorded 10 Ks in either following a streak of eight consecutive starts with double-digits in strikeouts. However, he has not lost since April 27, going 5-0 in his last six starts (team is 5-1), a stretch that began with an 11-strikeout performance over eight innings against Baltimore on May 2. In his career, Sale is 2-3 with a 2.92 ERA against Baltimore (teams are 3-3 in his six starts). Tillman is also coming off a rocky and abbreviated outing, lasting only 2 2/3 innings while yielding five runs on seven hits (three HRs) in an 8-3 loss to the New York Yankees on Memorial Day. Tillman missed the first five weeks of the 2017 season due to shoulder bursitis issues and remains in search of some consistency. However, he has an 11-3 record with a 2.95 ERA, against the Red Sox (team is 13-7 in those 20 starts), the most wins he's recorded versus another opponent.

The pick: That said, I'm not sure Tillman's history against Boston is all that relevant in this contest, as Tillman's lasted just 23 innings in his five 2017 starts, allowing 32 hits with only a 16-11 KW ratio. That leaves him with a 1.87 WHIP and .323 BAA against, to go along with his 5.87 ERA. I'll make Boston an 8* play.

The set-up: The Tigers look to sweep the White Sox as this three-game series in Detroit wraps up on Sunday afternoon. Detroit has scored 25 runs in the first two games, pounding out 33 hits (including seven HRs). The Tigers have won three straight and four of five to climb within a game of .500 at 27-28. Meanwhile, the White Sox pitching woes extend further back than the last two games of this series, as Chicago's staff has allowed a total of 42 runs during a four-game slide which leaves the team at 24-30.

The pitching matchup: David Holmberg (0-0 & 2.51 ERA) is getting a second straight turn in Chicago's rotation and he draws Detroit ace Justin Verlander (4-4 & 4.50 ERA). Holmberg earned himself a spot start on the strength of six straight hit-less relief appearances and was credible at Boston on Monday, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks in four innings without factoring in the decision. He threw 72 pitches in that start and will be stretched further on Sunday if he can pitch as well vs. Detroit as he did against Boston. Holmberg iwill be making his first career appearance against Detroit. Verlander is coming off a tough-luck loss the  last time out, allowing just one run on six hits over seven innings at Kansas City (Royals won 1-0). The loss was a nice bounce-back after the former MVP and Cy Young winner was knocked around for six runs in 5 2/3 innings at Houston in his previous outing. Verlander struck out a season-high 10 in 6 1/3 innings to earn a win at Chicago in the season opener and is 20-13 with a 3.95 ERA in 40 career starts against the White Sox (Tigers are 24-16).

The pick: Verlander over Holmberg is the definition of a pitching mismatch and expect the Tigers to reach .500 for the first time since being 21-21 back on May 21. Make Detroit an 8* play.

The set-up: The Penguins are thrilled to be up 2-0 in the Cup Finals but know that they'll have to play better overall in Nashville than they did in Pittsburgh to avoid returning home tied at 2-2. The Nashville Predators have to be hugely disappointed to be in an 0-2 hole but traditionally, some old-fashioned home cookin' could be just what the doctor ordered. The Predators are 7-1 in the 2017 playoffs at Bridgestone Arena and have won of 11 of their last 12 home playoff contests. Although Nashville head coach Peter Laviolette "politely" reiterated Friday that he and his coaching staff do not publicly discuss lineup changes, Pekka Rinne will likely be in net for Game 3, despite being shredded for eight goals on 36 shots in the first two contests.

Pittsburgh: A 2-0 series lead is a familiar one for Pittsburgh, which also claimed that advantage last year before skating past San Jose in six games to capture its fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history. Rookie Jake Guentzel has been responsible for both game-winning goals of the series, scoring with 3:17 remaining in Game 1 and setting an NHL rookie record for a playoff year with his fifth such tally in Wednesday's 4-1 victory. Guentzel's 12 playoff goals are the most of any player. Evgeni Malkin scored a goal in his second straight contest on Wednesday and leads all playoff scorers with 26 points (9 G / 17 A). Then there is goalie Mark Murray, who in seven games (six starts), has gone 5-1 with a 1.54 GAA and .943 SP.

Nashville: The Predators have out-shot the Penguins 64-39, only to be outscored 9-4 in losing the first two contests of this best-of-seven series However, Nashville defenseman P.K. Subban is confident of a victory on Saturday. "There's no question. We're going to win the next game, and then we'll move forward," said the outspoken Subban. Yes, Rinne has not played well but a couple of the Pittsburgh goals came off a Nashville player and the Penguins also added a empty-netter in scoring nine goals. Rinne is a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist and has permitted just 13 goals in winning seven of eight playoff games at Bridgestone Arena (1.54 goals-against average and .947 save percentage).

The pick: "It's going to be a tremendous lift," coach Peter Laviolette said of playing at home. "I think the playoffs, everything ratchets up and becomes even better, a more explosive environment." Pittsburgh is 5-4 on the road during the playoffs and Rinne's a perfect 3-0 in Game 3s at home this postseason, allowing just four goals. Make it 4-0, as Nashville earns a 10* rating.

The set-up: The Red Sox had won eight of 10 and were making up some ground in the AL East when they arrived in Baltimore on Thursday to open a four-game series with the Orioles. However, the Orioles hit four HRs in a 7-5 victory on Thursday and then added two more to eke out a 3-2 win in Friday's contest. The pair of wins moved the 29-24 Orioles past the 29-25 Red Sox into second place in the AL East, 2 1/2 games behind the 31-21 Yankees.

The pitching matchup: David Price (0-0 & 5.40 ERA) will make his second start of the season for the Red Sox, while Dylan Bundy (6-3 & 2.89 ERA) will take the mound for the Orioles, who can clinch the series with a win Saturday or Sunday. Price began the season on the disabled list after suffering an elbow strain in spring training and has missed most of the first two months of the season due to those elbow issues. He returned at the Chicago White Sox on Memorial Day, allowing three runs on two hits (one HR) and two walks in five innings while striking out four but did not factor in the decision (Red Sox lost 5-4). Price went 3-1 with a 3.71 ERA in five starts against Baltimore last season and is 11-6 with a 2.85 ERA versus the Orioles in his career over 25 starts (teams are 14-11). Bundy has some solid numbers this season but snapped a four-start win-less streak by holding the Yankees to two runs on seven hits over seven innings on Monday in a 3-2 final. He has surrendered two or fewer ERs in eight of his 11 starts (Orioles are 7-4). Bundy is already making his fourth start against Boston this season and has gone 2-1 in the first three, including seven scoreless innings in the lone home start back on April 21. That makes him 3-34 with 4.63 ERA in six career starts against Boston.

The pick: Bundy has surprisingly been the Orioles' best pitcher this year, after he earned a spot in the starting rotation over the second half of the 2016 season. However, I feel he is over-matched here against Price, who will be making the 250th start of his career in this contest. Make Boston a 10* play.

analysis soon

The set-up: The Twins came to Anaheim on a four-game losing streak in which they had allowed a whopping 48 runs (40 in a three-game home series against the Astros) and shut down the Angels 4-2, giving Minnesota MLB's best road record at 15-5 (plus-$1222 vs. the moneyline). Albert Pujols failed in his attempt to become the ninth player in major-league history to reach 600 HRs, as the Angels fell to 2-2 on their seven-game homestand,. Playing in a division with the Astros (owners of MLB's best record at 38-16), the 28-29 Angels find themselves 11 1/2 games out of first place. Minnesota began its 10-game road trip with a win and despite a modest 27-23 record, are in a virtual tie with the Indians for first place in the AL Central.

The pitching matchup: Kyle Gibson (1-4 & 7.85 ERA) will be on the mound tonight for the Twins, opposed by the Angels' JC Ramirez (5-3 & 3.38 ERA). Gibson gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks in no-decision against Tampa Bay on Sunday. The 5 1/3 innings he pitched matched a season-high (tells you something) and he has allowed fewer than four runs in just half of his eight starts in 2017 (1.96 WHIP and .329 BAA to go along with his ugly 7.85 ERA!). Gibson has yet to defeat the Angels in six career starts, going 0-2 with a 6.21 ERA (Twins are 2-4). Ramirez is coming off second win in a row, a 5-2 victory at Miami on Saturday (allowed juts one ER over seven innings). He has worked seven innings in four of his nine outings since joining the rotation and has allowed a modest four ERs over his last three starts (20 2/3 innings for a 1.77 ERA). Ramirez has never faced Minnesota.

The pick: Gibson was once thought to be a bright spot in the organization but he posted a 5.07 ERA last season and got off to such a bad start in 2017 that he was sent to Triple-A Rochester. His recall on May 22 had more to do with Phil Hughes going on the DL and the team's bullpen imploding, than any faith in Gibson. The Angels should have little trouble getting to Gibson (plus would love to get a long look at that Minnesota bullpen). I'm also not ready to 'crown' Ramirez just yet. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: The Mets had won three straight before dropping the final two games of their four-game set against Milwaukee this week. They host Pittsburgh for a three-game weekend series with Pirates starting tonight, after taking two of three against the Pirates last weekend at Pittsburgh. Both teams sit six games below .500 entering this series (Pirates are 24-30 and the Mets 23-29). The Mets may be in second place in the NL East but they are 10 games behind the Nats, while even though the Pirates are in last in the NL Central, they are just five games out of first.

The pitching matchup: Gerrit Cole (2-5 & 3.65 ERA) gets the nod for Pittsburgh and Matt Harvey (4-3 & 4.95 ERA) for New York. Cole has struggled in his last two starts, giving up five runs on 10 hits over 4 2/3 innings in a loss at Atlanta on May 22 and was then tagged for four runs on 10 hits in five innings Saturday against the Mets. Prior to that, he had put together eight straight quality starts, although the Pirates were only 4-4 in that stretch.  He's faced the Mets four times in his career, going 1-2 with a 4.84 ERA (team is 2-2). Harvey ended a string of five straight outings without a quality start when he held the Pirates to one run over six innings to earn his second straight last Sunday. He's starting to show progress, allowing  six ERs over his last three starts (3.31 ERA) after giving up 17 in his previous three outings (10.43 ERA). Harvey is 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA in four career starts against Pittsburgh (Mets are 1-3).

The pick: Harvey seems to be finding himself and for the most part, Cole has pitched well in 2017. Neither team has shown much of an offenisve punch (Mets are batting .244 as a team to rank 20th and the Pirates .236 to rank 25th), so I'll make the Under a 10* play

The set-up: The Chicago Cubs limp home from an 0-6 West Coast swing (got swept by the Dodgers and Padres) and I guess the good news would be that even though they are just 25-27, they are only three games out of first place in the NL Central. Visiting Wrigley this weekend will be the hated-St. Louis Cardinals who are 1 1/2 games ahead of the Cubs and 1 1/2 behind the Brewers, after beating the Dodgers 2-1 on Wednesday and 2-0 on Thursday. Coming to town with St. Louis will be Dexter Fowler, who was a spark plug for the Cubs’ curse-breaking World Series championship team in 2016. He signed with the Cards as a free agent and the Cubs’ lineup hasn’t been the same without Fowler at the top. That was especially true on the team's recent West Coast trip where the Cubs scored a total of nine runs is six games.

The pitching matchup: Lance Lynn (4-3 & 2.93 ERA) will take the mound for St. Louis and John Lackey (4-5 & 5.18 ERA) for Chicago. Lynn is winless in his last four starts but the team had won his previous five starts, prior to these last four. Lynn is 6-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 16 games (15 starts / team is 7-7) against the Cubs. Lackey has lost his last two starts and deservedly so, allowing five runs over five innings in each. In fact, he owns just one quality start in his last eight outings (although the Cubs are 4-4 in that span) and has surrendered 13 HRs, including at least one in eight of his 10 starts. Lackey is 3-2 with a 2.56 ERA in seven starts (teams are 3-4) against his former team, including a win in his season debut April 6 in St. Louis.

The pick: The Cubs are struggling at the plate with a team BA of .235 average (ranks 26th). Making matters worse, Chicago is also having troubles with runners in scoring position, batting just .211. Team president Theo Epstein offered a frank assessment on the Cubs' flagship broadcast station. "We haven't played well," Epstein said. "Most of our guys are underperforming. We've made our bed, and now we are where we are a third of the way into the season. The only good news is no one in the division is running away from us, and  we have two-thirds of the season left." A return to the "friendly confines" and a series with the hated-Cards should be a great motivator for Chicago. The Cubs went 7-2 in their most recent homestand and on the season, have averaged 5.08 RPG at home. Make the Cubs an 8* play.

The set-up: The same two teams (Cavs & Warriors) meet in the NBA Finals for the third straight year, something that's never happened before. With Steve Kerr's health issues, the Warriors are led by Mike Brown, who formerly coached LBJ and the Cavs from 2005-2010. Brown (and of course, LBJ) led the Cavs to the Finals in 2009 (got swept by the Spurs), in just his second year with the team and then to 66 wins and 61 wins in his final two seasons. He was fired and coached the Lakers for two years before returning to Cleveland for the 2013-14 seas onbut LBJ was in Miami by then. The Cavs won just 33 games and Brown was fired again, Circumstances have Brown now facing off against his ex-team and head coach Tyronn Lue, making it the first time two black head coaches have faced each other in an NBA Finals since 1975 (Al Attles and KC Jones!).

The Warriors won the title in 2015 but the Cavaliers rallied from a 3-1 deficit last season to win their first-ever title and while we'll never know for sure, the Game 5 suspension of Draymond Green sure seemed like a momentum-changer. The Warriors enter the Finals a perfect 12-0 (8-4 ATS) and the Cavs 12-1 (8-4-1 ATS), leaving little doubt that the two best teams from each conference (by wide margins) will meet for the title. The Warriors are about a 3-to-1 favorite to win but that doesn't sit well with Cleveland power forward Kevin Love. "The whole underdog thing is funny to me, because, yeah, at the end of the day we are defending our title," Love told reporters. "We're trying to repeat, which is so hard to do. I think we will use it as fuel, we will use it as motivation, but the idea of playing into it? It's tough for me to say that is the case. I don't feel like we're underdogs." Warriors forward Draymond Green sees the series as a matchup of "greatness," and doesn't understand why there appears to be a lack of appreciations for how both teams rolled through the postseason. "I think you've found two great teams, and we've played that way, and maybe people don't appreciate it because of a blowout or because of a sweep," Green said. "But people may want to be careful, because I think right now you're witnessing greatness. Two great teams, great players, and that's what it is."

The pick: The Warriors haven't lived down the memory of blowing a 3-1 lead in last season's Finals and with the addition of Durant, are a better team this season than last. I noted at the top that these Finals feature the best of each conference but considering the West (in Golden St, SA & Hou) owned the three-best regular season records and Cleveland actually won fewer games than Boston in the East, one could argue that the Warriors are clearly the superior team (won 16 more games, 67-to-51) and deserve to be a solid favorite. There's no doubt that LBJ will be primed for the challenge but remember, Curry has a lot to prove as well, as does Durant. Curry under-performed when the Warriors won in 2015 and last year was downright bad in The Finals. As for Durant, if after joining the Warriors to form this "Super Team," what's his excuse if the Warriors don't win? I always try to avoid picking a series winner (my job is to pick the series game-by-game and here's a tid-bit that has me on Golden St. Like most, I feel the East has nowhere near the overall talent of the West and the last NINE times an Eastern Conference team has opened an NBA Finals on the road, it has gone 0-9 SU & ATS! Make the Warriors a 10* play.

The set-up: The Blue Jays ended the month of May in style, as nine HRs powered them to a three-game sweep of the Reds in Toronto. The Jays now open the month of June with a four-game home series series against the AL East-leading New York Yankees at Rogers Centre. Toronto has won eight of its last nine to finish May with an 18-10 mark and just one game under .500 at 26-27 on the season (Toronto opened the year 2-11). The 30-20 Yankees just began a stretch of four straight series against AL East foes by dropping two of three at Baltimore. The Yanks are in first and the Jays in last but the margin is a mere 5 1/2 games.

The pitching matchup: CC Sabathia (5-2 & 4.42 ERA) takes the hill for New York and Marco Estrada (4-2 & 3.15 ERA) for Toronto. Sabathia recorded his third straight win on Saturday after allowing two runs and striking out a season-high nine batters in a 3-2 triumph over Oakland. He has permitted just four runs on 15 hits during his winning streak and while his ERA (4.42) and WHIP (1.40) are not impressive, the Yanks are 8-2 in his 2017 starts, leaving him with MLB's fourth-best moneyline mark (plus-$637). Estrada comes in off back-to-back strong performances, with solo HRs accounting for the lone damage in 3-1 wins at Baltimore (May 21) and Texas (Saturday). Estrada is off to a very good start in 2017, allowing two ERs or less in eight of his 11 starts this season, although the Blue Jays are only 6-5. He improved to 4-2 in his career against New York after allowing one run and striking out five in seven innings of a 7-1 triumph on May 1, giving him a career ERA of 3.21 in 10 starts vs. the Yanks (team is 7-3)..

The pick: Things have changed since the last time the Toronto Blue Jays played the New York Yankees. The Blue Jays visited New York back on May 1 for three games, after going 8-17 in April, while the Yankees opened May at 15-8. New York took two of the three and stood at 21-9 by May 8. The Yankees are still in first place in the AL East but after losing 10-4 to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night, they have dropped seven of their past 13 games and are just 9-11 since May 8. Toronto just finished May 18-10 and the last time the Jays faced Sabathia (May 3), they rocked him for six runs on seven hits in just four innings. That Jays just hit nine HRs in a three-game sweep of the Reds and have won eight of nine. "Big Mo" is with Toronto. Make them a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cards have found the going pretty tough in what's been a 13-game stretch against NL West teams the Dodgers, Giants and Rockies. St. Louis did eke out a 2-1 win at home over the Dodgers last night but the victory represents only the Cards' fourth win in 12 games against this NL West trio. Meanwhile, Wednesday's loss halted the Dodgers' six-game winning streak but the team ended May with a 19-9 mark, the third-best record for that month during the club's tenure in Los Angeles (free history lesson: The Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to LA to begin the 1958 season).

The pitching matchup: Brandon McCarthy (5-1 & 3.28 ERA) will start for LA and Adam Wainwright (5-3, 4.20 ERA) for St. Louis. McCarthy has has put together excellent back-to-back outings, allowing just one run on five hits over 12 innings in the two victories (0.75 ERA). He blanked the Chicago Cubs on two hits over six innings in his last start and has given up two or fewer runs in six of his eight. McCarthy has posted a 4.15 ERA in three career no-decisions against St. Louis (teams are 1-2). Wainwright has won three straight starts,allowing only one run on 12 hits over 20 1/3 innings during the stretch (0.44 ERA!). He's put his poor start in 2017 behind him and shut down Colorado at Coors Field in his last outing, allowing just three hits over seven scoreless innings. Wainwright's seen a lot of the Dodgers with 14 career appearances (11 starts), going 4-5 with a 2.90 ERA.

The pick: As noted above, both McCarthy and Wainwright enter in excellent form. The Dodgers have been dominant at home (21-8 while averaging about 5 1/2 runs) but mediocre on the road at just 12-13, while averaging 4.44 RPG. The Cards have also struggled at home (just 13-15, averaging 3.79 RPG) and during their current 4-8 run against NL West opponents, have averaged a woeful 3.17 RPG. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The A's snapped a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory Wednesday night in Cleveland. However, it marked just the team's eighth road win of the 2017 season Oakland is 8-19 on the road and 23-29 overall, already 14 games back of Houston in the AL West (Astros own MLB's best record at 38-16). The A's will wrap up a seven-game road trip Thursday afternoon against the Cleveland Indians, who are 27-24 and in a virtual tie with the 26-23 Twins for first in the AL Central. However, Cleveland has struggled at home so far in 2017, going just 11-14 (Indians were 53-28 at home in 2016, plus-$1230 vs.the moneyline).

The pitching matchup: Jharel Cotton (3-5 & 5.56 ERA) takes the mound for Oakland and Corey Kluber (3-2 & 5.06 ERA) will come off the disabled list Thursday to make his first start since injuring his lower back on May 2. Cotton was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to make the start at Yankee Stadium on Saturday and held New York without a hit for five innings before he wound up being charged with three runs and two hits over 5 2/3 innings. Kluber lasted only three innings against Detroit back on May 2 as he was roughed up for five runs on seven hits before heading to the DL. However, he had won his previous three starts, striking out 27 over 22 1/3 innings, including a season-high 10 versus Houston back on April 27. Kluber has made six career appearances (five starts) against the Athletics, posting a 1-4 record despite pitching to a 2.93 ERA (3.07 ERA in the five starts). .

The pick: The Oakland Athletics have dropped six consecutive series away from home but they have a chance to earn a split of this four-game set early this afternoon. Let's remember, the Indians are sub-.500 at home (11-14) and who knows how effective Kluber will be after a month on the shelf. We know he's got a 6.08 home ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 2017. As for Cotton, he gave a pretty nice effort at Yankee Stadium last Saturday and on the season, has a 3.13 ERA and 1.17 WHIP on the road, compared to his dreadful numbers at home (8.27 ERA & 1.74 WHIP). Take the 1 1/2 runs and make the A's an 8* play.

The set-up: Bryce Harper has appealed the suspension for his role in Monday's brawl and will be in the lineup when the Washington Nationals wrap up their three-game series against the host San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. The Nats are going for a three-game road sweep, after winning 3-0 on Monday and 6-3 last night. Washington has now won seven of its last nine contests (leads the NL East by 8 1/2 games with a 32-19 record), while the Giants have dropped six of their last eight and at 22-32, sit 11 1/2 games back in the NL West with a record better than only the 21-33 Padres in the division.

The pitching matchup: Max Scherzer (5-3 & 2.77 ERA) gets the nod for Washington and Matt Cain (3-3 & 4.45 ERA) for San Francisco. Scherzer struck out a season-best 13 while dominating San Diego in his last start, when he gave up one run and three hits in 8 2/3 innings of a 5-1 victory. He leads the NL with 89 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a .189 batting average while posting a 0.94 WHIP. That Nats should be better than just 6-4 in his 10 starts. However, Scherzer has not pitched well against the Giants in his career, going is 2-4 with a 5.30 ERA in seven career starts against the Giants (teams are 2-5). Cain has been inconsistent over his last five starts (he's 1-3 / team is 2-3), twice giving up just one earned run and twice allowing seven or more. Cain is 7-5 with a 3.30 ERA in 17 career starts against the Nationals (Giants are 11-6) and didn't allow a run while beating them twice last season.

