At 7:10 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Chicago Cubs (907) and the