The pick: It's difficult to predict what to expect from Cain these days but the Giants remain in a funk and have averaged a woeful 3.31 RPG in going 13-13 at home. Meanwhile, Scherzer almost always gives the Nats an excellent chance to win and Washington is 16-10 on the road, where the Nats are averaging a healthy 5.62 RPG. Make Washington an 8* play

The set-up: Despite getting out-played for most of the game, Pittsburgh built a 3-0 lead first period lead. However, after going more than 37 minutes without registering a shot on goal, the defending champs found themselves in a 3-3 tie. If it were a boxing match, the referee may have stopped the fight, but Jake Guentzel delivered the late tie-breaking tally (ending an eight-game goal-less drought) and an empty-netter made the final 5-3. "It's not textbook," said Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby after the Penguins finished with the fewest shots on goal (12) by a winning team in Stanley Cup history. "We've got some things we need to improve on." Crosby is bidding to become the first player to win the goal-scoring title and a Stanley Cup in the same season since Wayne Gretzky (1986-87). The Predators are now trailing in a series for the first time this postseason, which is saying something for a team that was the No. 8 seed in the West (worst record of all 16 playoff teams). Nashville will now try to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time this postseason before the best-of-seven series shifts to Nashville. "I thought our guys played great," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said after Monday's game. "We hate the score, we hate the result, but we'll move forward. Right now we are 100 percent in a result-orientated business. I would rather be in their shoes. I would rather have that Game 1 win because you need four out of seven. Now it's down to six to try to grab the four."

Nashville: Pekka Rinne entered the Cup Finals with a 1.70 GAA and .941 save percentage but allowed four goals on just 11 shots (one was an "own goal"). He's eager to atone. "That's the best part in the playoffs," Rinne said. "You always get another opportunity, and that's going to happen on Wednesday, so I'm looking forward to that."Nashville can be happy that the team didn't stray far from its blueprint and all believe that they can bounce back to gain a split in Pittsburgh before the series shifts to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Pittsburgh: Penguins goalie Mark Murray was not at his best in Game 1, either. He entered the Finals with a 1.35 GAA and .946 save percentage in five games (four starts) but allowed three goals on 26 shots (.885 SP). Pittsburgh has to be thrilled to win a game it should have lost plus it also received the secondary scoring it had been missing. Conor Sheary, a 23-goal scorer during the regular season, notched his first of the playoffs and Guentzel registered his 10th of the postseason to lead all goal scorers (as noted, he ended an eight-game scoring drought!).

The pick: Both teams have positives to take away from in Game 1 and it's my belief that both goaltenders will bring their "A games" here in Game 2, which makes the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Mets have taken the first two of this four-game home series with the Brewers by scores of 4-2 and 5-4 (12 innings). New York has now won three in a row and four of five to reach 23-27 but are still 8 1/2 games back of the Nats in the NL East. Meanwhile, Milwaukee has dropped seven of nine games to fall to 27-25 but with no team playing all that well in the NL Central, the Brewers remain in first place, 1 1/2 games up on both the Cards and Cubs. The teams continue their four-game series on Wednesday night.

The pitching matchup: Júnior Guerra (0-0 & 3.12 ERA) takes the mound for Milwaukee up against New York's Jacob deGrom (4-1 & 3.23 ERA). Guerra returned from an absence of 7 1/2 weeks to make his second start of the season, working 5 2/3 innings and holding Arizona to one run on three hits over 5 2/3 innings. He was a revelation for Milwaukee in 2016, going 9-3 with a 2.81 ERA in 20 starts (team was 14-6 and plus-$1132, the 9th-best mark among starters). Guerra faced the Mets in June last year and earned a no-decision despite pitching 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball 0-1 & 1.35 ERA / team is 0-1). DeGrom had one of his worst starts of the season at Milwaukee back on May 14 with six innings of four-run ball (took a no-decision in that 11-9 loss) but he has rebounded to win his last two starts while permitting just one run over 15 1/3 innings. In fact, deGrom will be looking to to extend his unbeaten string to seven starts (team is 5-1 in his last six, the loss coming vs. Milwaukee) and give New York's bullpen an easy night after it pitched 6 2/3 innings in Tuesday's 12-inning affair. DeGrom is 3-1 with a 2.92 ERA in six starts versus the Brewers (Mets are 4-2).

The pick: New York's starting rotation has produced a 2.37 ERA over the team's 4-1 stretch and deGrom is currently the team's best (healthiest?) starter. Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell is hoping that Guerra can pitch as well as he did the last time out as his bullpen is averaging 3.7 innings per game (too much) and the Brewers are averaging a modest 4.00 RPG in losing seven of nine. Make the Mets.

The set-up: The Marlins are happy to see the month of May end, as even though Miami has won four of its last five (and are on the verge of a three-game sweep of the Phils), the Marlins check in at 9-18 overall in May. Miami won 7-2 last night (third straight win) and has now scored at least seven runs for the third time during its 4-1 stretch. The Marlins go for a three-game sweep of the Phils, which would be their first sweep over their NL East rival since June 29-July 1, 2012. Giving them a good chance to complete that sweep is the fact that the Phillies have lost 24 of their last 30 and own MLB's worst overall record at 17-33 (also own MLB's worst moneyline mark at minus-$1388).

The pitching matchup:Aaron Nola (2-2 & 4.34 ERA) will take the mound for Philadelphia and Dan Straily (3-3 & 3.83 ERA) for Miami. Nola is off his worst outing of the season in Friday's 5-2 loss to Cincinnati, surrendering a pair of HRs among the six hits and five runs he gave up in six innings. Nola is 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA over three career starts against Miami (team is 2-1). Straily extended his unbeaten streak to four starts (he's 2-0 but the team just 2-2) with Friday's 8-5 win over the LA Angels. He ranks second in the majors in batting average against at .176, after allowing three runs on six hits across 5 1/3 innings in beating LA. Straily threw five scoreless innings against Philadelphia last year to win his only career start versus the Phillies (1-0 & 0.00 ERA).

The pick: Philadelphia has scratched out only six hits through two games in Miami and has now scored just two runs or fewer eight times in its last 10 contests. No reason to think that the Philly bats will wake up here vs. Straily, who been dominant at home with a 2.45 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and .150 batting average against. Straily's counterpart (Nola) has been much better away from Citizens Bank Park (with a 3.18 ERA) than at home (6.00 ERA) plus was very sharp against Miami last year despite picking up two no-decisions, permitting just three runs over 12 innings while holding the Marlins to a .190 average. The Under is 10* play.

The set-up: No team is "pulling way" in the NL Central, so Chicago's modest 25-25 record has them just 1 1/2 games out of first place. However, the team's struggling offense is cause for concern. The Padres won 5-2 win in Monday’s series opener, sending Chicago to its fourth straight loss to begin a six-game West Coast trip. The Cubs are 1-for-24 with runners in scoring position during their four-game skid and they’ve left 31 men on base. The Cubs are batting .238 as a team (25rth) and heir 65 HRs rank 13th. The win was San Diego's second in a row but at 20-33, the Padres own a better record than only the 17-32 Phillies among all MLB teams.

The pitching matchup: Eddie Butler (2-0 & 1.93 ERA) gets the nod for the Cubs and Dinelson Lamet (1-0 & 1.80 ERA) for the Padres. Butler is making a strong bid to remain in the rotation, as he has allowed just three runs over 14 innings in his first three outings with the Cubs. He had some control problems in his second start (five walks in three innings), but he rebounded Thursday to hold San Francisco to one run on four hits over five innings and earn his second win. Butler started with Colorado in 2014 and is in his first season with the Cubs. He had made 36 appearances (28 starts) with the Rockies from 2014-16, going 6-16 with a 6.50 ERA. He is 0-2 with a 5.68 ERA in three games (two starts) against the Padres, all at Petco Park. Lamet was impressive in his major-league debut Thursday in New York against the Mets, striking out eight and allowing one run and three hits over five innings (a solo HR accounted for the only run he allowed). Lamet has averaged more than a strikeout per inning throughout his minor-league career and had struck 50 over 39 innings over eight starts at Triple-A El Paso before being called up.

The pick: Butler has pitched very well but his brief ML history says it's unlikely to last. As for Lamet, this is just his second career start. The Cubs are overdue to begin hitting and there is every reason to think that Butler's "good outings" are about to end. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The White Sox beat the Red Sox 5-4 on Memorial Day to open this three-game series. That gives them four wins in their last five games and an overall record of 24-26. The Red Sox have now dropped two straight following a six-game winning streak and find themselves at 27-23. Chicago, despite its losing record, is only 3 1/2 games out of first in the AL Central, while the Red Sox, in the much more competitive AL East, are three games back of first, despite a better record.

The pitching matchup: Chris Sale (5-2 & 2.34 ERA) takes the mound for Boston and Jose Quintana (2-6 & 4.82 ERA) for Chicago. In a rebuilding rebuilding effort over the winter, Chicago shipped ace Chris Sale to Boston for a slew of prospects. Sale returns to Chicago for the first time to face off against his former team. Sale is an early Cy Young contender, leading the majors with 101 strikeouts. However, he did just see a string of eight straight starts logging double-digit Ks come to an end when he struck out six in a win over Texas on Wednesday. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits in 7 1/3 innings but finally got some support from his offense and earned the win in a 9-4 victory. Sale should be familiar with the mound at Guaranteed Rate Field, where he is 42-24 with a 3.01 ERA in his career. Quintana allowed one run on one hit over eight innings at Seattle on May 19 but could not match that effort Wednesday while getting crushed for eight runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings at Arizona. His ERA jumped nearly a full run from 3.92 to 4.82. Quintana has pitched well against Boston, going 3-0 with a 2.87 ERA in seven starts (teams are 5-2).

The pick: Sale said he has a soft spot for White Sox fans for the way they treated him from 2010-16. However, those fans may not like him much in this game, as Sale has been dominant and if he starts getting some support, will be near-unbeatable. He's allowed just 45 hits in 73 innings with a 101-14 KW ratio. That leaves him with an 0.81 WHIP and opponents BA of .177. Make Boston an 8* play.

The set-up: The Blue Jays lost nine of 11 to open the season and stood just 8-17 after 25 games. This, from a team which had played of each of the last two ALCS matchups. However, Toronto has begun to dig out of the hole it put itself in lately with Memorial Day's 17-2 thrashing of the Reds serving as a prime example. The Blue Jays pounded out a season-high 23 hits (just two shy of the club record) and almost doubled their previous season best in runs. The victory gives Toronto a 16-10 record in May and the team looks for its seventh win in eight games on Tuesday, when it continues this three-game series versus the visiting Cincinnati Reds. The Reds were 19-15 in games played through May 11 but are now two games under .500, after losing 11 of their last 16 contests.

The pitching matchup: Asher Wojciechowski (1-0 & 2.25 ERA) takes teh mound for the Reds and start for theing first time since landing on the disabled list with left elbow inflammation shortly after an April 1v6 loss to Baltimore is Toronto's  Blue Jays J.A. Happ (0-3 & 4.50 ERA). Wojciechowski will be making his first start of 2017 (he made three in 2016), after struggled in Friday's relief outing at Philadelphia, yielding two runs (one earned) while recording just one out. In his season debut on May 20th, he pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings. The former first-round pick of the Blue Jays in 2010 is filling in for the injured Amir Garrett, earning this promotion after going 1-0 with a 1.40 ERA in five starts at Triple-A Louisville. Happ  had a "career year" in 2016 (20-4 & 3.18 ERA) and according to pitching coach Pete Walker looked "very good" in a side session on Sunday. However, that was just three days after he was tagged for three runs in as many innings in a rehab outing at Single-A Dunedin. Happ is 3-3 with a 5.44 ERA in eight career starts versus the Reds (teams are 4-4).

The pick: Happ may be a little bit of a question mark but so is Wojciechowski. Considering Toronto's excellent play as of late, the Blue Jays are an 8* play.

The set-up: The Penguins are defending champs and this year's team has advanced to back-to-back Cup Finals for the first time since Pittsburgh did so themselves back in 2008 and 2009 (won Finals that season). Pittsburgh now has a chance to win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles for the first time since the Red Wings did so in 1997 and 1998. The Penguins will be looking for their fifth Stanley Cup title overall while in stark contrast, the Nashville Predators are competing in the Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Also of interest is that once again, the Stanley Cup winner will be a team representing an American city, The last Canadian-based team to win The Cup was Montreal back in 1993. The Cup has been handed out 89 times since 1927 but for the first time ever, two American-born head coaches will square off in the Finals. Either Peter Laviolette (Nashville) or Mike Sullivan (Pittsburgh) will win The Cup, making it a seventh time it will be won by an American head coach. That said, both already own a Cup win, Laviolette with the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2006 and Sullivan with the Penguins last season. Pittsburgh's 111 points gave them the NHL's second-best record while the Predators were the No. 8 seed in the West, as well as the 16th-seed, overall.

Nashville: Losing star center Ryan Johansen to a season-ending hip injury after Game 4 against Anaheim certainly hurt Nashville's high-powered top line. However, Colton Sissons stepped in for Johansen and supplied a hat trick in the series clincher against the Ducks. Key for Nashville's offense has been the play of Filip Forsberg, a 31-goal scorer during the regular season who scored five times against Anaheim and is riding a seven-game point streak. It's also good news that No. 2 center Mike Fisher appears poised to return from injury, However, Nashville's strength is its blue line and its top four defensemen, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm. That quartet has combined for 39 points in 16 playoff games plus has provided steady support in front of 34-year-old goalie Pekka Rinne. He is 12-4 with a 1.70 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage in the postseason, so far.

Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh features the top three scorers in the postseason in Evgeni Malkin (24 points), captain Sidney Crosby (20) and Phil Kessel (19). Crosby and Malkin are two of the greatest players of all time and each owns a Conn Smythe Trophy. The depleted Penguins defense lost All-Star Kris Letang to injury before the playoffs even started and other defenseman have been in and out of the lineup during the playoffs. However, Matt Murray, who backstopped Pittsburgh to a championship a year ago following a late-season injury to Marc-Andre Fleury, reclaimed the starting job from Fleury in the Ottawa series and went 3-1 with six goals allowed in his four starts. His numbers are Rinne-like in the 2017 playoffs:1.35 GAA and .946 save percentage.

The pick: This may be a No. 2 overall seed against a No. 16 seed but this figures to be a fantastic, fast-paced series highlighting players with world-class speed and skill. As for Game 1, the goaltenders will be the stars. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Texas took a nine-game winning streak into its three-city, 10-game trip which began back on May 19th. The Rangers ran the streak to 10 games with a 5-3 win in Detroit on that night but then lost six of their next eight games. The Rangers stopped a five-game losing streak Sunday with a 3-1 victory in Toronto Blue Jays, completing the trip at 3-6 (they have won just two of eight since that 10-game winning streak!). Texas is back in Arlington on Memorial Day to open an eight-game homestand with Tampa Bay. The Rays took two of three from the Twins over the weekend to improve to 8-3 on the road this month, as they get set to open this three-game series vs. Texas.

The pitching matchup: Erasmo Ramirez (3-0 & 2.92 ERA) gets the start for Tampa Bay and Martin Perez (2-5 & 3.77 ERA) for Texas.Ramirez has appeared in 15 games in 2017 but this marks juts his fourth start. He's 2-0 with a 2.76 ERA in those starts, with the Rays winning all three games. He just recently rejoined the rotation and has given up two runs in each of those two starts (both team wins). His numbers are excellent in 2017, with a 27-6 KW ratio in 37 innings of work (26 hits allowed), giving him an 0.86 WHIP. He is 0-1 with a 5.72 ERA in 11 career appearances (four starts / teams are 1-3) against Texas. Perez went 1-4 with a 4.26 ERA over six starts in April (team was 1-5) but has improved this month with a 1-1 record and 3.16 mark in four outings (team is 2-2), after permitting three runs and six hits over 6 1/3 innings in a no-decision at Boston on Wednesday. Like his counterpart, Perez has not pitched well against this opponent, going 0-2 with a 5.76 ERA in four starts (team is 1-3) versus the Rays.

The pick: I'm sure the Rangers are glad to be home but the team's positive mojo was lost on its road trip. Meanwhile, the Rays are playing well on the road lately (see above) and Ramirez has been an effective pitcher (starting and relieving). Make the Rays a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cubs opened their six-game West Coast swing with three losses in LA to the Dodgers, surrendering their modest NL Central lead. The 25-24 Cubs are now in a virtual tie with the Cardinals, with both teams 1 1/2 games back of the division-leading Brewers. Chicago hopes to get back on track when they head to San Diego to begin a three-game series against the struggling Padres on Monday afternoon. The Padres salvaged a split of their six-game road trip with a 5-3 win over Washington on Sunday but at 19-33, they are entrenched in last-place in the NL West, 14 games back of the division-leading Rockies. The Padres rank 29th in runs scored (3.40 per) and 30th (dead-last) in team BA at .220. They come into Memorial Day having scored three or fewer runs in eight of their last 12 games.

The pitching matchup: Kyle Hendricks (4-2 & 3.25 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago and Jarred Cosart (0-1 & 4.50 ERA) for San Diego. Hendricks has put his early-season struggles behind him, with a 1.96 ERA over his last six starts. He has not allowed more than two ERs in any of those six outings, showing that his MLB-leading 2.13 ERA from last season was no fluke. Hendricks is 3-0 with a 1.56 ERA in five career starts against the Padres (Cubs are 4-1). Cosart will make his third start since coming off the disabled list. His first start was on May 18th when he allowed just one run over five innings of a no-

The set-up: The Cubs opened their six-game West Coast swing with three losses in LA to the Dodgers, surrendering their modest NL Central lead. The 25-24 Cubs are now in a virtual tie with the Cardinals, with both teams 1 1/2 games back of the division-leading Brewers. Chicago hopes to get back on track when they head to San Diego to begin a three-game series against the struggling Padres on Monday afternoon. The Padres salvaged a split of their six-game road trip with a 5-3 win over Washington on Sunday but at 19-33, they are entrenched in last-place in the NL West, 14 games back of the division-leading Rockies. The Padres rank 29th in runs scored (3.40 per) and 30th (dead-last) in team BA at .220. They come into Memorial Day having scored three or fewer runs in eight of their last 12 games.

The pitching matchup: Kyle Hendricks (4-2 & 3.25 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago and Jarred Cosart (0-1 & 4.50 ERA) for San Diego. Hendricks has put his early-season struggles behind him, with a 1.96 ERA over his last six starts. He has not allowed more than two ERs in any of those six outings, showing that his MLB-leading 2.13 ERA from last season was no fluke. Hendricks is 3-0 with a 1.56 ERA in five career starts against the Padres (Cubs are 4-1). Cosart will make his third start since coming off the disabled list. His first start was on May 18th when he allowed just one run over five innings of a no-decision against Milwaukee. However, he gave four runs in just 2 2/3 innings against the Mets his last time out (5/24), also allowing a season-high four walks. Cosart’s only previous start against the Cubs was a loss in 2015 in which he was tagged for seven runs in 1 2/3 innings!!

The pick: Hendricks is in fine form and has to welcome the idea of facing the punch-less Padres, who rank near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories.The Padres are hitting .189 against Hendricks with less than a runner per inning reaching base over 34 2/3 innings in his five career starts against them, including Hendricks posting a 1.20 ERA and 0.73 WHIP over 15 innings here in San Diego. Anyone really want to back Cosart? Make the Cubs a 6* play.

against Milwaukee. However, he gave four runs in just 2 2/3 innings against the Mets his last time out (5/24), also allowing a season-high four walks. Cosart’s only previous start against the Cubs was a loss in 2015 in which he was tagged for seven runs in 1 2/3 innings!!

The pick: Hendricks is in fine form and has to welcome the idea of facing the punch-less Padres, who rank near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories.The Padres are hitting .189 against Hendricks with less than a runner per inning reaching base over 34 2/3 innings in his five career starts against them, including Hendricks posting a 1.20 ERA and 0.73 WHIP over 15 innings here in San Diego. Anyone really want to back Cosart? Make the Cubs a 6* play.

The set-up: The Cards open a four-game home series with the LA Dodgers, coming off losing eight of 11 while playing NL West teams the Giants, Dodgers and Rockies. The Dodgers took two of three from the Cardinals at home early last week and are coming off a three-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs. In stark contrats to the Cards, the Dodgers have won eight of 11, including four in a row.

The pitching matchup: Rich Hill (1-2, 4.76 ERA) will get the start for LA and Mike Leake (5-2 & 1.91 ERA) for St. Louis. These two squared off last Wednesday in LA, with Hill continuing to battle the blister issues that have plagued him since arriving in Los Angeles last summer. He lasted just four innings, allowing four hits, seven walks and five ERs. He has yet to go more than five innings this season in any of of four starts and owns a poor 1.71 WHIP (12 walks in 17 innings with opponents batting .283 against him). He's now 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in five career starts against the Cards (teams are 2-3). Leake had little trouble with the Dodgers opposite Hill, allowing just one run on four hits over a season-high eight innings to earn the win. In contrast to Hill, he has not walk a batter in either of his last two starts (15 innings) and has surrendered three or fewer ERs in each of his nine outings this season. Wednesday's win improved Leake to 5-5 with a 3.91 ERA in 11 career games (10 starts / teams are 5-5) against Los Angeles.

The pick: Leake has been little more than a journeyman in his career but is sure pitching well in 2017 and I'm starting to believe it just may be "one of those seasons" for him. To go along with his 1.91 ERA, he owns an 0.93 WHIP, 42-10 KW ratio and opponents are batting only .210 against him. The Dodgers are 21-8 at home (averaging more than 5 1/2 runs) but just 10-12 on the road, where they are averaging 4.36 RPG. As for the Cards, they have not played well at home, going only 12-12 while averaging 3.96 RPG. The Under is an 8* play.

The set-up: Colorado cruised to a 10-0 victory in the opener of this three-game series on Friday but St. Louis countered on Saturday with a 3-0 victory, as Adam Wainwright won his fifth straight decision by combining with two relievers on a four-hit shutout. It marked only the second time in Rockies franchise history that they were shut out following a shutout win in the previous game at Coors Field and that occurrence also happened against the Cardinals. Colorado is 32-19 leaving them atop the NL West and while St. Louis' 24-22 record is much more modest, the Cards are only a half-game out of first in the tightly-bunched NL Central. The teams meet for the rubber match of this three-game series on Sunday afternoon.

The pitching matchup: Lance Lynn (4-2 & 2.53 ERA) will take the mound for the Cards and German Marquez (3-2 & 3.86 ERA) for the Rockies. Lynn allowed just one run on two hits with 10 strikeouts in eight innings this past Tuesday in LA against the Dodgers but his winless streak reached three starts in LA's 2-1 win (13 innings). Lynn is having an excellent season, allowing more than two ERs only twice in nine starts, including just once in his last seven. Lynn has made five career starts against Colorado, going 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA (team is 2-3). Marquez made his 2017 debut back on April 25th against the Nats and got ripped for eight ERs in just four innings of a 15-12 loss. However, he has allowed more than one run just once in his five outings since, earning a win in each of his last three. Marquez has only one career start against St. Louis, a five-inning effort on September 21st of last year, in which he yielded one run on four hits over five innings.

The pick: The Rockies are 11-2-2 in series this season and can capture their 12th series win with a victory on Sunday but I don't want to go against Lynn. He ranks second among National League pitchers with an opponents average of .188 and owns a 1.77 ERA in three career starts at Coors Field. Make the Cards a 10* play.

The set-up: The Tigers and White Sox have been battling each other and the Chicago weather this weekend, A doubleheader was originally scheduled for Friday but just one game was played, before the teams got in a twin-bill on Saturday. Chicago won 8-2 on Friday and then 3-0 in Game 1 on Saturday before Detroit was able to eke out a 4-3 win in  the nightcap. The Tigers had scored two or fewer runs in five of their previous seven games but the team's four runs last night were enough to get them a win. They are now just 2-5 on their 11-game road trip but have a chance to split this series Sunday afternoon. Chicago hopes for a series win with a Sunday victory to kick off a seven-game homestand (the Boston Red Sox visit for three games beginning on Monday).

The pitching matchup: Jordan Zimmermann (4-3 & 5.86 ERA) will get the ball for Detroit and Miguel Gonzalez (3-5 & 4.55 ERA) for Chicago. Zimmermann is not having the type of year the Tigers had hoped for and is having some trouble keeping the ball in the park. He has surrendered 12 HRs in 34 innings over his last six outings and comes in having allowed four runs in each of his last four starts (1-2 / team is 1-3). However, he's had success against the White Sox, as his April 30th 7-3 win over them makes him 4-1 in six career starts (teams are 5-1), despite a less than flashy ERA of 4.59. Zimmermann's counterpart in this game, Chicago's Gonzalez, knows all about struggling. Gonzalez has lost each of his last five starts with a 6.99 ERA as opponents have batted .336 against him in that span. Gonzalez went up against Zimmermann on April 30 and took the loss, giving him a 2-5 career mark in eight starts against the Tigers (teams are 3-4), while posting an ugly 8.08 ERA.

The pick: The Detroit bats have been relatively quiet recently but with Gonzalez on the hill, those bats should wake up! Gonzalez went 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his first four starts of the season (White Sox were 4-0) but that's long forgotten. See above for the recent gory details and let me add that in his last outing against the Tigers (April 30th), he gave up seven runs (six earned) and a season-high14 hits in six innings! Make Detroit a 10* play.

The set-up: The Colorado Rockies used a 14-hit attack to crush St. Louis 10-0 on Friday, their fifth win in six games. It was a nice bounce-back for Colorado, which lost Thursday 2-1 at Philadelphia in 11 innings. The Rockies had scored six or more runs in six consecutive contests before being held to that one run on Thursday and had just two runs through seven innings last night, before exploding for eight runs in an eighth-inning rally. St. Louis has now gone 1-3 on its six-game road trip, scoring a total of four runs in the defeats. Colorado's 32-18 record leads the NL West while the Cards' 23-22 record has them close (one game back of the first-place Cubs) in the tightly-contested NL Central (top-four teams are within two games of each other).

The pitching matchup: Adam Wainwright (4-3 & 4.81 ERA) gets the start for St. Louis up against Colorado's Kyle Freeland (5-2 & 3.31 ERA). The veteran Wainwright started slowly in 2017 but takes the mound having won four consecutive decisions. The 35-year-old has been superb in his last two outings, winning both while allowing one run on nine hits over 13 1/3 innings. More to the point in this game, Wainwright has dominated the Rockies throughout his career, going 9-1 (3-0 at Coors Field) with one shutout and a 1.70 ERA in 10 starts and four relief appearances. Freeland's a rookie who has allowed three ERs or fewer in each of his last seven starts, posting a 4-1 record in that span (Rockies are 6-1). This marks his first career start against the Cards.

The pick: In somewhat of a surprise, Colorado has been better on the road (18-8) than here at Coors (14-10) in 2017. In fact, both of Freeland's losses this season have come at home, where the rookie has posted a 3.80 ERA as opposed to a 2.89 mark on the road. Getting back to Wainwright, he's 8-1 with a 1.81 ERA in his 10 career starts against the Rockies (Cards are 8-2) and comes in pitching very well. I'm backing the vet over the rookie in this one and will make the Cards a 10* play.

The set-up: The Arizona Diamondbacks lost 93 games in 2016 but enter this weekend as MLB's hottest team, as Friday night's 4-2 win in 10 innings at Milwaukee gives them 10 wins in their last 11 games. Arizona is now 31-19 overall, just one game back of first-place Colorado in the NL West after last night's dramatic win. The loss had to be particularly painful for the Brewers, who lost a 2-1 lead with two outs in the ninth inning on a HR by Arizona catcher Chris Iannetta, then lost in the 10th. Milwaukee was shut out 4-0 on Thursday by Arizona and has now managed just two runs on 11 hits in losing the first two games of this series. The Brewers, who placed Ryan Braun (calf) on the 10-day disabled list Friday, enter Saturday's contest on a season-high five-game slide, leaving them 25-23 but still just a half-game back of the first-place Cubs in the NL Central.

The pitching matchup: Zack Greinke (6-2 & 2.82 ERA) takes the mound for Arizona and will be opposed by Milwaukee's Chase Anderson (2-1 & 4.25 ERA). Greinke has won four straight starts (2.37 ERA) and Miller Park holds a special place in his heart. He's won 16 of 18 career decisions at Miller Park, including an 11-0 mark in 2011 while a member of the Brewers. However, while he has not allowed an earned run in his last 12 2/3 innings against Milwaukee, he's just 1-2 with a 3.57 ERA over four career starts against the Brewers (teams are 1-3). Anderson has completed as many as five innings just once in four May starts, giving up six runs in four innings last Sunday at Wrigley Field in Chicago, while serving up three HRs to the Cubs in a 13-6 loss. The one-time D'back is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts against his former team (1-1).

The pick: Anderson posted a 1.12 ERA through his first four outings of 2017 but he's got a 7.30 mark in his last five starts, after allowing a season-high six ERs in his last outing Sunday against the Cubs. He faces an Arizona lineup that's averaging 5.73 RPG in winning 10 of 11, so it will be tough to turn around his woes in this one. But Greinke comes in red-hot plus he 'loves' Miller Park. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up:Josh Donaldson doubled in his first game back Friday since missing 39 contests with a calf injury and Troy Tulowitzki reached base three times following a 32-game absence, as the Jays welcomed back two key members of their team in Toronto's 7-6 home win over Texas. However, it was second baseman Devon Travis who stole the show. His second-inning gram slam was part of his 10th multi-hit game in May and helped propel Toronto to its fourth straight victory. The Blue Jays opened the season 2-11 but are now 16-9 since their dreadful 6-17 start to the 2017 season. The Rangers' Rougned Odor had a three-run HR  three-run in the ninth that make things interesting but it wasn't enough for Texas to avoid its 16th loss in its last 22 road games. The Rangers have lost all momentum form their 10-game winning streak from May 9-19, as they are 1-5 since, including four consecutive losses.

The pitching matchup:Yu Darvish (5-2 & 2.83 ERA) takes the mound for Texas and Marco Estrada (3-2 & 3.30 ERA) for Toronto in this early Saturday afternoon contest. Darvish worked around trouble for most of last Sunday at Detroit en route to collecting his fourth straight win, allowing just two runs on five hits and four walks in a season-low five innings Darvish is now 4-0 with a 2.53 ERA over his last six outings (Rangers are 6-0!). The Texas ace is 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA in seven regular-season starts against the Blue Jays (Rangers are 3-4). Estrada is off an excellent start, winning 3-1 victory at Baltimore last Sunday. He gave up just one run on five hits while matching a career high with 12 strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings. Estrada did not factor into the decision in either of his two starts against Texas last season, posting a 3.75 ERA despite limiting the Rangers to a .159 average. Overall, he's 3-1 (2.16 ERA) in six career starts against Texas (team is 4-2).

The pick: Darvish did take the loss to Toronto in Game 2 of the ALDS last year and the Rangers need a strong (long?) outing from him here, as the Rangers' bullpen has pitched 24 of the team's last 58 innings. However, with Texas' road woes, this may be a hill too high to climb. The Jays are getting healthy and Estrada comes in having pitched well at home in 2017 (2.52 ERA & 1.08 WHIP) and he faces a Texas team which is in a funk (1-5) and as noted above, has lost 16 of its last 22 away from home. Make Toronto an 8* Play.

analysis by 12 pm et

The set-up: It wasn't a cakewalk but the Cavs won Game 4 against the Celtics, 112-99. The Celtics actually led by 10 points at the half but Cleveland shot 71 percent in the second half to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Kyrie scored a playoff career-high 42 points, LBJ overcame four fouls in the first half to add 34 points and Love produced his fourth consecutive double-double with 17 & 17. The Celtics now need to win at home, where they lost the first two games of this series by an average of 28.5 points, to stay alive. "We're humble enough to know that we haven't played well at home, and we want to give our home crowd a better outing than we did the past two games," forward Jae Crowder told reporters. "We're right there where we want to be, we're locked in."

Cleveland: Irving tweaked an ankle in Game 4 but he didn't seem to be the least bit affected, scoring 33 of his points during an impressive 19-minute stretch. LBJ overcame early foul trouble to make 15-of-27 shots after suffering through a poor Game 3 in which he scored only 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting. As noted, Love's been brilliant, averaging 24.5 & 12.8 through four games. However, an area of concern for Cleveland has to be the fact that its bench has contributed just nine (Game 3) and seven (Game 4) points!

Boston: Game 3 hero Marcus Smart (27 points) returned to earth with a thud in Game 4, going 1 of 9 for eight points. Olynyk got the Game 4 start and had 15 points. He had 15 off the bench in Game 3, after scoring just two total points in the first two games! Crowder battled through a groin injury in Game 4 and produced 18 points and eight rebounds. He is averaging 15.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in the series. Thomas is done for the year and winning three straight is not a realistic hope for Boston.

The pick: However, the Celtics recovered from a 21-point deficit to win Game 3 in Cleveland and incredibly, had the Cavs in a 16-point hole in the second quarter of Game 4, a contest in which almost all thought the Cavs would dominate. Cleveland head coach is warning his team about looking ahead to the Warriors. "(The Celtics are), like I told you guys before, it's like we're preparing for a whole new team. Like, we didn't know what they were going to run. Isaiah (Thomas) goes down and they're running a totally different offense than we prepared for so it's been tough on us. And defensively, they're a lot better. They don't have a lot of weak links to go to, to go at." The Celtics pulled off the improbable comeback upset in Game 3 and are more than capable of at worst, taking the Cavs to the wire in this one. Take the points and make Boston a 10* play.

The set-up: Seemingly, the Diamondbacks have put last year's 93-loss season behind them, as red-hot Arizona looks for its ninth victory in 10 games while attempting to hand Milwaukee its first four-game losing streak of the season. Arizona opens a four-game series in Milwaukee on Thursday on the heels of sweeping a three-game home series over the White Sox with Wednesday's 8-6 win. The D'backs own MLB's best home record (21-8) but  aare more modest 8-11 on the road. Meanwhile, the Brewers have lost three in a row, after having won 10 of 12 contests before their slide. Milwaukee's 25-21 record has them a half-game up on both the Cards and Cubs in the NL Central but the Brewers are under .500 (12-13) here at Miller Park.

The pitching matchup: Robbie Ray (3-3 & 3.91 ERA) gets the start for Arizona and Zach Davies (5-2 & 5.44 ERA) for Milwaukee. Ray snapped a three-decision slide when he allowed two hits and three walks while striking out six in 7 2/3 shutout innings of a 9-1 victory at San Diego on Saturday. That broke a stretch in which the lefty had gone 0-3 with a 5.81 ERA in his previous four starts (team was 0-4), while walking 12 in 21 2/3 innings. Ray has lost his only career start against Milwaukee, allowing five runs in 5 2/3 innings despite striking out 11 in a 6-4 setback last season. Davies permitted two runs, five hits and two walks while striking out three in a season-high six innings of a 4-2 victory in San Diego on May 18. However, he had previously failed to pitch more than 5 2/3 innings in any of his other eight starts this season. Davies has allowed 58 hits over 46 1/3 innings in 2017, giving him a 1.66 WHIP with opponents hitting .309 against him.

The pick: At 29-19, Arizona is 10 games over .500 for the first time since finishing the 2011 season 94-68. However, the team's struggles on the road are real, as the D'backs average only 3.63 RPG away from Chase Field. Davies' overall numbers are not good but he has allowed two ERs or less in four of his last five. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Ottawa Senators bounced back from a 7-0 drubbing in Game 5 and forced the reigning Stanley Cup champions into a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals, with a 2-1 win at home on Tuesday. Craig Anderson, after getting shell-shocked in Game 6, had 45 saves in the Game 6 victory. Ottawa now has a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2007 and deny Pittsburgh a return trip when they visit the Penguins in Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday night.
The Penguins are bidding to become the first team to make back-to-back appearances in the Cup Final since they turned the trick in 2008-09,

Ottawa: Craig Anderson was away from the team for half the season to be with his wife during her cancer treatments, so the fact the he bounced back this postseason, has made for a great story. "It starts with the goalie," Senators head coach Guy Boucher said. "It's like a quarterback in football and a pitcher in baseball, and we have it. We got that guy." Veteran Bobby Ryan scored just 13 times in 62 regular-season games but has six goals in 18 playoff contests after his tying tally in Game 6. Ryan's goal also ended Ottawa's 0-for-29 power-play drought. Karlsson, despite playing severely injured, remains the team's top scorer with 16 points (2 goals / 14 assists).

Pittsburgh: The Penguins have the luxury of sending out a pair of Conn Smythe Trophy winners in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who guided the team to Cup titles in 2016 and 2009, respectively. Crosby had scored in three straight games prior to Tuesday's 2-1 setback and is tied for second in the postseason in scoring with 19 points. Malkin scored Pittsburgh's lone goal in Game 6 to boost his playoff-leading total to 24 points (7 goals / 17 assists). Fleury was not Pittsburgh's problem (lack of scoring was) but Murray has been terrific since replacing him, turning aside 96 of 101 of shots (.950 SP).

The pick: The Penguins are big favorites here at home in Game 7 but they have a checkered history in winner-takes-all matchups on home ice, with an all-time record of just 3-7! Similarly, Ottawa has never won a Game 7 (0-5 in its previous tries) but note that Anderson is 3-1 with a 0.76 goals-against average in his last four starts when facing elimination. Losing here in Game 7 would mean failing to defend last year's Stanley Cup championship for for Pittsburgh while for Ottawa, a win would be a jubilant upset. The pressure is all on Pittsburgh and I'll make Ottawa an 8* play.

The set-up: The Mariners and Nationals will wrap up a three-game IL series with this 12:05 ET start in Washington. The game time has been moved up due to rain in the forecast and the Mariners might welcome a rain out, as they have never won a game in the nation's capital. Washington's 5-1 victory Wednesday followed Tuesday 10-1 win and improved the Nationals' record in the all-time series to 13-1, including a perfect 8-0 at Nationals Park. The Tuesday and Wednesday results leave Seattle with five consecutive one-run performances and a 7-18 road record. The Nats are 28-17 overall, including 14-7 at home.

The pitching matchup: Ariel Miranda (3-2 & 4.28 ERA) will get the start for Seattle and will be opposed by Washington's Gio Gonzalez (3-1 & 2.86 ERA). Miranda has allowed just one run in each of his last two starts, allowing a modest seven hits over 12 innings. He has fanned 17 in that span after striking out a career-high nine in a no-decision against the Chicago White Sox his last time out. He has never faced Washington and is 1-0 with a 6.19 ERA in three career interleague starts. Gonzalez was on fire to open the 2017 season by going 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA through his first six starts but has gone 0-1 with a 5.40 mark over his last three outings (all losses for the Nationals). The former first-round pick was reached for four runs on a season-high nine hits at Atlanta on Friday and he gave up two HRs, which gives him eight HRs allowed over his last five starts. He is 6-2 with a 3.27 ERA in his career against Seattle over 10 starts (teams are 6-4).

The pick: rMiranda has a big challenge in front of him on Thursday, as three of the top Washington hitters rank among the best in the league: Ryan Zimmerman (.371 & 13 HRs), Bryce Harper (.342 & 14 HRs) and Daniel Murphy (.324 & 9 HRs). Washington is averaging almost six runs per game at home, while Seattle (as noted above) comes in off five consecutive one run efforts. Make the Nats a 10* play!

The set-up: The Reds and Indians head to Cleveland to continue their two-city, four-game interleague series called the Ohio Cup. The Reds won 5-1 on Monday but the Indians bounced back with an 8-7 last night, as Edwin Encarnacion recorded his 26th career multi-HR performance. Encarnacion collected his fourth multi-hit effort in his last seven outings, with four HRs, eight RBI and eight runs scored in that stretch. The Indians now own seven wins in their last eight versus the Reds but return home where they are just 8-10 this season, compared to 16-10 on the road. Speaking of the road, the Reds head to Cleveland having lost six in a row on the road and nine of 11 overall, despite the fact that Billy Hamilton has reached base safely in a career-high 23 consecutive games..

The pitching matchup: Lisalverto Bonilla (0-2 & 6.38 ERA) will take the mound for the Reds and Trevor Bauer (4-4 & 6.65 ERA) for the Indians. Bonilla had an awful relief appearance back in April and then last Friday, sustained his second straight losing start loss in a row when he ran into trouble in the sixth inning at home vs. the Rockies, allowing four runs (including a three-run HR) as part of Colorado's eventual eight-run inning. In three 2017 appearances (two starts), he allowed 17 hits (four HRs) and 13 ERs in 18 1/3 innings, as opponents have batted .342 against him. Bauer recorded his second consecutive victory after allowing three runs and striking out a season-high nine in 5 2/3 innings at Houston on Friday in a 5-3 win. Bauer owns a 1-2 career mark with a 5.52 ERA against the Reds.

The pick: The Indians' starting rotation has gotten off to a slow start this season and Bauer, with his 6.65 ERA has been part of the problem. However, he has posted back-to-back wins (has allowed three ERs in each outing) and the Indians have dominated the Reds as of late (won seven of last eight meetings). What's more, Bauer does own a career 7-3 interleague record with a 2.74 ERA in 16 appearances, including 15 starts. See above for a reminder of just how bad Cincy's Bonilla has been in his limited action of 2017 and it's no surprise I'm making Cleveland an 8* play in this one.

The set-up: The Blue Jays edged the Brewers 4-3 on Tuesday and will conclude this two-game IL series, as well as a seven-game road trip, with this Wednesday afternoon game at Miller Park. Toronto lost three of its first four on the trip but avoided a sweep in Baltimore by winning 3-1 on Sunday, They now have a chance to finish 4-3 on the trip. Milwaukee kicked off a six-game homestand with its second straight loss after winning four in a row. The Brewers had won three straight and six of their previous seven at home prior to Tuesday.

The pitching matchup: Marcus Stroman (4-2 & 3.00 ERA) will get teh ball for Toronto and Matt Garza (2-0 & 2.43 ERA) for Milwaukee. Stroman's unbeaten streak reached six starts last Thursday, when he scattered seven hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 9-0 win at Atlanta while also hitting his first major-league homer. He has allowed more than two runs just once during the streak and only twice in nine starts this season. Stroman threw a complete game in his only career start against Milwaukee back on April 12 but suffered the loss despite giving up only two runs. Garza has pitched well in his five starts this season, allowing three ERs once and two or fewer in each of the other four outings. He settled for a no-decision at San Diego last Wednesday, after allowing one run on four hits over six innings. Garza's made 13 career starts against Toronto, going just 6-6 (team is 7-6) but he owns an impressive 2.14 ERA in those outings.

The pick: Toronto's' bullpen leads the American League with 163 innings of relief work, mostly because of the growing number of starters ending up on the disabled list. Toronto would love a long start from Stroman, who has worked into the sixth inning in each of his past three starts (17 2/3 IP / 2 ERs / 1.02 ERA / team is 3-0) and he will be looking to win his fourth consecutive decision. Garza has been impressive since returning from the disabled list in late April (2.43 ERA & 1.11 WHIP through 29 2/3 innings) but he's been a steady underachiever through the years. The Blue Jays have overcome a 2-11 start to 2017 to reach 20-26 and behind Stroman, cap their road trip with a win. Make Toronto a 10* play

The set-up: The 22-19 St. Louis Cardinals and the 26-19 Los Angeles Dodgers were both off on Monday and get together at Dodger Stadium Tuesday night for the opener of a three-game series. The Cardinals snapped a four-game losing slide with an 8-3 victory over San Francisco on Sunday. The Dodgers won 6-3 at home over the Marlins on Sunday and have followed a three-game skid of their own by winning four of their last five. St. Louis opens a six-game road trip with this game, while the Dodgers continue a 10-game homestand (the Cubs visit over the weekend).

The pitching matchup: Lance Lynn (4-2 & 2.78 ERA) goes for the Cards and Clayton Kershaw (7-2 & 2.15 ERA) for the Dodgers. Lynn gave up two HRs for the second straight start last Tuesday and took his first loss since April 11 with a 6-3 setback versus Boston. However, he did work at least six innings for the fifth time in his last six outings, with St. Louis winning all but one of those starts. Lynn owns a 4-1 career mark in eight starts versus the Dodgers (4.04 ERA / Cards are 5-3). Kershaw has won three CY Young awards and is off a brilliant performance in his last outing on Wednesday, scattering three hits over seven scoreless innings in a 6-1 victory at San Francisco. Kershaw has fared well against St. Louis in the regular season, posting a 6-5 career mark with a 3.18 ERA in 15 outings, as opposed to an 0-4 record in the playoffs.

The pick: The over/under number is always tantalizingly low in a Kershaw start and note that Lynn has allowed two HRs in each of his last two outings. He'll face an LA lineup which has averaged 5.74 RPG in going 16-7 at home and Kershaw could easily have his hands full with a St. Louis team which is 10-6 on the road (averaging 5.44 RPG), after erupting for 43 runs en route to back-to-back three-game sweeps at Atlanta and Miami from May 5-10. Make the Over an 8* play.

The set-up: With no Issiah Thomas and facing a 21-point third quarter deficit, the Celtics clawed their way back against the Cavs in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday in Cleveland. Incredibly, LBJ was held without a point over the game's final 16 1/2 minutes and when Avery Bradley's three-point bounced on the rim and fell in with 0.1 seconds left in the game, Boston had an improbable 111-108 victory. The top-seeded Celtics broke the Cavaliers' record-tying 13-game postseason winning streak and limited red-hot forward LeBron James to 11 points, his fourth-lowest output in 210 career playoff games. According to cleveland.com, LBJ's teams are 1-10 in the playoffs when he scores 15 or fewer points. However, LBJ is 20-0 in playoff series in which his team won the first two games,and the Cavaliers are 14-0 in those sets. James hasn't lost a playoff series against an Eastern team since the second round in 2010, when the Celtics knocked out Cleveland in six games.

Boston: "We were playing way better. I don't know how to phrase it other than that - we were playing way better," Boston head coach Brad Stevens told reporters of the difference between Sunday's win and a 44-point loss in Game 2. "We were getting good shots on offense and playing with great purpose, and on defense I thought we were much better than the score indicated. I think that when you play better, you feel better." Marcus Smart was a non-factor by averaging five points on 2-of-11 shooting over the first two games but he was 7-of-10 from three-point range while producing 27 points and seven assists in Game 3. Kelly Olynyk, a hero for Boston in Game 7 against Washington with 26 points, had scored just two points (on 1 of 8 shooting) in the first two games but had 15 points on Sunday. Avery Bradley scored 20 points and made the game-winning three-pointer.

Cleveland: "I had a tough game, period," James told reporters. "I didn't have it. That's all I've got to say about my performance." LBJ entered Sunday on a tear with eight consecutive 30-point efforts, averaging 34.3 points before he basically disappeared in the second half by missing eight of nine shots and finishing 4-of-13 from the floor. "No blame," head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. "We're all to blame. We lost; it happens. For a guy who played great for five straight months, he's got to have a bad game sooner or later. He's human. He didn't shoot the ball well. It wasn't his ordinary game." The Cavs have to be thrilled about Kevin Love's play, as the PF has three straight double-doubles, averaging 27.0 & 11.3 in the series while making 17-of-31 three-point attempts.Kyrie had a poor Game 1 but has averaged 26.0 PPG the last two on 18 of 26 shooting. Center Tristan Thompson is averaging 15.0 & 8.0 in the series.

The pick: Boston trailed 2-0 in the first round against Chicago, but won the next four. However, the Cavs AIN'T the Bulls! No one expects Smart and Olynyk to repeat their Game 3 performances and EVERYONE expects LBJ will bounce back. Still, Cleveland could sure use a better (any?) effort from its bench, after Cleveland reserves scored only nine points in Game 3. The pointspread is understandably high but the over/under number is well within reach. Make the Over a 10* play.

The pick: McCullers is off to an excellent start in 2017 and here at home, owns a 2.08 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in four starts (he's 2-0 and the team 4-0!). As for Zimmermann, he last faced Houston on April 30, 2014, allowing seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over 6 1/3 shutout innings. He's pitched reasonably well at Minute Maid Park with a 3.42 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings over four career starts there. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: Remember those Pittsburgh offensive woes? The defending champs were held to one goal in each of the first three games of the Eastern Conference finals against the Senators and were lucky to only be down 2-1 in the series (Pens won Game 2, 1-0!). However, the team made a goalie switch, Murray for Fleury, and while Murray has been excellent (Fleury sure wasn't the problem), the change has definitely sparked the team and awoken the Pittsburgh offense. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 3-0 lead in a "must win" Game 4 and held on for a 3-2 win. Then, back in Pittsburgh for Game 5, the Pens took a 4-0 first-period lead and won going away, 7-0! The series is back in Ottawa for Game 6 tonight, with Pittsburgh on the verge of returning to the Cup Finals. Ottawa head coach Guy Boucher has grown comfortable playing the underdog card in these playoffs and raised a few eyebrows and many sarcastic quips over social media after essentially "crowning" the Penguins after the barrage. "We know they're a better team. Everybody knows that on the planet," he said.

Pittsburgh: We've been really good at just focusing on the game at hand regardless of the situation, good or bad," captain Sidney Crosby told reporters on the heels of scoring in his third straight contest on Sunday. "We've had a lot of different things happen throughout the year where we've just had to focus on that next game and that will have to be the same approach here heading into Game 6." Evgeni Malkin (NHL-best 17 assists, 23 points) notched three assists to push his career playoff total to 98, moving him past team owner Mario Lemieux (96) for second on the franchise's all-time list. However, the most impressive part of Sunday's 7-0 win was that seven different players scored a goal! Pittsburgh's third line of Bryan Rust (goal, assist), Nick Bonino (two assists) and Carter Rowney (three assists) combined for seven points in Game 5. Matt Murray, who recorded his second career postseason shutout following a 25-save performance, has turned aside 68 of 71 shots (.958 SP) since replacing Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 3's 5-1 loss. He owns a 17-6 record in 24 playoff appearances.

Ottawa: Captain Erik Karlsson (team-leading 13 assists, 15 points) has been playing with two hairline fractures in his left heel but is expected to be back in the lineup after receiving a bit of a breather with Sunday's contest well out of hand. "We decided to shorten the bench a bit and come back (fresher) for the next one," Karlsson told reporters, with Boucher admitting as much in resting fellow defenseman Cody Ceci and forward Derick Brassard in the final period. Boucher also scoffed at the notion of starting backup Mike Condon over Craig Anderson, who will be back in net after being pulled twice for four goals on 14 shots in Game 5.

The pick: History doesn't favor the Senators in this spot, as Ottawa is 0-5 when trailing a best-of-seven series by a 3-2 margin and the team has only forced a Game 7 on two occasions. However, the Senators have had a terrific playoff run and the Senators plan on retreating to the style that brought them to the Eastern Conference finals. Expect the neutral zone to be a crowded piece of ice Tuesday night at Canadian Tire Centre, as except for Game 5, Ottawa's 1-3-1 system has been largely responsible for flustering Pittsburgh's offense. Ottawa is "down to its last out" and I expect the Senators to bring their "A game!" Make Ottawa a 10* play.

The set-up: The Mets were pounded 12-5 on Sunday by the Angels, suffering their eighth loss in their last 10 outings to fall to 18-24. They get set to open a three-game home series Tuesday against San Diego. The Padres won 5-1 on Sunday but it was only the team's third win in its last 13 encounters, as the Padres come into this series with a MLB-worst 16-30 record (minus-$1160 moneyline mark ranks second-worst).

The set-up: Jhoulys Chacin (4-3 & 4.61 ERA) gets the ball for the Padres and Matt Harvey (2-3 & 5.56 ERA) for the Mets. Chacin is off an excellent start, allowing one run on just two hits and striking out eight in seven innings versus Milwaukee last Wednesday. He took a no-decision in the Brewers' 3-1 win at San Diego. Chacin has been brutal on the road in 2017, as he owns a bloated 8.77 ERA while permitting hitters to bat .330 against him. Chacin's road troubles have extended to Citi Field, where he has posted a 1-2 career record with a 5.30 ERA. He's 1-4 with a 4.98 ERA in six career starts against the Mets (teams are 2-4). Matt Harvey owns an 0-3 mark and a 6.55 ERA in his last six starts. He allowed three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision at Arizona, agme the D'backs won 5-4 in 11 innings. Harvey has as many walks (21) as strikeouts in his last six, while salso urrendering eight HRs in his last five contests. Harvey has posted a 2-1 record with a solid 3.38 ERA in four career starts against San Diego (Mets are 2-2), with a season-best 10-strikeout performance over six innings in a 4-3 win on May 8, 2016.

The pick: Patience is starting run thin with Harvey but he owns decent numbers against the Padres and Chacin has been a awful pitcher on the road in 2017, making the Mets an 8* play.

The set-up: The White Sox opened their 10-game road trip with four straight losses, including the first of a four-game series in Seattle on Thursday. However, Chicago took the final three games of its series in Seattle, capping the successful weekend with Sunday's 8-1 win. Chicago allowed a total of three runs from Friday through Sunday and open a three-game interleague series tonight in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. Arizona won Friday and Saturday at San Diego (scored a total of 19 runs) but saw its five-game winning streak snapped with Sunday's 5-1 loss.

The pitching matchup: Miguel Gonzalez (3-4 & 4.29 ERA) will start for Chicago and Zack Greinke (5-2 & 3.09 ERA) for Arizona. Gonzalez lost his fourth consecutive start this past Wednesday in Anaheim against the Angels. He allowed five runs on six hits and issued a season-high five walks over 5 2/3 innings. He has now surrendered five or more runs three times during his skid, while registering more than two strikeouts just once. Gonzalez settled for a no-decision in his only career outing against Arizona in 2013 while with Baltimore, despite allowing only two runs over seven Innings (2.57 ERA but his team lost). Greinke was not sharp against the New York Mets on Tuesday but came away with his fourth straight win, despite giving up four runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. It marked only the third time nine starts this season that he has allowed more than three runs. However, Grienke has not pitched well against Chicago during his career, going 7-10 with a 4.14 ERA in 23 starts (team is 10-13) and three relief appearances.

The pick: Gonzalez has given up 34 hits and 19 runs (18 earned) in his past four starts covering 23 1/3 innings (6.94 ERA). He is 1-3 with a 4.88 ERA in five road starts in 2017 (team is 2-3) with a 1.60 WHIP. In contrast, Greinke is 4-0 in six home starts (team is 5-1), posting a 2.82 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. Make Arizona an 8* play.

he set-up: The Warriors are poised to close out the Spurs and clinch a third straight trip to the NBA Finals as the two teams meet tonight in San Antonio. As expected, the Spurs put up a much better effort at home in Game 3 than they managed in Game 2 but the end, the absence of Kawhi Leonard left them without a go-to scorer to combat Golden State's scoring runs, as they fell 120-108.

Golden State; Kevin Durant took control of Game 3 with 19 of his 33 points in the third quarter, as the rest of Golden State's starters all scored in double digits. Curry had 21 points with Green going for 10-7-7. Of note, McGee replaced an injured Pachulia at center and scored 16 points in just 13 minutes plus Thompson scored 17 points, matching his total from the first two contests. Pachulia (heel) sat out Game 3 and is questionable for Monday. but that hardly matters.

San Antonio: Leonard is a near-certainty to miss the contest due to an ankle injury plus PF forward David Lee (knee) also could sit out. The shorthanded Spurs will continue to lean on the likes of 39-year-old Ginobili, who scored 21 points in 18 minutes on Saturday. "The competitiveness was great," Popovich told reporters of his club after Game 3. "Every time you look up, you're playing against four All-Stars, so you better be pretty perfect, and competitiveness-wise, I couldn't ask for anything more. We turned it over too much, and we've got to make some more shots. But it's a helluva team."

The pick: The Spurs could have received a shot of confidence by the Celtics' upset of the Cavs last night but on the flip side, the Warriors should also now be forewarned about what can happen when a team "let's up." Kevin Durant went 11-of-19 from the floor in Game 3 to mark his fifth straight postseason game in which he's shot 50 percent or better plus Stephen Curry is averaging 30 points on 55.6 percent shooting in the first three games of the series. Golden State has now won all 11 games in this postseason and just in case anyone has forgotten, the Warriors have won 26 of their past 27 contests, overall. The total has opened slightly higher than in Game 3 but I'm still making the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Nashville Predators can advance to the Stanley Cup final for the first time in franchise history when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night in Game 6. Nashville's 3-1 victory at Anaheim on Saturday pushed the Ducks to the brink of elimination, as the Predators own a 3-2 in the series. Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne was spectacular again on Saturday with 32 saves. Anaheim's starting goaltender John Gibson left Game 5 with a lower-body injury, knocking him out of the final two periods of Game 5. Gibson said after the game he would play in Game 6, but head coach Randy Carlyle was more cautious when the team arrived late Sunday afternoon in Nashville, saying Gibson would be reevaluated in the morning.

Anaheim: With the murky status of Gibson, Anaheim could be pinning its "must-win hopes" on backup Jonathan Bernier, who turned aside 16 of 18 shots Saturday but hasn't made a start since April 9. Making matters even more difficult, the Ducks will have to go without 30-goal scorers Rickard Rakell and Patrick Eaves, who both stayed back in Orange County with lower-body injuries, not traveling to Nashville. What's more, center Ryan Kesler has been limited to just three assists over the past nine games.

Nashville: The Predators have to be thrilled that they won Game 5 with their top two centers, Ryan Johansen (compartment syndrome surgery in left thigh) and Mike Fisher (undisclosed injury), on the shelf. They have also played the entire series without Craig Smith (undisclosed) and Kevin Fiala (fractured leg). Pontus Aberg drew back into the lineup and scored the winning goal just over midway through the third period for his first playoff goal, while Frederick Gaudreau played well defensively and had a winning record on face-offs, going 10-4 in his first playoff match. Gaudreau became the team's 18th forward to play in the postseason, tying an NHL record. Aberg and Austin Watson, are the 16th and 17th Predators to score goals in the playoffs.

The pick: One way to look at this is that while Nashville is 10-3 at home in the playoffs the past two postseasons, all three losses have come against the Ducks, including this series' game 4 loss, which evened the series at two-all. However, the Ducks are missing two key goal scorers and somehow have to solve Rinne. No opponent has so far in the 2017 playoffs, as Rinne owns a 1.62 GAA and .942 SP. Considering that the Ducks are 2-for-30 on the power play in their last 10 postseason contests, breaking through against Rinne seems like a stretch. In contrast, Anaheim's goaltending situation is a question mark, at best. Nashville's ability to replace an injured player and have that replacement come through is just the latest example of how depth is driving this team to heights it's never reached before. Make Nashville an 8* play.

The set-up: The LA Angels will visit the Tampa Rays on Monday to open a four-game series, with both teams sporting identical 23-23 records.The Rays saw their four-game winning steak snapped with a 3-2 loss to New York on Sunday but have won their last three series after taking two of three from the Yankees over the weekend. Meanwhile the Angels have captured five of their last seven games, including a 12-5 road victory over the New York Mets on Sunday in which they belted four HR. Mike Trout, who is batting .350 on the season, hit one of the LA's homers and added a double as he has now reached base in 38 of the 40 games in which he has played this year. However, Albert Pujols (right hamstring) has missed three straight contests and is listed day-to-day.

The pitching matchup: JC Ramirez (3-3 & 3.97 ERA) gets the ball for LA and Jake Odorizzi (3-2 & 3.16 ERA) for the Rays. Ramirez has completed at least five innings in all seven starts this season and limited opponents to three or fewer runs five times. However, has managed to record just one victory in that five-game span, although the Angels are 4-1 in those games. Ramirez opened the season 2-0 in three relief stints but will now make an eighth straight start. He has worked two scoreless innings of relief versus the Rays in his career. Odorizzi allowed four runs on seven hits over six innings his last time out at Cleveland (won ), after allowing one run in each of his previous three starts. He has held opponents to a .195 batting average and has a 0.89 WHIP this season but needs to cut down on the long balls, having surrendered seven HRs in seven outings. While it's a small sample size, Odorizzi is 0-3 with a 6.98 ERA against the Angels in four career starts (team is 1-3).

The pick: Despite LA's 12-run outburst at Citi Field on Sunday, the Angels are averaging only 3.57 RPG in 23 road games this season (just 8-15). Odorizzi's LT record against LA is poor but his 2017 WHIP and opponents BA (see above for both numbers) are impressive. Likewise, Ramirez has found a home as a starter for LA. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers have had their way with the Celtics in both games in Boston, winning 117-104 (wasn't as close as the final) and 130-86 (it was as bad as the score indicates). They now return home and look (expect?) to take a 3-0 series lead when they host the Celtics in Sunday's Eastern Conference finals' matchup. Things have gone from bad to worse for Boston since that Game 2 blowout, as PG Isaiah Thomas (hip) has been ruled out for the rest of the postseason.

Boston: The Celtics trailed 72-31 at halftime on Friday and narrowly avoided suffering the worst playoff defeat in franchise history, by three points. "It's hard to take," center Al Horford told reporters. "We've worked really hard and put ourselves in this position to be here. It's been tough for our group. (Game 2) was real rough, there's no other way to put it. It's definitely a low point for our group." Thomas aggravated a hip injury in the first half and had just two points on 0-of-6 shooting before sitting out the second half. Thomas' play has dropped over the past week (Thomas has averaged 17.9 PPG on 37.1% shooting since his 53-point game) and it turns out the hip was examined after Game 6 of the second-round series against the Washington Wizards, and doctors shut him down to reduce the chances of long-term damage.

Cleveland: The Cavs have dominated play in the opening two games and by opening the 2017 playoffs 10-0, they have tied (Cavs won three straight to cap last year's Finals!) the NBA record of 13 straight playoff wins (set by the 1988-89 LA Lakers). LBJ has been unstoppable in the playoffs with averages of 34.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists. Love has been great against Boston (26.5 & 12.0) with Kyrie having a solid Game 2 (23 points) after a poor effort in Game 1 (11 points on 4 of 11 shooting). That 'Big 3" is more than enough to be able to close out the Celtics with two wins here in Cleveland.

The pick: That said, Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue asserts that top-seeded Boston is still in the series. "It's one game. I don't care if you win by 200 points,"he said in the press conference after Game 2. "We're going back home, we're not going to get comfortable. We understand that this is a good team. They're not No. 1 in the East for no reason." That  may be just "coach speak" but it's has more than a little truth in it. Hard to imagine Cleveland not winning here but it's also hard to imagine Boston not playing MUCH better. Take the points and make Boston a 10*.

The set-up: The Tigers ended the Rangers' 10-game winning streak. Miguel Cabrera returned to the lineup from a three-game injury absence and homered, one of four hit by Detroit. J.D. Martinez continued his torrid pace by launching his sixth HR in eight contests since making his season debut on May 12. The Tigers will be starting an 11-game road trip on Monday (it begins with four against major league-best Houston) but first must solve a pitcher that has owned them.

The pitching matchup: Yu Darvish (4-2 & 2.76 ERA) takes the mound for Texas up against Detroit's Matthew Boyd (2-3 & 5.18 ERA). Darvish has won all six career starts against Detroit, although his ERA is not "lights out" (3.46). However, he enters on a five-start unbeaten streak, coming off permitting just one run on four hits over seven innings to beat Philadelphia 5-1 last Tuesday. He's 3-0 in his five-game unbeaten streak with Texas going 5-0 in those games. Boyd will need to bounce back from a dreadful performance against Baltimore last Tuesday, when he tied a season low with 2 1/3 innings pitched, getting battered for seven runs on eight hits, as the Tigers lost 13-11 in 13 innings. However, that awful outing was preceded by a string of three straight quality starts, although the Tigers lost all three of them. He is 1-3 with a 5.24 ERA in four career starts against the Rangers.

The pick: Let's give Boyd a 'mulligan" for his last outing and expect that the ESPN cameras will motivate him. As noted above, Darvish needs no extra motivation when pitching against the Tigers (he has to be full of confidence) plus his current run of five starts in which Texas has won all five (Darvish owns a 2.38 ERA), surely won't hurt that confidence. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: With the series tied at one-all, the Senators used a blistering-hot start (4-0 first-period lead) to put the Penguins on their heels in Game 3. However, the Penguins returned the favor in Game 4, getting out to a 3-0 lead from which Ottawa wouldn't recover, as Pittsburgh tied the series at two-all with a 3-2 Game 4 win. The series shifts to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Sunday afternoon.

Ottawa: "They played with urgency, which was to be expected. Stanley Cup champions, they bounce back in every series," head coach Guy Boucher told reporters after the Penguins matched their sum goal total from their first three contests in Game 4's win. Ottawa was able to get just three shots in the first three of four power-play opportunities in Game 4 and is no a woeful 0-for-25 with the man advantage in its last nine contests. Karlsson has recorded an assist in back-to-back contests (leads the team with 15 playoff points) and is averaging a robust 28:25 of ice time in the postseason despite playing with two hairline fractures in his heel that presumably will require attention in the off-season.

Pittsburgh: After scoring just one goal in each of the first three games against Ottawa, the Penguins had three goals before the second period was over in Game 4. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby set up defenseman Olli Maatta's game-opening goal and added a power-play tally for his first multi-point performance since sustaining a concussion on Washington defenseman. Jake Guentzel notched two assists on Friday to increase his point total to 16 (nine goals, seven assists), which is five shy of the NHL rookie record for a single playoff year - set by Minnesota's Dino Ciccarelli in 1981 and matched by Philadelphia's Ville Leino in 2010. Of course, the goalie switch from Fleury to Murray also played out well, as Murray saved 24 of 26 shots.

The pick: Are Pittsburgh's offensive woes now a thing of the past? I'm not syure about that. Ottawa's Craig Anderson allowed three goals on Friday for the first time since Game 5 of the second-round series versus the New York Rangers. However, note that he has had better statistics in the playoffs on the road (2.02 goals-against average, .927 save percentage) than at home. Murray's play sparked the Pens to last year's Stanley Cup win and I expect another excellent game from him. Also, let's not ignore Ottawa's 0 for 25 run on the power play! Make the under a 10*.

The set-up: All of a sudden, the Giants are getting timely hits and starting to win games. San Francisco used a four-run ninth inning against the New York Mets back on May 10th to post its first road victory when trailing in the 9th inning in over a year. After a 5-2 homestand, the Giants then notched a second 9th-inning comeback win in the series opener on Friday against the Cards, scoring all six of their runs after the sixth inning. Last night, Christian Arroyo's two-run double in the 13th broke a scoreless tie in Saturday's 3-1 triumph. San Francisco will go for a three-game sweep in St. Louis today, eyeing its eighth win in nine tries (after a 12-24 start to 2017). St. Louis has now dropped a season-high four straight (including two in 13 innings), to fall to 21-19, 2 1/2 games back of the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cardinals' starting pitching has yet to give up a run over 15 innings in this series, but the bullpen has been pounded for nine runs (eight earned) in just seven innings and during the team's four-game slide, owns a 6.75 ERA.

The pitching matchup: Matt Cain (3-1 & 4.04 ERA) will be on the mound for the Giants and Adam Wainwright (3-3 & 5.31 ERA) for the Cards. Cain became the 12th pitcher in club history to reach 2,000 career innings Monday, getting his first win since April 24 after throwing a season-high 112 pitches while permitting one run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (Giants won 8-4). The three-time All-Star is showing signs of regaining some of his past form, having allowed fewer than three ERs in six of his last seven starts. However, Cain has struggled more versus the Cardinals than any other NL team over his career, going 2-5 with a 6.19 ERA in 12 games (11 starts). Wainwright proved to be effectively wild last Sunday in a victory against the Chicago Cubs, yielding only four hits while walking a season-high four across seven scoreless inning. It's been a struggle for Wainwright in 2017, as Sunday's outing marked only the second time this year that he has worked at least six innings. Wainwright is 5-7 with a 3.27 ERA in 14 appearances (12 starts) against the Giants.

The pick: I like what I'm seeing from the Giants recently and as noted above, Cain is showing real signs of once again being a solid starter. Go with the flow, the Giants are surging and the Cards are stumbling and bumbling. Make San Francisco an 8* play.

The set-up: The Rays have won the first two of this three-game set with the Yankees (5-4 & 9-5) and are back over .500 (23-22) for the first time in almost a month. They have won four straight and six of eight as they look to complete the series sweep this afternoon at Tropicana Field. The Yanks hope to snap a three-game slide, which has dropped them to 24-16, a half-game back of the first-place Orioles in the AL East.

The pitching matchup: CC Sabathia (3-2 & 4.93 ERA) takes the mound for New York up against Tampa's Chris Archer (3-2 & 3.70 ERA). Sabathia allowed just five hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 7-1 victory at Kansas City last Tuesday. It was a welcome relief for the veteran who had given up 22 runs on 30 hits over 20 2/3 innings in his previous four outings. CC is very familiar with the Rays, having gone 15-14 (3.76 ERA) in 42 career starts against them (teams are 22-20). Archer's off a 'nightmare' 2016 season but started well in 2017. However, he's managed just one victory over his last six starts. He had put together three quality starts but then got pounded for seven runs (six earned) over five innings at Cleveland last Monday in a in an 8-7 loss. He's is 6-5 with a 2.63 ERA in 14 career starts against the Yankees (Rays are 8-6).

The pick: Archer's troubles have come on the road in 2017, as the team is 4-1 in his home starts, with Archer posting a 2.94 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. As for CC, while he owns a bloated 7.41 ERA at Yankee Stadium, his road ERA is a respectable 3.45. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: Chicago began its 10-game road trip by getting swept in a three-game set in Anaheim by the Angels and then lost the series opener 5-4 in Seattle on Thursday to the Mariners. That made it seven straight road losses for the White Sox before Melky Cabrera delivered a two-out RBI double in the 10th while Jose Quintana and David Robertson combined on a one-hitter for the White Sox, as Chicago edged Seattle last night 2-1 in 10 innings. The series continues Saturday, with Friday's loss denying the Mariners a three-game winning streak and dropped them to 3-2 on their current seven-game homestand.

The pitching matchup: Mike Pelfrey (0-4 & 5.70 ERA) gets the ball for Chicago and Seattle will give the nod to Yovani Gallardo (2-3 & 4.53 ERA). This is Pelfrey's 12th big league season but first with the White Sox. He's made five starts in 2017 but remains in search of his first win with Chicago. He has given up three or more runs in each of his five 2017 starts (White Sox are 1-4) and has yet to last six innings, working a season-high 5 1/3 in a loss at Kansas City on May 3. Pelfrey has yet to defeat Seattle in his career, although it's a small sample size with three starts (he's 0-1 with a 4.42 ERA and his teams are 1-2). Gallardo snapped a three-start winless streak Monday with a 6-5 win over Oakland in which he allowed three runs over 6 1/3 innings. It matched his longest outing of the season, as he also worked 6 1/3 innings at Oakland back on April 23. Gallardo has been outstanding against Chicago in three career starts (again, a small sample size), allowing three runs (just two earned) over 17 innings while posting a 1-0 record (1.06 ERA / teams are 2-1).

The pick: Tonight's two starters have combined for 515 career major-league starts and 175 victories, although Gallardo has the better numbers. He's 110-86 with a 3.81 ERA versus Pelfrey's 65-95 record and 4.58 ERA. Not sure any of that matters too much here and neither has pitched very well so far in 2017. As noted, last night's 2-1 win by Chicago snapped its seven-game road losing streak so it would hardly be a surprise for the White Sox to lose here. Meanwhile, Seattle has overcome a 2-8 start to the current season by going 18-15 since, giving me every reason to think the Mariners can best a pitcher (Pelfrey) who owns a 5.70 ERA and has yet to complete six innings in any of his five starts this season. Make Seattle an 8* play.

The set-up: The Cavs' routed the Celtics in Game 2 last night to join the Warriors at 10-0 this postseason. The Western Conference finals, after a three-fay break, return to center stage tonight in San Antonio. The Warriors hardly looked like a team that was in any danger of losing even a game in this series last Tuesday, with a 136-100 thrashing of the Spurs in Game 2. The Spurs watched Game 1 turn (the series, as well?) when Kawhi Leonard went down with an ankle injury. They are hoping (praying?) he can return to the lineup for Game 3, although according to San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich, a change of attitude is necessary whether or not Leonard is on the floor. "I don't think they believed," he told reporters after watching his team get crushed in Game 2. "And you have to believe. I don't think as a group they really did, which means probably a little bit feeling sorry for themselves psychologically, subconsciously, whatever psycho-babble word you want to use. … That was disappointing." The Warriors are feeling pretty good about themselves after shooting 56.2 percent from the floor in Game 2 while holding the Spurs to 37 percent.

Golden State: Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry were both named to the All-NBA second team on Thursday while forward Draymond Green was a third-team selection. Curry is averaging 28.6-5.6-5.8 this postseason, while Durant has averaged 23.8 & 7.0 (he missed two games) and Green 14.1-8.9-7.1, Klay Thompson was left off the All-NBA teams and is one of the few Golden State players struggling in the postseason while averaging 14.6 points on 38.8 percent shooting, down from 22.3 points on 46.8 percent shooting in the regular season. Andre Iguodala (left knee soreness) and Zaza Pachulia (right heel contusion) are listed as questionable for Saturday's Game 3, although Iguodala participated in practice Friday and appears closer to a return than Pachulia at this point.

San Antonio: Leonard has sat out two of the last three playoff games due to left ankle issues and did not do any on-court work while reporters were at the San Antonio practice facility on Thursday. If Leonard is limited or unable to go, the Spurs will have to find scoring from somewhere. The most likely source is LaMarcus Aldridge but after a solid Game 1, he managed only eight points on 4-of-11 shooting in Game 2. "LaMarcus has to score for us," Popovich told reporters. "He can't be timid. He turned down shots in the first quarter. He can't do it. You've got to score. Scoring has to come from some place."

The pick: Leonard is averaging 27.7 points on 52.5 percent shooting in the postseason but is also San Antonio's best defensive player. No way Leonard is 100 percent and just how will the Spurs slow the Warriors, who are averaging 117.1 PPG this postseason? This is a pretty low over/under number for the Warriors and the first two games of this series have averaged final scores of 230 points, over two 'TDs' more than the opening total in this contest. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: Anaheim faced a "must win" situation in Game 4 of this series and took a 2-0 lead into the third period at Nashville but the Predators tied the score and sent the game into OT. However, the Ducks' dramatic overtime victory ended a 10-game home winning streak for Nashville and allowed Anaheim to reclaim the home ice advantage with the 3-2 win. It's back to the Honda Center for Game 5 but the Predators won the series opener in this building plus posted three wins at Anaheim in last year's first-round playoff matchup, including the winner-take-all Game 7.

Nashville: The Predators not only lost at home for the first time in the playoffs on Thursday but they lost No. 1 center Ryan Johansen (team-leading 13 points, including three goals) for the rest of the playoffs. Johansen underwent emergency surgery on his left thigh following Thursday night's game and will require two to three months to recover. Johansen has not missed a game since his acquisition from Columbus in the middle of the 2015-16 season and his absence will put even more pressure on linemate Filip Forsberg, who notched the tying goal with 34.5 seconds in Game 4 to force overtime and is the first player in seven years to score in each of the first four games of a conference final (seven goals and five assists this postseason). The Predators also could be without captain and center Mike Fisher, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Game 4 and is questionable.

Anaheim: The Ducks blew a two-goal lead in the final 6 1/2 minutes of regulation but avoided a potentially crushing defeat when Corey Perry scored his third overtime goal of the postseason off a fluke deflection. Corey Perry offered a simple assessment after scoring Anaheim's only goal on a bad-angle shot in Game 3, basically telling reporters you can't score if you don't shoot, and he reinforced that point with his decisive tally on Thursday. Perry threw a shot at the net from between the right circle and the boards that deflected off the stick of Predators defenseman P.K. Subban and past Rinne to give the Ducks new life.

The pick: The Predators' magic carpet ride through the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs definitely hit a 'speed bump' with Thursday's loss but let's remember just how well Pekka Rinne has played. After falling behind 2-0 in Game 4, he stonewalled the Ducks until the Predators tied the game and even the Ducks will admit that their game-winner on Thursday was flukea . The cold hard facts are that Rinne owns a 1.66 GAA and .940 SP this postseason. Nashville has yet to lose consecutive games in this year's playoffs (suffered its fourth loss on Thursday) and after the team's previous three losses, Rinne has led the Predators to wins of 3-1, 3-1 and 2-1, turning aside 64 of 67 shots (.955 SP). Make Nashville a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cardinals' bullpen allowed six runs over the final three innings of Friday's 6-5 loss to the Giants, spoiling six scoreless innings by St. Louis starter Michael Wacha, not to mention and a three-run HR in the seventh by Dexter Fowler. This three-game series continues Saturday night, with the Cards looking to snap a season high-tying three-game losing streak. As for the Giants, going into the ninth inning of a May 10 game at the New York Mets, the Giants were trailing 3-2 and hadn't rallied for a road win when trailing in the ninth since 2015. However, they scored four runs in the ninth inning at New York to beat the Mets 6-5 that game. They had been back in San Francisco until last night (went 5-2) but after erasing a 5-4 deficit in the ninth Friday night at St. Louis, now own consecutive 9th-inning comeback wins on the road.f However, let's not get too carried away, as the Giants are only 7-15 on the road in 2017.

The pitching matchup: Jeff Samardzija (1-5 & 5.26 ERA) will take the mound for the Giants and Carlos Martinez (3-3 & 3.88 ERA) for the Cards. Samardzija is once again failing to live up to his supposed potential. In fact, his first win of the 2017 came just this past Sunday at home against Cincinnati, which he held to three runs in 6 2/3 innings. Samardzija may have 28 strikeouts with no walks over his last three appearances but he owns just a single win in eight starts! He is 3-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 10 career starts against the Cards (teams are 6-4). Martinez is 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts this month after leading his team past the Chicago Cubs last Saturday. He allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings against the defending champs, while striking out seven for the second consecutive start. He's 2-0 with 2.37 ERA in two career starts against the Giants.

The pick: Samardzija owns a 6.66 ERA on the road in 2017 (four starts) but there's also that 47-8 KW ratio over his last six starts to consider. Yes, the Giants have hit better lately (have averaged 5.0 runs the last five games) but they still rank 29th in scoring (3.44 per), 27th in team BA (.234) and 30th in OPS (.646). As for the Cards, they are averaging a very modest 3.91 RPG in going 11-12 at home. The Under is a 10* play.

The set-up: The Indians took the opener of this three-game series last night, 5-3. Jason Kipnis hit his third HR and knocked in his seventh run during a five-game hitting streak, as he's beginning to find some rhythm at the plate after starting the season on the DL with a shoulder injury. The Astros (29-13) coughed up an early two-run lead Friday, as they saw their four-game winning streak come to an end. However, it was just Houston's second loss in its last 11 games, and at 29-13, the Astros still own MLB's best record. The Indians are defending AL champs but check in at a modest 21-19, although they are only one game out of first in the AL Central.

The pitching matchup: Mike Clevinger (1-1 & 2.61 ERA) will get the nod for the Indians in Saturday afternoon's game, opposed by Houston's Mike Fiers (1-1 & 5.75 ERA). Clevinger made 17 appearances last season (10 starts) and posted a 5.39 ERA. His 2017 debut was on May 7th at KC, when he pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-hit ball against the Royals in a 1-0 victory. Clevinger struggled in his last start on May 13, giving up three runs on three hits and five walks over just 4 1/3 innings to take a 4-1 home loss to Minnesota last Saturday. He was used to retired one batter in relief Tuesday against the Rays. Clevinger allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings of a loss to Houston in 2016. Fiers may have just one win on the season but he is unbeaten in the last six starts. Then again, he has managed just one victory and completed six innings only once during that stretch, although the Astros are 4-2. Fiers is 2-0 with a 2.76 ERA in three career starts vs. the Indians (teams are 2-1).

The pick:The Astros are a ML-best 29-13 but after Friday's loss, are just 1-3 in 2017 against the Indians. Fiers gave up two runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision versus the Indians back on April 27, a game Cleveland won 4-3. Note that Fiers has allowed a major league-high 16 HRs in his seven 2017 outings. Let's also not forget that Cleveland won 94 games in 2017 and led the Cubs 3-1 in the World Series before losing in heart-breaking fashion in Game 7, while the Astros watched last year's postseason on TV. Make the Indians a 10* play.

The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers have rolled to nine straight wins this postseason, averaging 114.8 PPG. After failing to cover their first two games against the Pacers, the Cavs are 6-0-1 or 7-0 ATS their last seven. In fact, Cleveland has now won 12 straight playoff games since being down 3-1 against the Warriors in last year's Finals, going 9-2-1 or 10-2 ATS. LBJ (38-9-7) and Kevin Love (32 & 12) led the way in Game 1's rout and Boston now has had just one day to regroup, as the Cavs will try to match the 1988-89 Lakers for the longest winning streak in NBA playoff history (13) in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Cleveland: LBJ is averaging 34.8 points, nine rebounds and 7.1 assists in the postseason and has scored 30 or more points in each of the last seven games. "He's playing at a high level, and that's the reason why we're riding him so much," Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. "When LeBron's playing at that level other guys just have to be solid and we have a good chance to win." Plenty of "solid play" in Game 1 came from PF Kevin Love,who added a career playoff-high 32 points to go with 12 rebounds plus center Tristan Thompson, who chipped in a career playoff-best 20 points on 7-of-7 shooting.

Boston: The Celtics just survived a tough seven-game series against the Wizards to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2012 and can't be happy with their Game 1 effort. However, PG Isaiah Thomas maintains his team isn't intimidated. "They lace up their shoes just like us," Thomas told reporters on Thursday. "They just happened to play better than us in Game 1. We just gotta protect home court in Game 2 and get the win." That may be a little optimistic or Thomas may just be "whistling past the graveyard." After all, Thomas scored just 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting in the opener, marking the fourth time in the past six games he scored fewer than 20 points. Backup center Kelly Olynyk scored just two points in the opener, after scoring a playoff career-high 26 in the final game of the series against the Washington Wizards on Monday.

The pick: Boston can't control or even slow down, LBJ. The Celtics need more offense from Isaiah Thomas, who nawas med All-NBA second team Thursday. He did have 10 assists to go along with 17 points in Game 1 and became the first Celtic since Rajon Rondo in 2012 with back-to-back playoff double-doubles. However, it wasn't nearly enough. Can Boston beat Cleveland? It doesn't look like it but the Celtics have averaged 110.0 PPG at home this season (including the playoffs) and I expect them to be MUCH better offensively in Game 2. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The 17-23 Kansas City Royals will be in Minnesota tonight for the opener of a three-game series with the 20-17 Twins. This series opens a 10-game road trip for the Royals, who are winless in five games against the Twins this season. Minnesota halted a three-game slide with a 2-0 victory over Colorado in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader but the Twins have scored just 14 runs in their last six contests.

The pitching matchup: Nate Karns (2-2 & 4.46 ERA) will starts for KC and Hector Santiago (4-2 & 3.80 ERA) for Minnesota. Karns has been superb over his last three starts, going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 29 strikeouts over 17 1/3 innings. However, while he's had just three career appearances against the Twins (two starts), the results have been a disaster. He has a 17.55 ERA and 3.00 WHIP, while lasting only 6 2/3 innings! Santiago is coming off his worst outing of the season, as he gave up six runs on seven hits in just 2 2/3 innings while losing 8-3 at Cleveland last Sunday. However, he had won his previous three decisions and also defeated the Royals on April 5, when he gave up one run and four hits over five innings. Santiago is 3-3 with a 3.82 ERA in 16 career appearances (10 starts / teams are 4-6) versus Kansas City.

The pick: The Twins have outscored the Royals 34-14 this year, so the team's recent lack of scoring should turn around here. Surely, Karns' woeful numbers against the Twins will give Minnesota confidence, as will the fact that KC has allowed 5.41 RPG on the road in 2017. Minnesota may be three games over .500 on the season (currently lead the AL Central) but the Twins are a modest 9-12 at home, where they've allowed 5.10 RPG. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Pittsburgh Penguins' high-octane offense averaged an NHL-best 3.39 goals per game in the regular season but in three games against Ottawa, the Penguins have scored just one goal in each game of this series. Kessel's third-period goal in Game 2 was enough to win but when Crosby scored for the Pens in Game 3, Ottawa already led 5-0. Game 4 of this series is clearly a pivotal one for the defending champs, as coming back from a 3-1 deficit may be too much to ask of a Pittsburgh team struggling on offense and decimated by injuries on the blue line. Adding more drama to the occasion, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters he'd reveal what he hopes to be his ace in the hole on Friday morning, with the disclosure of whether franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury or rookie Matt Murray will get the start in net!

Pittsburgh: Fleury had been nothing short of brilliant while stepping in for an injured Murray (lower body), lifting the Penguins past Columbus and Washington and stopping 56 of 58 shots versus Ottawa in the first two games before getting shredded for four goals on nine shots in the first period of a Wednesday's 5-1 loss. The roles are somewhat reversed from last season when the 22-year-old Murray took over for a concussed Fleury and guided Pittsburgh to its fourth Stanley Cup title in franchise history. That aside, the Penguins still have their offensive woes to deal with. Those haven't just begun this series, as they come into this contest having mustered just nine tallies in their last six games, which follows them having scored 35 goals in their first nine of the playoffs.

Ottawa: Head coach Guy Boucher offered his own take on the Penguins' netminding situation. "I don't care," Boucher said, according to the Ottawa Sun. "Whether it's (Fleury) or another goalie, it doesn't matter." Ottawa's 1-3-1 system is largely responsible for flustering Pittsburgh but the team's offensive 'explosion' (four, first-period goals) was a welcome sight in Game 3. Ottawa's offense was almost non-existent in Game 2, as the Senators failed to record a shot on goal for 18:53 bridging the second and third periods! Five different players scored in Wednesday's win with Ryan adding two assists (giving him five goals and eight assists) to close within one point of Karlsson's team-leading 14 points (two goals / 12 assists) this postseason.

The pick: Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan has chosen to keep everyone guessing as to the identity of his starting goalie on Friday and is that really a "winning strategy?" Time will tell. What I do see is the defending champs coming out strong. A team with the firepower of Malkin (6 G / 14 A), Kessel ( 6 G / 9 A), Crosby (5 G / 10 A) and Guentzel (9 G / 5 A) will not be shut down in a "must win" situation. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Nationals and Braves meet in Atlanta this weekend for a three-game series between the first and second place teams in the NL East. While that is the case, it's more than just a footnote that the 25-15 Nats own an eight-game lead over the 16-22 Braves. Washington comes in with losses in five of their last six road contests but the Nats' first visit to the Braves' new ballpark (April 18-20) resulted in a three-game sweep at SunTrust Park for Washington. The first-place Nationals have lost six of their last 10 overall, while the Braves had won three in a row and five of six before getting 'beat up' 9-0 in the finale of a heated interleague series with Toronto on Thursday.

The pitching matchup: Lefty Gio Gonzalez (3-1 & 2.47 ERA) gets the nod for the Nats up against the Braves' knuckleballer, R.A. Dickey (3-3 & 4.22 ERA). Gonzalez is off a solid start last Sunday but saw his winless streak extend to three outings despite allowing just one run on four hits in 6 2/3 innings of a no-decision versus Philadelphia. Gonzalez has allowed six HRs in his last four starts and has struggled with his control, issuing 23 walks in his last six. He struggled "big time" against Atlanta last season (7.11 ERA in four starts) and is 4-9 with a 5.06 ERA in 17 career starts against them (teams are 6-11). Dickey's mark against the Nationals isn't too much better, as he permitted three runs in seven innings to take the loss on April 20 and fell to 4-8 with a 3.82 ERA in his career versus Washington over 15 starts (teams are 5-10). Dickey won his next two starts after that home loss to the Nats but lost his last time out, despite allowing just three runs on five hits in seven innings at Miami last Sunday. His problem lately has been keeping the ball in th park, as he's given up nine HRs in his last six starts.

The park: Neither starter owns a good LT mark against their respective opponent in this one but the Nats have won 18 of their last 22 meetings with the Braves and are 39-13 against the Atlanta since the middle of the 2014 season. Throw in the fact that Atlanta's best hitter, Freddie Freeman (.341 BA, while leading the National League with 14 HRs), will be sidelined 10 weeks with a non-displaced left wrist fracture, and what's not to like about Washington in this game? Make the Nats an 8* play.

The set-up: Nashville won Game 3 of this series 2-1 on Tuesday and takes a 6-0 record at Bridgestone Arena this postseason into tonight's Game 4 against Anaheim. What's more, Nashville and has won 10 consecutive playoff games at home! Anaheim had evened the series with an impressive 5-3 victory in Game 2, but it was out-shot by 40-20 margin. In Game 3, the Ducks held a 1-0 lead in the third period but were unable to protect a third-period lead for the first time in six games this postseason. Nashville scored twice in the third period and survived a pair of apparent tie-breaking goals that were waved off, to boot!

Anaheim: Corey Perry was bumped off Anaheim's top line in Game 2 but scored for only the second time in the past 11 contests on a bad-angle shot in Game 3. However, the Ducks were unable to generate sustained pressure and in fact, failed to have a shot on goal in the final 11 minutes Tuesday. “You can’t score if you don’t get pucks towards the net with traffic and second opportunities,” Perry told reporters. “It’s something we’ve talked about, we’ve discussed and we got to do a better job.”

Nashville: The West's No. 8 seed is on the verge of taking a 3-1 over the Pacific Division-winning Ducks. The Predators continue to receive excellent production from their blue-line corps, with Roman Josi delivering the decisive goal and Ellis adding an assist to boost their playoff totals to 10 points each, a franchise record for defensemen. Overall, the unit combined for more shots on goal (21) in Game 3 than the Ducks (20) did as a team, led by nine from Ellis - who failed to notch a shot in Game 2. Forward Filip Forsberg has scored in each game of the series, with Tuesday's tying tally in the third period boosting his playoff total to a team-leading six goals.

The pick: Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle might have doubted the validity of the shot count in Game 3, but he and his players knew the ice was tilted in the Predators' favor. At one stretch that bridged the first and second periods, Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne has now allowed seven goals in six home playoff games, including one in each of the past five. Overall, here at Bridgestone, he has turned aside 167 of 174 shots on goal, for a save percentage of .960. Nashville is the first team to win 10 straight postseason home games since the Detroit Red Wings (1997-98). Can you say 11 in a row? Make Nashville a 10* play.

The set-up: Toronto opened the week having won seven of eight games and after a 2-11 start to 2017, sat at 17-21. The Blue Jays had to be confident as the new week began with a four-game, home-and-home IL series with the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta had lost 93 games in 2016 and opened the week at 13-21, having gone 7-15 since a 6-6 start. However, the Braves have won three consecutive games against the Blue Jays heading into Thursday’s finale of the series at SunTrust Park. The bad news for Atlanta is, first baseman Freddie Freeman left Wednesday’s 8-4 victory when he was hit by a pitch on the left wrist. Freeman, who started the day leading the National League in HRs while ranking in the top-10 in average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He is scheduled to undergo further testing Thursday. It's been a contentious series, as Toronto pitchers have hit seven Atlanta hitters in the past three games while allowing 27 runs during that stretch. It's led to two bench-clearing incidents in Wednesday's contest.

The pitching matchup: Marcus Stroman (3-2 & 3.33 ERA) will take the mound for Toronto and Julio Teheran (3-3 & 4.08 ERA) will toe the rubber for Atlanta. Stroman has posted a 2.87 ERA over his last five starts, holding opponents to two runs or less four times in that span. Stroman pitched two complete games in his first four starts of 2017 but makes his first career appearance against Atlanta. Teheran won 3-1 at Miami last Saturday, allowing three hits with four strikeouts across six scoreless innings. He may be Atlanta's ace but in three career starts against Toronto (0-0 record with team going 2-1), he's posted a 6.60 ERA with five HRs allowed over 15 innings.

The pick: The Blue Jays pitching staff has allowed 27 runs in the first three games of this series and while Stroman owns a 2.87 ERA over his last five starts, he's allowed 33 hits in 31 1/3 innings during those starts. That kind of ratio tends to catch up with a pitcher. As for Teheran, he not only owns that ugly 6.60 ERA in three career outings vs. Toronto, but before his strong outing last Saturday, he had surrendered 19 ERs over 21 1/3 innings in his four previous starts, going 1-3 with an 8.02 ERA and five HRs allowed. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Chicago Cubs likely knew that after winning the team's first World Series in 2017, after a 108-year drought, that repeating would be no walk in the park. However, the Cubs surely didn't expect to be only 20-19 as they got set to play their 40th game of a 162-game schedule. The Cubs have overpowered the Reds in the first two games of this series, outscoring them 16-10 to improve to 4-1 against their National League Central rivals this season. The Reds have now lost five in a row to fall below .500 (19-20) and will try to avoid a sweep this afternoon against the Cubs, who hope to complete their first series sweep of the 2017 season.

The pitching matchup: Amir Garrett (3-2 & 4.25 ERA) will take the mound for Cincinnati and go up against Chicago's Jon Lester (1-2 & 3.45 ERA). Garrett is being called up from the minors to make this start and hopes he can pick up where he left off in his last stint in the majors. He's made six starts for the Reds in 2017, five of the quality variety. This will be his first start against the Cubs. Lester struck out nine to match his season high in his last outing but also allowed four runs (three earned) in 5 2/3 innings in a 5-3 loss last Saturday at St. Louis. Lester has made 10 career starts against the Reds with a 3.72 ERA, while owning a 3-1 record. However, his teams are a remarkable 9-1 in those 10 starts!

The pick: Garrett made six starts for the Reds through May 6 and pitched reasonably well but was sent down to Triple A. He back and as already noted, the Cubs just seem to be "stuck in neutral" to open the 2017 season. As for Lester, he made a run at the Cy Young award with a great second half last season, with the Cubs finishing 24-8 in all of his starts (plus- $1047 against the moneyline). However, this year has been a struggle, as he has failed to get through six innings in five of his eight starts, despite throwing at least 100 pitches in each. The Cubs are 3-5 in Lester's 2017 starst so far, going minus-$365 against the moneyline. Take the 1 1/2 runs with the Reds and make them an 8* play.

The set-up: The Angels blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Tuesday and fell behind in the 11th before posting a 7-6 victory, when Pujols delivered a run-scoring single to win it in the bottom of the 11th. The 21-21 Angels now look to complete a three-game home sweep over the 17-20 White Sox and extend their overall winning streak to four contests. The White Sox have opened a 10-game road trip 0-2 and have dropped five straight away from home to fall to 9-12 on the season on the road.

The pitching matchup: Miguel Gonzalez (3-3 & 3.83 ERA) starts for Chicago and Matt Shoemaker (2-2 & 4.50 ERA) for LA. Gonzalez lost for the third straight time last Friday, surrendering five runs on eight hits and four walks in five innings against San Diego (White Sox lost at home, 6-3). Gonzalez has served up four HRs during his slide, after giving up only two over his first four outings this season. Gonzalez has made six career starts against Los Angeles, going 3-2 with a 3.20 ERA (teams are 3-3). Shoemaker is coming off his strongest outing of the season, a 7-0 home victory over Detroit on Friday in which he struck out seven and scattered three hits over six scoreless innings. It marked his second straight six-inning effort and just the second time in eight starts in which he did not allow a HR. Shoemaker is 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA in four career outings against Chicago (Angels are 2-2).

The pick: The White Sox have lost eight of their last 10 contests and 10 of 14 this month, after going 13-10 in April. The Angels have won four of five while averaging 5.20 runs. Make LA an 8* play.

The set-up: The Cleveland Cavaliers have rolled to eight straight wins this postseason, averaging 114.5 PPG. After failing to cover their first two games against the Pacers, the Cavs are 5-0-1 or 6-0 ATS their last six. In fact, Cleveland has now won 11 straight playoff games since being down 3-1 against the Warriors in last year's Finals, going 8-2-1 or 9-2 ATS with some guy LeBron averaging 34.9-9.7-7.8. Boston was considered the weakest No. 1 seed in a long time (maybe ever, since the league went to a 16-team playoff format) and right away, lost its first two home games in the first round, against the 41-41 Bulls (No. 8 seed). However, Rondo's injury gave the Celtics 'life' and they won and covered the final four games of that first-round series. Against Washington, the home team won all seven games (6-1 ATS) and Boston now draws the defending champs but has the homecourt edge.

Cleveland: The Cavaliers haven't played since May 7 and hope to continue to ride the red-hot duo of forward LeBron James (34.4-9.0-7.1) and PG Kyrie Irving (23.8 & 5.8 APG) as they look to shake off the rust. Head coach Tyronn Lue says he hopes to get PF Kevin Love more involved in this series after he averaged just 13.8 points and 9.1 rebounds during the first two rounds. Love did averaged 23.7 points and 13 rebounds in three games against the Celtics this season (Cavs took three of the four). However, the Cavs may need more help from outside of their "Big Three," as Channing Frye is the fourth-best scorer at 8.8 PPG this postseason for Cleveland.

Boston: The Celtics just survived a tough seven-game series against the Wizards to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2012. That series just ended Monday and now it's the defending champs on one days' rest. Boston knows it will be a huge underdog in this series. "We gotta get ready for the defending champs, we know that," PG Isaiah Thomas said after Monday's game. "The good thing about it is we've got homecourt advantage, so we're going to be ready on Wednesday to try to take care of home court. We know it's going to be tough but at this point, anything can happen, we really believe that." Thomas has carried Boston through most of the playoffs in an inspiring manner, averaging 25.4 PPG and APG this postseason. He had 29 points, 12 assists and just two turnovers in the Game 7 win over the Wizards and has had four 30-point outings (including 52 in Game 2 vs. Washington). Kelly Olynyk established a playoff career-best with 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the Game 7 win over the Wizards but the unsung Horford is also having a very good postseason, averaging 16.1-7.5-5.8 while shooting 64.0 percent.

The pick: It's hard for most to ignore the Cavs going into Boston late this regular season (on April 5) and just 'toying' with the Celtics. LBJ had 36-10-6 in a 114-91 Cleveland win. However, let's not forget that the Warriors found themselves down 23 points in the third quarter of their Game 1 against the Spurs after a long rest and that game was in Oakland! I'm going to take the home dog and make Boston a 10* play.

The set-up:The Pittsburgh Penguins' high-octane offense averaged an NHL-best 3.39 goals per game in the regular season but in two games against Ottawa, the Penguins have scored just one goal in each of the first two games and BOTH were played in Pittsburgh. Luckily for the Penguins, Kessel's third-period goal in Game 2 was enough to win, as Fleury was able to 'pitch' a 23-save shutout. The series now shifts to Ottawa, where the Senators have won three playoff games in a row, after dropping two of their first three games this postseason on home ice.

Pittsburgh: The Penguins' offensive woes haven't just begun this series, as they come into this contest having mustered just eight tallies in their last five games, which follows them having scored 35 goals in their first nine of the playoffs. Evgeni Malkin set up Kessel on Monday to increase his point total to an NHL-best 20 (six goals, 14 assists), joining Mario Lemieux as the only players in franchise history to reach that plateau on three occasions. Still, in not for Fleury, Pittsburgh would be down 0-2. He's sporting a scintillating .977 save percentage in his last three contests after his franchise-leading 10th career postseason shutout in Game 2.

Ottawa: The Senators' 1-3-1 defensive alignment is creating quite an obstacle in this conference final but Ottawa's offense was almost non-existent in Game 2. In fact, the Senators failed to record a shot on goal for 18:53 bridging the second and third periods! Ottawa could receive some welcome help as the series shifts to Canada's capital. Forward Viktor Stalberg and defenseman Mark Borowiecki, who coach Guy Boucher said "could be coming in at any moment." Stalberg has been sidelined since Game 6 of the second-round series versus the New York Rangers with an undisclosed injury while Borowiecki has been out since Game 2 of the first-round set against Boston with a lower-body ailment. Captain Erik Karlsson is playing with two hairline fractures in his foot, but the two-time Norris Trophy recipient still managed to record a team-high 26:59 of ice time in Game 2 and leads the team in scoring with 13 points (two goals / 11 assists).

The pick: Why not another one-goal game here? It was 2-1 (OT) for Ottawa in Game 1 and 1-0 Pittsburgh in Game 2. For Ottawa, the Senators have now played a one-goal game in 11 of their 14 postseason contests. Ottawa seems to be getting healthier (see above) plus Karlsson has been great playing through his injuries. Meanwhile, the injuries keep piling up for the Penguins. Pittsburgh just lost another top defensemen when Justin Schultz joined Kris Letang and Trevor Daley on the sidelines with a shoulder injury in Game 2. The Penguins could also be minus winger Bryan Rust, who also suffered an upper-body injury in Monday's 1-0 victory. Head coach Sullivan listed Rust and Patric Hornqvist, who missed Game 2, as day-to-day. Too many question marks for the struggling Penguins. Make Ottawa a 10* play.

The set-up: The Mets have lost the first two of this three-game series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, 7-3 and 5-4. They have now lost six straight, while allowing opponents to average 7.8 runs during the team's slide. In contrast, the Diamondbacks have won five of their last seven and have upped their home record in 2017 to an impressive 17-8. That's quite an improvement for a team which was a woeful 33-48 at home in 2016, while going 69-93 overall, in finishing 22 games back of the division-winning Dodgers in the NL West.

The pitching matchup: Matt Harvey (2-3 & 5.63 ERA) will take the mound for New York up against Arizona's Patrick Corbin (3-4 & 4.17 ERA). New York's pitching staff is a mess right now and Harvey has posted a 10.43 ERA while losing three straight. He returned form a team suspension last Friday at Milwaukee and was reached for five runs on seven hits and five walks in five innings by the Brewers. Good news for the Mets comes in that Harvey is 3-1 with a 3.20 ERA in four career starts against Arizona. Corbin finished April with a 2.29 ERA but has allowed 12 runs in 10 innings this month, although he picked up the win with a six-inning effort against Pittsburgh on Friday. Unlike Harvey, Corbin has struggled against this opponent, going 0-3 with a 6.64 ERA in four career starts against the Mets (D'backs are 1-3).

The pick: Harvey's off three bad starts but note that he opened the 2017 season 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his four starts. He has pitched well vs. Arizona in his career and let's not write off "the Dark Knight" just yet. However, I'll admit it's stupid nickname. As for Corbin, he was a putrid 1-8 with a  5.57 ERA at Chase Field last year but he is 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA in five starts at home here in 2017. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: One thing is for sure against Anaheim, NO lead is safe. Anaheim erased an early two-goal deficit to avoid falling into a 2-0 series hole Sunday night, following a pattern that saw it storm back from three goals down against Calgary and Edmonton in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Ducks scored four goals in about 19 minutes on Sunday to take a 4-3 lead into the third period. A late empty-netter made the final 5-3. Now it's on to Nashville, where the Ducks will need to win at least once, to earn back the home ice edge. The problem being, that the Predators are a perfect 5-0 this postseason at Bridgestone Arena.

Anaheim: I wish we didn't get down in the first place," Ducks forward Rickard Rakell said. "It's almost like we feel, 'Oh, we've got nothing to lose now.' It's almost like that's when we play our best game. Maybe sometimes we shouldn't wait for that to get going." Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle made a calculated gamble in Game 2 when, with his team trailing by two goals, he shuffled his lines and replaced Corey Perry with rookie Ondrej Kase on the No. 1 unit with captain Ryan Getzlaf and Nick Ritchie. Kase scored the tying goal in the second period -- his first of the playoffs -- as part of a huge night for that line that saw Getzlaf collect three assists and Ritchie score the decisive tally, his second-game winner in three contests. Getzlaf has scored 18 points in the postseason, second to Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin. Now Carlyle needs to "wave his magic wand" once again.

Ottawa: The Predators allowed more than three goals in this postseason for the first time in Sunday's 5-3 setback. Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne had been great up until Sunday, when he had a very shaky performance. "Now we’re heading home and have another opportunity at home," he said following Game 2. "That’s the best part of it." There is a "game within a game" developing between Nashville's Ryan Johansen and Anaheim's Ryan Kesler, with the Predators' top line center bristling at what he considers suspect tactics by his counterpart. That aside, Johansen scored one goal and set up another Sunday to give him 13 points, tying for the most in franchise postseason history.

The pick: If any goalie deserves a 'mulligan' this postseason, it's Nashville's Pekka Rinne. He entered Sunday's game having allowed just 1.41 GPG with a save percentage of .950 in 11 playoff games. He'll be on home ice tonight, where he's turned aside 141 of 147 shots for a .959 save percentage in leading Nashville to a 5-0 record. Let me add that since back-to-back defeats against Anaheim a year ago here at home, the Predators have won nine straight playoff games at Bridgestone Arena. Make Nashville a 10* play.

The set-up: The Astros opened this four-game, home-and-home IL series with the Miami Marlins by taking Monday's contest, 7-2. Yuli Gurriel led the way with a grand slam, Houston's third in May, which sets a franchise record for one month. The 27-12 Astros own MLB's best record, are now 13-6 on the road and have won each of their three interleague games. Meanwhile, the Marlins are headed in the opposite direction. After opening the season at 10-8, the Marlins have gone 4-15 since, and have not won consecutive games since April 22-23. Houston owns an eight-game lead in the AL West, while Miami occupies the basement in the NL East at 14-23. The Marlins are already 10 games back of the Nationals in the division and the team's winning percentage of .378 is better than only San Diego, which is 15-25 (.375).

The pitching matchup: Dallas Keuchel (6-0 & 1.69 ERA) takes the mound for Houston and Tom Koehler (1-1 & 5.60 ERA) for Miami. Keuchel will try to become MLB's first seven-game winner, after he beat the Yankees 3-2 last Thursday. It was his shortest outing of the year (aix innings) but he tied a season high with nine strikeouts and walked only one. He is tied for the MLB lead in innings pitched (58 2/3) and his ERA is third overall among qualified hurlers. The 2015 American League Cy Young Award winner allowed two unearned runs over seven innings in his only previous start against Miami, a game in which he took the loss. Koehler has finished as many as six innings only twice in his first seven starts of 2017 and has fallen shy of that mark three straight times, including a no-decision against St. Louis on Wednesday in which he gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings. He threw a season-high 99 pitches in that outing but for the first time in 2017, didn't allow a HR. He has won his only prior start against the Astros, although his ERA in that game was 5.40!

The pick: Houston is 15 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2005 season (89-73) and Keuchel has regained his 2015 Cy Young form. As noted above, the Marlins are in a 4-15 funk which includes a 1-6 mark on their current homestand,. Miami has managed just six runs in its last three games, going 2 of 21 (.095) with RISP. I see little reason to think that the Marlins will 'touch' Keuchel. The Under is a 10* play.

The set-up: The Pirates lost six games in a row from May 7th through the 12th, scoring a total of only 13 runs during that skid. However, the team won 4-3 on Saturday and 6-4 (10 inn.) on Sunday at Arizona, before getting a break with no game scheduled on Monday. The Pirates had played for 17 consecutive days, so Monday's off day was a welcome relief, especially wit thhe team opening a three-game series versus the visiting Washington Nationals on Tuesday. The Nats own an NL-best 24-13 record and are 12-6 on the road, where Bryce Harper, he of the new one-year deal of $21.625 million, is batting a blistering .434 with six HRs and 16 RBI in away games in 2017!

The pitching matchup: The Nationals will hand the ball to Stephen Strasburg (3-1 & 3.28 ERA), who will be opposed by Pittsburgh's Chad Kuhl (1-3 & 5.81 ERA). Strasburg allowed season highs in runs (five) and hits (eight) over six innings against Baltimore last Wednesday but had nine Ks and walked away with a no-decision. Strasburg made his memorable major-league debut against the Pirates and owns a 2.51 ERA in six career starts against them (Nats are 4-2). He has 60 strikeouts over 43 innings against the Pirates and handcuffed them last July 15, allowing one run allowed on three hits over eight innings in a 5-1 win. Kuhl  remains winless in his last six outing (he's 0-3 and Pittsburgh is 1-5), after allowing four runs on six hits in five innings of a 5-2 setback at the Los Angeles Dodgers last Wednesday. Kuhl's only appearance against Washington came last July 17th, when he held them to just one hit over six scoreless innings (no-decision but Pittsburgh won in 18 innings).

The pick: The Nats already have opened an eight-lead over the rest of the NL East, while Pittsburgh sits in last-place in the NL Central, although they are "only" six games out of first. However, a Strasburg vs. Kuhl pitching matchup hardly seems like a "fair fight." Kuhl won his 2017 debut but the Pirates are 1-5 over his last six starts, with Kuhl posting a 6.23 ERA. Make the Nats an 8* play.

The set-up: Atlanta won 10-6 last night at Toronto in the first of this four-game, home-and-home IL series between the Braves and Blue Jays. The Braves are hoping their 10-6 win is something to build on (Atlanta won for the third time in four games) while the Blue Jays want to dismiss the loss as an aberration to be quickly forgotten (Toronto lost for only the second time in its past nine games). The teams play against tonight in Toronto, then move to Atlanta for games Wednesday and Thursday.

The pitching matchup: Jaime Garcia (1-2 & 4.33 ERA) takes the hill for the Braves and Marco Estrada (2-2 & 3.12 ERA) for the Blue Jays. Garcia's had control issues lately (five walks in each of his last two starts) but he's kept Atlanta in his starts this season, with four of the six being decided by one or two runs (Braves are 3-3 in his starts). He gave up four runs on six hits over six innings in losing at the Astros 4-2 last Wednesday but that snapped a string of three consecutive starts with two runs or less allowed. Garcia has posted a 1.80 ERA while going 2-1 in three career starts against Toronto. Estrada has helped the Blue Jays recover from a rotten start to the season (Jays lost nine of 11 to begin 2017!), allowing two ERs or less in five of his past six starts (team is 4-2). He won for the second time in three starts in May on Thursday against Seattle, striking out eight while surrendering two runs on four hits in six innings. He's pitched well against Atlanta in his career, going 4-1 with a 2.95 ERA in 11 career appearances (five starts).

The pick: Both teams are off to slow starts in 2017 but the Braves are a team coming off a 93-loss season in 2016, while the Blue Jays have won 89 and 93 games the last two years, reaching the ALCS in both 2015 and 2016. Toronto ha the edge here with Estrada, who has limited opposing hitters to a .227 batting average in 2017. Make Toronto an 8* play.

The set-up: Two of the four second round series ended in four-game sweeps (Cavs and Warriors) while the Spurs took out the Rockets in six games, but this Washington/Boston series will need all seven games to be decided. That should come as no surprise as the home team won all four matchups during the regular season and through six games of this playoff series, has come out on top each time. The first five games saw the home team also cover but then in Game 6, the Wizards eked out a 92-91 win over the Celtics. Boston squandered a five-point lead in the final minute of Game 6, saw John Wall nail a three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left on the clock to give Washington the lead and then got victimized by some fuzzy clock management in the final seconds of the contest. After Wall's three-pointer, Kelly Oubre Jr. used Washington's foul to give with 2.7 seconds remaining, according to the NBA's Last Two Minute report,but Boston only got 1.7 seconds left on its final chance as Isaiah Thomas heaved up a three-point attempt that missed the mark. On to Game 7.

Washington: Wall is averaging 26.3 points and 10.2 assists in the series and combines with Bradley Beal to form a backcourt that is not afraid to take the big shots. Beal scored a series-best 33 points in Friday's win but is still trying to find his shot from long range while shooting 26.3 percent from beyond the arc in the series. Washington's frontcourt continues to give uneven efforts. Gortat has rebounded well all series (11.7 per) but in the last three games, has scored a total of just 17 points. SF Otto Porter Jr. averaged 15.8 points on 60 percent shooting in the first five games of the series but went scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting in Game 6. PF Morris was a "no-show" in Games 1 and 5 (both Boston home wins) but in Washington's three home games (all wins), he's averaged 14.0 & 8.7. Sixth man Bogdanovich has shot erratically, scoring 32 points in Games 3 and 4 (on 11 of 19 shooting) but averaging just 5.0 PPG in the other four games on 6 of 20 shooting.

Boston: Isaiah Thomas is not complaining about Monday's situation. "To have Game 7 back in Boston in the Garden," Thomas told reporters after the game 6 loss. "If you had said that back in October, that there'd be a Game 7 in the second round, a lot of people probably wouldn't even believe that. So we're excited. I mean, it hurts right now because we just lost. We have nothing to hold our heads down about, we're going to take a few days to figure out our adjustments and win Game 7."Thomas had 33 points in Game 1 and then exploded for 53 points in Game 2. However, he is averaging just 19.3 points on 39 percent shooting in the four games since. Then again, Thomas is getting plenty of help the last two games from SG Avery Bradley, who followed up a playoff career-high 29 points in Game 5 with 27 in Game 6 and is 22-of-37 from the floor in that span. Center Al Horford was in line to be the "hero" in Game 6 (his 'bank' shot gave Boston a two-point lead with 10 seconds left) but Wall's three-point shot ruined that scenario. Still, Horford has been very good for Boston this postseason, averaging 16.2-7.6-5.8 while shooting 64.2% from the floor.

The pick: It's another Game 7 at the legendary Boston Garden (now the TD Garden) and the Celtics sure have history behind them (Celtics are 18-3 all-time at home in Game 7s). However, all those banners in the rafters won't help this team, which has no connection to the past. Washington's history doesn't bode well, as the Wizards will be trying to reach the conference finals for the first time since 1979,. Forget ancient history, just look at this season. The home team has won all 11 meetings between the two teams and over the first 10 (prior to Game 6), the home team had covered each time. Stick with the home team here and make Boston a 10* play.

The set-up: Were the defending Stanley Cup champs a little flat in Game 1 against Ottawa, after taking out the Presidents' Trophy-winning Caps in seven games? Flat or not, Pittsburgh fell to Ottawa in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals by the score of 2-1 in OT. Bobby Ryan set up Jean-Gabriel Pageau for the series-opening goal and then Pageau returned the favor on the Ryans overtime game-winner at 4:59 of OT. Ottawa is now 5-2 on the road this postseason. While Pittsburgh saw Evgeni Malkin register his league-leading 19th playoff point with his third-period goal, head coach Mike Sullivan insisted his team needs to generate more shots after mustering only 17 at even strength in the series opener.

Ottawa: Ryan had been taken to task for a career-worst regular-season point total of 25 (13 goals, 12 assists) but has erupted for 11 points (five goals, six assists) in the playoffs, with nine of them (four goals, five assists and three game-winning tallies) coming in seven road games. Pageau scored only 12 goals while playing in all 82 regular-season games but has a team-leading eight postseason goals, with seven coming in the last six contests! Craig Anderson stopped 27 of 28 shots in Saturday's Game 1 and is now 9-4 witha 2.37 GAA and .917 SP this postseason.

Pittsburgh: Captain Sidney Crosby ia as about as even keel as they come and commented bout the Game 1 loss saying, "There were some good looks there. They're not going to give you anything but we worked hard to get our chances and we've got to bury them whean we get them." The Penguins won 17-of-23 faceoffs in the third period of the series opener but was only able to tie the score. More troubling is the fact that Pittsburgh came up empty on five chances on the power play, extending its rut to 0-for-10 in the last three contests. Crosby only had two shots in 23:32 of ice time.

The pick: Yes, Pittsburgh is 5-0 in Game 2 of a series dating back to last season's playoff run but as I noted in taking the Senators in Game 1, this team just keeps playing one-goal games. Ottawa's 2-1 OT win in Game 1 makes it 10 one-goal games in the Senators' 13 playoff games, so far. Ottawa has six wins in the extra session, pushing the club one shy of matching the 2002 Carolina Hurricanes and 2003 Anaheim Ducks and four behind the 1993 Montreal Canadiens for most during a playoff season.Take the 1 1/2 goals and make the Senators a 10* play.

The set-up: Were the defending Stanley Cup champs a little flat in Game 1 against Ottawa, after taking out the Presidents' Trophy-winning Caps in seven games? Flat or not, Pittsburgh fell to Ottawa in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals by the score of 2-1 in OT. Bobby Ryan set up Jean-Gabriel Pageau for the series-opening goal and then
Pageau returned the favor on the Ryans overtime game-winner at 4:59 of OT. Ottawa is now 5-2 on the road this postseason. While Pittsburgh saw Evgeni Malkin register his league-leading 19th playoff point with his third-period goal, head coach Mike Sullivan insisted his team needs to generate more shots after mustering only 17 at even strength in the series opener.

Ottawa: Ryan had been taken to task for a career-worst regular-season point total of 25 (13 goals, 12 assists) but has erupted for 11 points (five goals, six assists) in the playoffs, with nine of them (four goals, five assists and three game-winning tallies) coming in seven road games. Pageau scored only 12 goals while playing in all 82 regular-season games but has a team-leading eight postseason goals, with seven coming in the last six contests! Craig Anderson stopped 27 of 28 shots in Saturday's Game 1 and is now 9-4 witha 2.37 GAA and .917 SP this postseason.

Pittsburgh: Captain Sidney Crosby ia as about as even keel as they come and commented bout the Game 1 loss saying, "There were some good looks there. They're not going to give you anything but we worked hard to get our chances and we've got to bury them whean we get them." The Penguins won 17-of-23 faceoffs in the third period of the series opener but was only able to tie the score. More troubling is the fact that Pittsburgh came up empty on five chances on the power play, extending its rut to 0-for-10 in the last three contests. Crosby only had two shots in 23:32 of ice time.

The pick: Yes, Pittsburgh is 5-0 in Game 2 of a series dating back to last season's playoff run but the Senators just keep playing one-goal games. Ottawa's 2-1 OT win in Game 1 makes it 10 one-goal games in the Senators' 13 playoff games, so far. Expect Fleury to be sharp for Pittsburgh but there is no reason Anderson won't play well again, either. Another 2-1 final would be no surprise. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: Kevin Pillar’s walk-off homer gave the Blue Jays a 3-2 win on Sunday over Seattle, Toronto's fifth victory in a row and seventh in eight games. Toronto had played in both the 2015 and 2016 ALCS but lost 11 of 13 to open the 2017 season. However, the Blue Jays are now 15-10 since that ugly start and open this two-game interleague home series against the Atlanta Braves with a 17-21 mark. Atlanta was not able to complete a three-game sweep in Miami on Sunday, falling 3-1. The Braves sit at 13-21 (already 9 1/2 games back of the Nats in the NL East) and only the 14-25 Gianst own a worse winning percentage in MLB.

The pitching matchup: Bartolo Colon (1-4 & 7.22 ERA) gets the start for Atlanta, opposed by Toronto's Mike Bolsinger (0-1 & 3.18 ERA). Atlanta signed Colon as a free agent and he's been a big disappointment. He gave up five first-inning runs and eight overall in 5 2/3 innings Tuesday at Houston, extending a stretch during which he has surrendered 36 hits and an OPS of 1.099. His lone win this season came when he allowed just one hit in seven innings against San Diego back on April 16. However, he has yielded seven or more hits in each of his four starts since (36 hits & 23 ERs in 21 IP). Colon has posted a 10-6 record and 4.25 ERA in 26 career starts against Toronto (teams are 15-11). Bolsinger makes his second start of the season after losing his debut against Cleveland on Tuesday, when he gave up two runs on three hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings. He is 8-17 with a 4.57 ERA in 38 games over four major-league seasons but had posted a 1.46 ERA in four starts for Triple-A Buffalo before joining Toronto. Bolsinger has made two career starts against Atlanta as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 1-1 with a4.22 ERA.

The pick: Since earning his lone win of 2017 (4/16), Colon owns a 9.55 ERA in four starts. As for Bolsinger, he's nothing more than a journeyman. The play here is a 10* on the Over.

The set-up: The Cleveland Indians snapped a three-game slide with an 8-3 win on Sunday and avoided a three-game home sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. The Indians finally found their offense, after scoring just one run in dropping the first two games of that series. The Tampa Bay Rays had scored a modest eight runs in losing two of their previous three but used a seven-run ninth inning on Sunday to pull away for an 11-2 win over the Red Sox. The Indians are 19-17 to open the current season while the Rays are 19-21, as the two teams meet in Cleveland for the opener of a three-game series on Monday.

The pitching matchup: Chris Archer (3-1 & 3.04 ERA) will start for the Rays and the Indians will send Carlos Carrasco (4-2 & 1.86 ERA) to the mound. Archer has rebounded from an awful 2016 season and enters this contest having posted a quality start in each of his last three starts. He is coming off the best of the bunch after scattering five hits across eight scoreless innings while striking out 11 without a walk in a 12-1 win over Kansas City on Wednesday. The Rays are 5-3 (plus-$135) in Archer's eight starts in 2017, after going 10-23 and minus-$1553 last year. However, Archer is still looking for his first career win against Cleveland and enters Monday 0-5 with a 5.14 ERA in five career starts against the Indians. Carrasco has pitched very well in 2017 and will be looking for his third straight win and seventh consecutive quality start after striking out seven without walking a batter in seven scoreless innings at Toronto on Tuesday. Carrasco allowed one run and struck out eight in eight innings to earn a win in his lone start against Tampa Bay last season, giving him a 3-3 career record against the rays, while posting a 2.57 ERA.

The pick: No way I'll back Archer with his career record against the Indians (see above), especially with Carrasco looking so solid. Yes, the Indians are a modest 7-8 at home so far in 2017 but they went 53-28 at home last season. Make Cleveland an 8* play.

The set-up: The Anaheim Ducks lost their first two games at home to the Oilers but were able to rebound in the second round, taking that series in seven games. However, Anaheim can ill-afford to fall into an 0-2 'hole' here vs. Nashville, as the eighth-seeded Predators are not only 9-2 this postseason but that includes a perfect 5-0 record on home ice. If Anaheim loses tonight, this could be a short series. The Predators stole home ice from Anaheim by eking out a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 1, winning their third consecutive series opener on the road. The loss drops the Ducks to just 4-3 on home ice this postseason.

Nashville: The Predators dominated the play in Game 1, out-shooting the Ducks 46-29. "You get some momentum right away, for sure," said Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who collected a pair of assists. "But we know we haven't done nothing yet. We have to stay on for Game 2, and we know now we'll have that home-ice advantage again. We're really comfortable on home ice and on the road, and it's a good feeling to get the first one." The Predators have scored 31 goals in winning nine of 11 games, while allowing only 16.

Anaheim: John Gibson was in net for the opening two games against Nashville last year, both 3-2 setbacks, and never saw the ice again in the series. However, no one is blaming Gibson for Friday's loss, as he made 43 saves! "Our goaltender should get full credit for keeping us in the game," head coach Randy Carlyle said of Gibson, who was victimized by a deflected shot on the game-winning tally.

The pick: This is a "must win" for the Ducks, as if they head to Nashville down 0-2....Nashville is 5-0 at Bridgestone Arena this postseason thanks in large part to Pekka Rinne, who's turned aside 141 of 147 shots for a .959 save percentage. The problem is, the Ducks have managed just five goals over their last three games plus they are mired in a six-game power-play drought, failing on all 20 chances. As for Nashville's Rinne, he' s allowed just 1,41 GPG with a save percentage of .950 in 11 playoff games. The Under has to be the 10* play.

analysis by 11 am et

The set-up: The Spurs owned the second-best record West at 61-21 (and in the entire NBA, as well) and will meet the No. 1 seed Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals starting this afternoon in Oakland. The Warriors went 67-15 during the regular season and have won all eight playoff games, outscoring opponents on average, 115.3-to-98.8 PPG. After rolling over Portland and Utah in the first two rounds, the Warriors also have the advantage of being well-rested, with an entire week off between series. Conversely, the Spurs didn't have an easy time in either of their series, as they were tied at two-all against both the Grizzlies and the Rockets, before winning both Game 5s at home and then their respective Games 6's as well, at Memphis and Houston.

San Antonio: Kawhi Leonard is nursing a sprained left ankle that kept him out of the clinching Game 6 win over the Houston Rockets on Thursday but the good news for the Spurs is that Leonard will have had a full four days off before Sunday's opener. He is expected to play against Golden State today. Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge took a more prominent role in Leonard's absence in Game 6 at Houston. He produced his best performance of the postseason with 34 points and 12 rebounds, well above his average 16.8 points and 8.0 rebounds this postseason. PG Tony Parker (quadriceps tendon) is out for the rest of the playoffs and the Spurs will likely start Patty Mills, with rookie Murray also seeing increased "PT." Also, SG Jonathan Simmons averaged 13.2 points against the Rockets, after averaging only 3.6 in the first round against Memphis.

Golden State:Golden Curry (27.1) and Durant (23.3) have played very well so far, although the team's third "big scorer," Klay Thompson, has struggled. Thompson averaged 22.3 points during the regular season but has reached 20 points just twice in the first eight playoff games, averaging 16.3 PPG on 40.7% shooting. However, Draymond Green is picking up the scoring slack, averaging 14.9 PPG (on 51.2% from three-point range) plus adding 8.5 RPG and 9.1 APG while always playing great defense.

The pick: The Spurs took two of three from the Warriors during the regular season, with one of those wins being a 129-100 stunner on opening night at Golden State. Hard to believe taht the Warriors won't be well aware of that and with no Parker and a less than 100 percent Leonard, the Spurs don't figure to stay withing 'shouting distance' of the Warriors here in Game 1. Lay the points and make the Warriors a 10* play.

The set-up: Milwaukee placed Ryan Braun on the 10-day disabled list prior to Friday's game with the Mets but the Brewers haven't missed him, winning 7-4 on Friday (team had four HRs) and last night, used 16 hits (just one HR) and an eight-run 5th to win, 11-4! The 20-17 Brewers will attempt to complete a sweep of the visiting Mets and post their sixth victory in seven contests Sunday. The Mets are heading in the opposite direction, as after winning five of their previous six, the Mets have dropped three straight to find themselves three games under .500 (16-19).

The pitching matchup:Jacob deGrom (2-1 & 3.80 ERA) gets the ball for the Mets and will be opposed by Milwaukee's Wily Peralta (4-2 & 5.30 ERA). DeGrom settled for a no-decision on Monday against the Giants, despite posting his fourth double-digit strikeout performance in five outings with 11 (he did give up three runs, including two HRs, in six innings). He ranks second in the National League with 60 strikeouts but he also is among the NL leaders in walks with 19, including 14 over his last four starts. He's made five career starts against the Brewers, going 3-1 with a 2.32 ERA (Mets are 4-1). Peralta came out of the gate strong in 2017, winning his first three starts while posting a 2.65 ERA, . However, he's 1-2 in his last four, allowing 16 ERs on 27 hits and eight walks over 18 2/3 innings (team is 2-2 and his ERA is 7.71!). Peralta won his only home start versus the Mets last season after allowing three runs in five innings to improve to 4-2 with a 3.53 ERA in six career starts against them.

The pick: The Brewers are 20-17 and that's no small feat, as it's the first time the team has been three games over .500 since September 27, 2014. Milwaukee ranks third in scoring among all teams (5.19 per) and the team's 60 HRs are tops in the majors but deGrom has handled this lineup well. After scoring 18 runs on 28 hits these last two games, look for Milwaukee to struggle here. The Under is an 8* play.

The set-up: The defending AL champs have lost the first two of this three-game home series with the Twins, managing just three hits on Friday and Saturday, while scoring only one run in the two contests. The Cleveland Indians will need to wake up their dormant offense, having now lost four of five to fall to 18-17. Meanwhile, the Twins, losers of 103 games in 2016, have now won four in a row and at 19-14, lead the Indians and Tigers by two games in the AL Central. Max Kepler belted a solo HR on Saturday as the Twins extended their streak of games with a homer to 14 straight, their longest run since 1988.

The pitching matchup: Hector Santiago (4-1 & 2.76 ERA) takes the mound for Minnesota and Trevor Bauer (2-4 & 7.36 ERA) for Cleveland. Santiago is off to a strong starts in 2017 and enters unbeaten in his last five starts, allowing just 10 ERs in that span (3-0 & 2.90 ERA). The lefty has allowed just three HRs in 42 1/3 innings and right-handed hitters own only a .194 batting average against him overall. Santiago is 2-3 with a 4.77 ERA in 15 games (10 starts / teams are 3-7) against the Indians. In contrast to Santiago, Bauer has permitted at least four runs in five of his six starts this season. He does have 37 strikeouts in 33 innings in 2017 but teams are batting .285 against him overall, with seven HRs allowed. Bauer is 2-5 with a 5.09 ERA in 12 career starts against Minnesota (Indians are 4-8).

The pick: Yes, the Twins have won 1-0 and 4-1 these first two games but the Twins aren't exactly 'lighting up' the scoreboard, either (just five runs on hits). Bauer has not been sharp so far (an understatement) but his best start of 2017 did come at Minnesota back on April 20, when he allowed two ERs on three hits over 6 1/3 innings of a 6-2 win. The Cleveland bats have quiet but the Indians have a veteran lineup that has been productive in the past. Speaking of the recent past, the Indians were 53-28 at home in 2016, while the Twins went 29-52 on the road. I say no sweep here by Minnesota, as Santiago's had problems with Cleveland (see above). Make Cleveland a 10* play.

The set-up: Two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson guided the Senators to six-game series victories over Boston and the New York Rangers despite playing with two hairline fractures in his left heel. He raised his team-high point total to 13 (two goals, 11 assists) by recording game-winning goals in the series opener and clincher against New York. The Senators are making their first trip to the conference finals since 2007 and just their third trip in franchise history. Awaiting them for Game 1 of this series in Pittsburgh are the Penguins. Pittsburgh is the defending champs and the Penguins are looking to become the first team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-98 to repeat as champions. Pittsburgh needed just five games to dispatch Columbus in the first round but after taking a 3-1 lead over Washington, the Penguins were extended to a seventh game before taking out the Presidents' Trophy-winning Caps (again!) with a 2-0 Game 7 victory. Evgeni Malkin (NHL-leading 18 points in the playoffs) and rookie Jake Guentzel (league-best nine goals), have led the way.

Ottawa: Head coach Guy Boucher has 'played the underdog card' in each of his team's first two series and while that assessment could have been debated against the Bruins and Rangers, Boucher's Senators are clearly the underdog in this series. Karlsson is the team leader in points, as well as being the 'heart' of this team, but note that Jean-Gabriel Pageau recorded six of his team-leading seven goals versus the Rangers on the heels of being limited to only 12 goals on the season and one in the first-round series against the Bruins. Craig Anderson has been publicly shredded for his questionable puck-handling decisions in these playoffs but he owns a respectable 2.49 GAA and .914 save percentage.

Pittsburgh: The Penguins were out-played and out-shot by the Caps for most of the series but in the end, came out as the winner. A big reason was the play of Marc-Andre Fleury, who saved his best for Game 7 at Washington, recording a 29-save shutout. He's hasn't put up Rinne-like numbers this postseason but he's got a 2.55 goals-against average and .927 save percentage (.927). Head coach Mike Sullivan has stated that Fleury "deserves the opportunity to play" even though regular-season starter Matt Murray has returned to health. "If we traded (Fleury), we wouldn't be in this room right now," Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford said of the veteran, who was the subject of trade rumors throughout the season. "You'd be in another city. If not for our goalie, we wouldn't have won that series (against Washington)."

The pick: The Penguins have won three of four postseason meetings with the Senators but note that this season, Ottawa captured two of the three meetings against Pittsburgh, with Karlsson erupting for seven points (one goal, six assists) in those three games. Yes, Pittsburgh has enjoyed comfortable wins by two or more goals on five occasions this postseason but Ottawa has seen nine of its 12 playoff games decided by just one goal, including the first eight the Senators played. Take the 1 1/2 goals and make the Senators an 8* play.

The pick: Maybe it's a stretch to side with the White Sox (and Covey) but note that Cahill has struggled on Chicago's South Side, with a 7.32 ERA in five games (four starts). I expect both starters to struggle but will side with Chicago's bullpen, whose 2.29 ERA is the second-best in all of MLB (San Diego's ranks 26th at 5.12). Take the 1 1/2 runs and make Chicago a 10* play.

The set-up: Buster Posey homered for the fourth time in his last five games to give the Giants a 3-2 victory on Friday in a game that lasted 17 innings and took five hours and 28 minutes to complete. Te Reds won by a similar 3-2 score in the opener of this four-game series on Thursday and the teams continue the series this afternoon at AT&T Park. The Reds have had excellent success here in San Francisco lately, having won 15 of their last 21 games at AT&T Park. Cincinnati is 19-16 on the season, while the Giants' win still leaves them with MLB's worst record at 13-24. San Francisco's offensive woes continued last night (3.24 RPG ranks 29th) but the Giants have received a welcome spark from the leadoff spot in the past two games from center fielder Denard Span, who has gone 7-for-12 with a home run and three RBI in his return from the disabled list.

The pitching matchup: Lisalverto Bonilla (0-0 & 7.20 ERA) makes his first start of 2017 for the Reds and goes up against San Fran's Matt Moore (1-4 & 6.52 ERA). Bonilla hopes to be a steady replacement for struggling right-hander Rookie Davis, who was optioned to Triple-A Louisville after posting a 7.58 ERA in five starts. Bonilla pitched five innings of relief against the Cubs on April 22 before going back to Triple-A, where he went 0-2 with a 5.65 ERA in three starts. However, back in 2014 with Texas, he made five appearances, including three starts. He won all three of those starts, posting a 2.11 ERA. Moore’s 2017 struggles continued in his last outing, this past Monday against the Mets. He allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings while throwing 108 pitches. Moore has allowed five or more runs in four of his seven starts this season with San Francisco going 1-6 and minus-$ 581 against the moneyline. He will be facing the Reds for the first time in his seven-year career (most spent with Tampa Bay in the AL).

The pick :Both teams are hoping to see starting pitchers Bonilla and Moore work deep into Saturday’s contest, after they combined to use 13 relievers in Friday’s game. Bonilla has not made a major league start since 2014 and his 5.65 ERA in three starts at Triple-A hardly inspire confidence. Moore's overall stats look pretty ugly but on closer examination, while he owns a 10.50 ERA in three road starts this season, his ERA is 3.05 ERA in three outings at AT&T Park. Checking back to last year, Moore has gone 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA in his last eight home starts dating to August. Make the Giants a 10* play.

The set-up: The San Francisco Giants had two starting position players return to the lineup Thursday but they still wound up on the losing end of a 3-2 game. Denard Span went 4-for-5 with a double and a solo HR after missing about three weeks with a shoulder sprains and hortstop Brandon Crawford (groin) went 1-for-4 from the cleanup spot in his return from the disabled list. With the defeat, San Francisco fell to a major league-worst 12-24 record and have now lost all four meetings with the Reds in 2017. The Reds have won seven of their last eight overall and sit at 19-15, a half-game back of the first-place Cards in the NL Central.

The pitching matchup: Scott Feldman (2-3 & 3.76 ERA) takes the mound for the visiting Reds Friday night up against the Giants' Johnny Cueto (4-2 & 4.50 ERA). Feldman is hoping to duplicate his effort against San Francisco from last Sunday, when he recorded his fifth career complete game and third career shutout. He allowed four hits with one walk and five strikeouts while throwing 119 pitches. Feldman is 2-4 with a 2.78 ERA in seven career games (five starts / 2-3 with a 2.64 ERA) against the Giants. Cueto was out-dueled by Feldman last Sunday, when he took the loss while allowing four runs (two earned) with a season-high 10 strikeouts over seven innings. Cueto has pitched into the seventh inning in four of his seven 2017 starts but has received zero runs of support in two of his last three outings. Cueto is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA in his previous two outings covering 12 innings against his former team (Giants are 1-1).

The pick: Expect Cueto to be "on his game here" against his ex-teammates but that lack of support is an issue. The Giants rank 29th in runs (3.25 per), 26th in BA (.229), 29th in OPS (.634) and 30th in HRs (25). Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Anaheim Ducks finally put an end to their demonizing streak of Game 7 postseason failures on their home ice with their 2-1 win over the Oilers on Wednesday. However, there is no rest for the weary as Anaheim will host the upstart Nashville Predators tonight in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at the Honda Center. The eighth-seeded Predators swept the top-seed Blackhawks in the first round and then eliminated the Blues in six games in the second round, advancing to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. However, the Ducks will well remember that Nashville won Game 7 in Anaheim a year ago,eliminating the Ducks from the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season in a Game 7 on their home ice. That led to the dismissal of head coach Bruce Boudreau.

Nashville: The Predators' playoff run is due in large part to the remarkable renaissance of veteran goaltender Pekka Rinne. He's overcome an uneven regular season by allowing just 14 goals in 10 playoff games, including a pair of shutouts in the sweep of top-seeded Chicago. Rinne's led Nahville to an 8-2 record, posting a 1.37 GAA with a .951 save percentage. The defensemen, despite the blockbuster offseason trade of longtime captain Shea Weber for fellow blueliner P.K. Subban, are getting it done at both ends of the ice by amassing nine goals and 27 points in the postseason.

Anaheim: Captain Ryan Getzlaf got off to a miserable start to the season with only two goals in his first 26 games but has been superb in the playoffs with eight goals and seven assists. Linemate Corey Perry came alive in the last four games versus Edmonton with a goal and five assists plus 33-goal scorer Rickard Rakell tallied in four straight games against the Oilers. The defense is also providing healthy offensive production with a combined three goals and 20 assists. However, goalie John Gibson remains a question mark. He has surrendered at least three goals in six of his last nine appearances.

The pick: Rinne's the Conn Smythe favorite through the first two rounds (Ottawa would say Karlsson) and remember that when these teams met in the playoffs last year, the visiting team won five of the seven games! I noted Gibson's shortcomings above and will add that he lost both playoff starts against the Predators a year ago. Make Nashville a 10* play.

The set-up: The Dodgers out-hit the Rockies Thursday 14-12 in the first contest of a four-game series at Coors Field. However, Colorado won the game 10-7, moving 2 1/2 games up on LA in the NL West. The loss snapped the Dodgers' season-high five-game winning streak, while the victory was the seventh in nine games for Colorado, which is off to the best 36-game start in franchise history at 23-13

The pitching matchup: Clayton Kershaw (5-2 & 2.40 ERA) will start for LA and Yyler Chatwood (3-4 & 4.74 ERA). Kershaw defeated San Diego in his last start, striking out nine in 7 1/3 innings while giving up just one run and five hits. This marks his third start of 2017 vs. Colorado, having split two decisions. The loss came back on April 8 at Coors, when Kershaw served up three HRs, allowing back-to-back HRs for the first time in his career. He's 19-6 with a 3.15 ERA in 34 career starts vs. Colrado (Dodgers are 25-9). Chatwood is coming off an excellent last outing, in which he allowed one run on two hits over seven-plus innings of a 5-2 victory against Arizona. It was a sharp turnaround from his previous three starts, when he surrendered 14 runs on 19 hits in 16 1/3 innings. Chatwood is 4-6 with a 3.52 ERA in 11 career starts versus the Dodgers (teams are 4-7).

The pick: The teams pounded out 26 hits and scored 17 runs on Thursday. Expect a different result here. Kershaw has limited opposing batters to a .210 average with a 53-7 KW ratio over 48 2/3 innings (0.92 WHIP). In 34 career starts vs. Colorado, Kershaw has limited Rockies hitters to a .220/.283/.329 slash line. Make the Under an 8* play.

The set-up: The Boston Celtics are one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals but will that victory come in Washington? So far, the home team is 5-0 SU & ATS this series, after the teams did the exact same thing in their regular season series, with the home team posting a 4-0 SU & ATS mark. The only 'twist' to Boston's Game 5 win was that for once (in a home win), the Celtics didn't rely completely on Isaiah Thomas. With Washington's defensive focus squarely on the 5-9 All-Star PG, Boston's Avery Bradley recorded a playoff career high 29 points (25 in the 1st half, alone) plus frontcourt players Horford (19-6-7) and Crowder (18 & 8) also has excellent games. The Wizards shot only 38.5 percent as teeam and while Wall had 21 points, he had just four assists ending his NBA record streak of 11 consecutive playoff games with at least 20 points and seven assists!

Boston: Thomas showed his skills as a facilitator in Game 5, becoming a screen-setter and passer, which kept the Wizards off balance. It's likely Boston will need more of the same from Thomas in Game 6 but while the Celtics can't expect another 29-point game from Bradley, they will need strong play from him on both ends of the floor, offensively and defensively, Al Horford is shooting 69.4 percent from the floor, including 58.8 percent from three-point range in the series and it would be nice if he could keep that up.

Washington: The Wizards had all the momentum going into Game 5 after winning the previous two games by a total of 46 points but were flat as a pancake in Game 5. "It started with the focus," Wizards head coach Scott Brooks told reporters. "That was our No. 1 mistake. We didn’t have the focus that it would have taken to win in this building." Shooting guards Beal and Bojan Bogdanovic (off teh bench) combined to go 8-of-26 from the floor, including just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. Washington used a 22-0 run in Game 3 and a 26-0 spurt in Game 4 to create separation in a pair of home wins but failed to get the defensive stops that led to those runs in Game 5. "All we can do is focus on Game 6 at home," Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal told reporters.

The pick: The question then becomes, will the Wizards be able to regain their composure and swagger? I took the Spurs (even without Kawhi) last night and watched Houston fail miserably in attempting to bounce back from its Game 5 loss. Other than Wall, the remainder of Washington's starters have been erratic throughout the entire series, As for the bench, we saw Kelly Oubre Jr. return from a one-game suspension following a Flagrant 2 foul in Game 3 to score 13 points off the bench but Washington's other reserves shot 3 of 16 from the floor in Game 5. I just have ZERO faith in Washington, especially laying points. Make Boston a 10* play.

The set-up: The The Pittsburgh Pirates open a four-game series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, after beginning the team's seven-game road trip by getting swept in three games at Dodger Stadium. Pittsburgh has matched its season-worst losing streak of four games and finds itself at 14-20, 5 1/2 games back in the NL Central, occupying last place. The Diamondbacks are coming off a split the two-game of a two-game IL series with the Tigers and the team's 19-16 start to the 2017 season is a welcome relief after going only 69-83 last year. Arizona halted a three-game slide with six extra-base hits (three HRs & three doubles) in Wednesday's 7-1 victory over Detroit.

The pitching matchup: Gerrit Cole (1-3 & 3.14 ERA) takes the mound for Pittsburgh and Zack Greinke (3-2 & 3.09 ERA) starts for Arizona. Cole has pitched well in his seven starts this season, with a solid ERA, excellent WHIP (1.09) and a 42-9 KW ratio over 43 innings. However, he's got just one win (Pirates are 3-4 in his starts). Cole is 2-1 with a 2.49 ERA in four career starts against Arizona (Pirates are 3-1). Greinke comes in having won back-to-back decisions, including a victory over Colorado in his last outing, when he gave up two runs on six hits over seven innings. Like Cole, he has an excellent KW ratio in 2017, at 47-8 over 43 2/3 innings. Greinke is 6-3 with a 5.04 ERA in 10 career starts against Pittsburgh (teams are 7-3).

The pick: Arizona has played well at Chase Field in the early going of 2017 (13-6, plus-$716), averaging 6.32 RPG. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is just 6-13 (minus-$435) on the road, so far. Make Arizona an 8* play.

The set-up: The Spurs took a 3-2 lead in this series by winning Game 5 in OT (110-107), with All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard on the bench due to a left ankle injury. Manu Ginibili "turned back the clock" with his best game of the series, which included a line of 12-7-5 and then capped his performance with a block of Harden's possible game-tying three-point attempt at the OT buzzer. Harden had 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 5 but it wasn't enough..He was just 4-of-15 from three-point range plus Gordon, inserted into the starting lineup for Game 5, shot 4 of 13 from the floor (11 points) and reserve guard Lou Williams score only six points on 3 of 10 shooting.

San Antonio: Leonard vows he'll be in the starting lineup tonight saying, "Yeah, I'm going to be able to play," when asked during Wednesday's off-day media availability. Patty Mills also figures to draw the start at PG for the second straight game, after scoring 20 points and knocking down five 3-pointers in Game 5. Then there is PF LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 18 points and added 14 rebounds on Tuesday, recording his first double-double of the series.

Houston: Head coach Mike D'Antoni not only "went small" by starting Gordon, he also opted for just a seven-man rotation, with veteran center Nene (groin) done for the postseason. Ryan Anderson and Lou Williams being the only reserves to play in Game 5. Anderson had a strong game with 19 points but as noted already, Williams shot poorly. In Houston's three losses this series, Williams has gone 5 of 21 (23.8%) from the floor, scoring a total of just 10 points!

The pick: The results of D'Antoni's decision to go with a seven-man rotation were NOT good. Harden and Gordon each played 43 minutes, Beverley was out there for 41 minutes and Ariza for 40 minutes. As fatigue mounted, offensive execution waned. Down the stretch, the Rockets began standing around and settled for tough shots instead of challenging the Spurs' scrambling defense. "Probably got tired," D'Antoni said of the lack of pace and production. "We just couldn't quite push it. We had our opportunities with about three minutes to go in the game to knock a couple 3s down I thought were good shots. We just didn't make the big play at that moment." You think! I've noted often that this year's San Antonio team does not have the depth of past editions and now Parker is out plus Leonard may be too, or playing at less anna 100 percent. However, the Spurs still have Popovich plus a champion's mentality entering a game of this magnitude. In contrast, Houston's D'Antoni is no Popovich (who is?) plus are the Rockets really ready for prime time? The Spurs are 3-1 at Houston in 2016-17, going 2-0 in the regular season while splitting the two games in this series thus far. Take the points and make the Spurs a 10* play.

The set-up: Seattle's pitching staff is currently decimated by injuries but the Seattle bats have come to the rescue, scoring 53 runs (7.57 per) in winning six of the team's last seven games. The Mariners got out of the blocks just 2-8 but head into Thursday's opener of a four-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays at .500 on the season (17-17). The Blue Jays know all about slow starts, having opened the 2017 season at 1-9. However, Toronto may be slowly is turning its season around, after back-to-back series victories for the first time this season and wins in seven of its last 11 contests, overall. Ryan Goins had a walk-off single in the ninth inning of Wednesday's 8-7 triumph over Cleveland but the Jays, who have played in each of the last two ALCS, are already 9 1/2 games back of first-place in the AL East.

The pitching matchup: Chase De Jong (0-2 & 6.75 ERA) takes the mound for Seattle and will be opposed by Toronto's Marco Estrada (1-2 & 3.14 ERA). Hisaski Iwakuma (right shoulder inflammation) just joined Felix Hernandez (shoulder), Drew Smyly (flexor tendon) and James Paxton (forearm strain) on the disabled list. De Jong will move up a day in the rotation to make the start (will have four days' rest, though). The 23-year-old rookie settled for a hard-luck no-decision versus Texas on Saturday after allowing a solo HR among four hits over six innings while making his second start in place of Hernandez. Estrada threw in a clunker against Tampa Bay on Saturday, allowing a pair of HRs and a season-high five runs in a 6-1 loss to the Rays. Estrada has struggled against Seattle with a 1-3 career mark and a 4.13 ERA,.

The pick: The Seattle bats have carried the team lately but the Mariners remain a poor 7-12 on the road, where the Mariners are allowing 5.32 RPG. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays are beginning to come around and while Estrada had a poor outing his last time, it came after four stellar starts in which he permitted just three ERs on 20 hits over 26 innings (1.04 ERA). Make the Blue Jays a 10* play.

The set-up: The Kansas City Royals opened their four-game series at Tampa Bay this past Monday on an eight-game road losing streak. However, the Royals won 7-3 on Monday and then again on Tuesday, 7-6 in 12 innings. KC's good fortune turned on Wednesday though, as the Rays enjoyed their best offensive outburst of the season. Tampa Bay's Colby Rasmus capped a three-hit performance with a grand slam in a 12-1 rout, a game in which Tampa Bay's lineup pounded out 16 hits. The teams wrap the series with a Thursday afternoon contest.

The pitching matchup: After allowing 12 runs and 16 hits in Wednesday's loss, Kansas City turns to Jason Vargas (4-1 & 1.19 ERA), who will be matched against Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi (2-1 & 2.88 ERA). Vargas is a 34-year-old lefty who leads all MLB pitchers in ERA, having allowed just six ERs and only seven walks in 37 2/3 innings this season to post an 0.98 WHIP while limiting the opposition to a .217 batting average. Vargas owns a 4-5 mark with a 3.11 ERA in 11 career appearances versus Tampa Bay (10 starts / teams are 4-6), although his last win at Tropicana Field came back in August 2013. Odorizzi has permitted just one earned run and struck out six in back-to-back solid outings since coming off the disabled list. The 27-year-old received a no-decision after a five-inning performance at Miami on May 1 before picking up the win five days later after yielding just one run again, on three hits in seven innings of a 6-1 rout over Toronto. Odorizzi entered the majors with Kansas City in 2012 but has struggled in his career against the Royals, posting a 1-3 mark with a 5.40 ERA in four outings..

The pick: Current form of Vargas (all season) and Odorizzi (two starts since coming off the DL) seems to point to an over but as noted (see above), Odorizzi has struggled against the team he began his career with. As for Vargas, injuries limited him to just 12 starts the previous two seasons and while he's been "lights out" so far in 2017, isn't he pitching "over his head?" After all, he does own a career 4.09 ERA in 222 career appearances (202 starts). Make the Over an 8* play.

analysis soon

The set-up: The Ducks/Oilers series saw the visiting team win the first four games, before things really got interesting. The Ducks made a miraculous third-period comeback in Game 5 at Anaheim, scoring three goals in the last 3:16 with their goaltender pulled. Then won in double-OT to take a 3-2 lead. Edmonton returned home but put the team's crushing Game 5 loss behind them quickly, scoring five first-period goals in a 7-1 rout and that sets up Wednesday's second Game 7. Anaheim is well-familiar with Game 7s but those memories are all bad, as the Ducks have lost Game 7s in each of the last four postseasons As for the Oilers, they own a 6-3 all-time record in Game 7s but they will play in their first since a 3-1 loss to Carolina in the 2006 Stanley Cup final. By the way, the 2006 season was the last time Edmonton has made the playoffs!

Edmonton: Leon Draisaitl recorded a hat trick to highlight his five-point performance in Game 6, increasing his point total to 16 (six goals, 10 assists) in his last eight games after being held off the scoresheet in his first four playoff tilts. His five-point performance was just one better than that of Mark Letestu, who scored two goals and set up two others to increase his point total to 11 (five goals, six assists) in 12 postseason games. Captain Connor McDavid also has five tallies in the playoffs, but surprisingly saw his goal-scoring streak come to a halt in the lopsided victory on Sunday.

Anaheim: Obviously, the Ducks are off a demoralizing loss and must alter their fortunes on Wednesday when they host the finale of their Western Conference semifinal against the Edmonton Oilers. Head coach Randy Carlyle doesn't want to hear anything about the failures of the last four years. "I wasn't here. So don't pin any of the (previous) Game 7s on me. Simple as that. This is a different group," he told the Orange County Register. Fair enough? Maybe, maybe not?

The pick: Here's one glaring similarity to consider. Anaheim lost Game 6 prior to falling in the series finale in each of the previous four postseason. Anaheim's veterans surely don't want to be answering the same questions about their inability to win the big game for a fifth consecutive season. Then again, most of the young Oilers roster will be wading into the uncharted waters of a mutual elimination game. Expect both teams to play this close to the vest. Make the Under a 10* play.

The set-up: The Warriors just finished off the Jazz (Monday) in a four-game sweep, a series in which the visiting team covered all games. That's something you rarely see. The Boston (No. 1 seed) and Washington (No. 4 seed) series continues tonight with what's so far, been a more traditional series, as home court has held. The Celtics won Games 1 and 2 at home to open things up, covering both games, although Boston needed OT (plus 53 points from Thomas) to do so. The series shifted to Washington for Games 3 and 4 and in a YUGE understatement, the momentum has shifted. The Wizards won Games 3 and 4 by a combined 46 points and used a 22-0 in the first quarter of Game 3 and a 26-0 run in the third quarter of Sunday's game to go from being into an 0-2 'hole' to blowing out the Celtics for a second straight game, sending the series back to the TD Garden tied at two-all.

Washington: "We played inspired basketball for each other," Wizards coach Scott Brooks, who called the 26-0 run in Game 4 his team's best stretch of the season, told reporters. "Defensively we were in the right position. ... We didn't make silly mistakes that we made early in the game, and it pays off." The Wizards go where PG John Wall takes them, as he's averaging 27.8 points, 12.3 assists and 2.8 steals in the series. However, SG Bradley Beal played his best game of the series on Sunday with 29 points. Forwards Porter (18 & 8) and Morris (16 & 10) also played well, as did Bogdanovich off the bench for the second straight game (had 13 points in Game 4, after getting 19 in Game 3).

Boston: PG Isaiah Thomas scored 33 points in Game 1 and then 53 in Boston's OT win in Game 2. However, points were much harder to come by for him in Washington, where he averaged just 16.0 points in the two losses. SG Bradley is hurting with a hip pointer and scored only five points on Sunday, plus is shooting just 34.0 percent for the series. Key frontcourt players Horford and Crowder have been hit-and-miss, something head coach Brad Stevens knows all too well. "We played pretty good in stretches but then two stretches killed us on this trip to D.C.," Stevens said after Game 4. "One in the first quarter (in Game 3), one in the third quarter (in Game 4). We have to play better throughout the whole game (in Game 5).

The pick: The Wizards were in both of the games played in Boston but could never "finish the job." After two dominating home wins, will the Wizards "get it right" in Boston? Thomas suggested after Game 4 that he wasn't getting the benefit of foul calls while going without a free-throw attempt in the loss. "The refs were allowing them to hold and grab and do all those things," Thomas told reporters. "I think, especially in the third quarter, I might have hit the ground five or six straight times, and I'm not the one that likes hitting the ground. ... I can't be allowed to be held and grabbed every pin-down, every screen." Something tells me that Thomas will not only play MUCH better in Game 5 but that he'll also be getting some of the calls he failed to get in Washington. This series has not just been home court-dominated in the playoffs but the home team won all four games played during the regular season as well, with Boston winning and covering the two regular season games in the TD Garden against the Wizards. Make Boston a 10* play.

The set-up: The NHL's two best teams, the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals and the defending champion Penguins will decide their second round series in tonight's Game 7 at Washington. The Caps trailed the series 3-1 and entered the third period of Game 5 at home, down 2-1. However, a three-goal burst to open that period gave them a 4-2 win and then back in Pittsburgh for Game 6, the Caps totally dominated the Penguins, in a 5-2 victory (led 5-0 late into the third period). However, while this group of Penguins have won two Stanley Cups, the Caps have been the NHL's biggest underachievers in that span. Incredibly, Pittsburgh sports a perfect 5-0 record on the road in its previous Game 7 clashes heading into Wednesday's winner-take-all with Washington at the Verizon Center, while the Caps are 4-10 all-time in Games 7s, including 3-7 at home. These teams have met in three Game 7s, with Pittsburgh winning each one, outscoring Washington 12-3!

Pittsburgh: The Penguins are hoping that the third try at closing out the Caps will be the charm. "We won three games before. It's just one more game," said Evgeni Malkin. He scoring a goal in Game 6 to extend his point streak to five games (three goals, four assists) while increasing his playoff total to a league-best 18 points (five goals, 13 assists). Fellow forward Jake Guentzel extended his franchise record for goals by a rookie in a single postseason with his league-leading ninth on Monday and also tied Jaromir Jagr (1991) for most points (13) by a Penguins rookie in a single postseason. Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby returned after missing Game 4 to set up a goal in back-to-back contests, giving him six points (two goals, four assists) in five games of this series and 13 points (four goals, nine assists) this postseason.

Washington: Head coach Barry Trotz was matter of fact with his response as to why he elected to "demote" Alex Ovechkin to the third line in favor of Andre Burakovsky. "Sometimes you just have to try because if you don't try then you may regret it in the end," Trotz said on Tuesday, one day after Burakovsky collected his second straight multi-point performance with a pair of goals in a 5-2 romp. Play-making center Nicklas Backstrom recorded his third multi-point effort of the series with a goal and an assist and has a team-leading 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in these playoffs and 24 in 24 playoff games over the past two seasons.

The pick: So, why should the Caps win this Game 7? History says they are chokers! However, what's different this year is that the Caps have dominated the play in this series, even when they were down 3-1 in games. What we've seen in Games 5 and 6 is nothing more than a team "getting what it had earned" by out-working and out-playing its opponent. What is also different about this year is that Washington also boasts the presence of Justin Williams. He has recorded seven goals and seven assists, plus owns a perfect 7-0 mark in Game 7s in his career, justifyingly earning the nickname, "Mr. Game 7!"  Make Washington a 10* play

The set-up: The Kansas City Royals opened their four-game series at Tampa Bay on an eight-game road losing streak but have won the first two contests, 7-3 on Monday and then, in a 12-inning game on Tuesday, 7-6. Mike Moustakas hit a solo HR in the 12th to provide the margin of victory for the Royals, who rallied from a four-run deficit. KC now has a chance to clinch its first series win since sweeping a three-game set from the LA Angels back on April 14-16. Tampa Bay has lost three straight to drop three games below .500 for the first time this year, at 13-16.

The pitching matchup: Jason Hammel (1-3 & 5.53 ERA) will get the nod for the Royals and Chris Archer (2-1 & 3.57 ERA) for the Rays. Hammel is coming off his best start of the season, which resulted in his first victory in a Kansas City uniform. He limited Cleveland to one run on three hits over six innings in a 3-1 win on Friday. However, Hammel has sure not pitched the way KC had hoped, when the Royals signed him to a FA deal in February. Prior's to Friday's win, he had lasted only three innings in each of his previous two starts and even after a good effort vs. the Indians, he's got an 'ugly' 5.53 ERA, a 1.70 WHIP and opponents are hitting .288 against him. Hammel, who spent the first three seasons of his career with Tampa Bay, is 2-2 with a 4.26 ERA in six starts against his former team (teams are 3-3). Archer registered a season-high 11 strikeouts against Toronto on Friday but did not factor in the decision after allowing three runs in six innings. He is now win-less in his last four starts and while his numbers aren't all that bad, the Rays have now lost his last three starts, after winning his first four. Hardly inspiring confidence for tonight's game is the fact that Archer has yet to defeat Kansas City in his career, going 0-4 with a 5.63 ERA in five starts (Rays are 1-4).

The pick: Last night's 12-inning game could (should?) prove chaotic for each team's pitching staff, tonight. The Royals and Rays combined to use 15 pitchers last night, with all but one available reliever appearing. Neither starter much confidence heading into tonight and the bullpens just may be spent. Make the Over a 10* play.

The set-up: The Orioles have dominated the Beltway Series (Nats haven't won a season series since 2007) and have now taken the first two of this four-game, home-and-home.
Baltimore won 6-4 at home on Monday and then won 5-4 in 12 innings on Tuesday, scoring twice in the bottom ninth against the Nationals' beleaguered bullpen. The Orioles own the best record in the majors at 22-10, as well as the longest active winning streak at six in a row. The Nationals have now lost three in a row, following a four-game winning streak, with the team's record falling to 21-12. Washington's bullpen already has blown six saves in 2017, including a pair during its three-game losing streak.

The pick: The Orioles' Wade Miley (1-1 & 2.27 ERA) gets the ball up against the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg (3-1 & 2.66 ERA), as the series shifts to Washington for two games. Miley was unable to get through the first inning in his last outing, as he was hit with a pair of line drives and then removed for precautionary reasons. He was win-less over his previous three starts but had pitched well, giving up just five runs over 20 innings (team was 2-1). He has allowed just eight ERs in his first six outings of the season. Miley is 2-3 with 3.76 ERA in seven career starts against Washington (teams are 3-4). Strasburg will be looking to halt a three-game slide for the Nationals, who wasted eight stellar innings by Max Scherzer on Tuesday. He barely had his streak of five consecutive quality starts snapped last time out, but he still overcame four walks to toss 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a win at Philadelphia. He had worked seven innings in each of his first five starts but has not received much offensive support, with the Nationals scoring just 20 runs in his six starts this season. He's 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two career starts against the Orioles (Nats are 1-1).

The pick: Strasburg may havr e to go at LEAST seven innings tonight, as Washington's bullpen ranks last in the National League with a 5.47 ERA! That said, I like the way Strasburg has pitched this season so far (1.08 WHIP & .220 BAA) and believe Miley's pitching over his head. Make the Nats an 8* play.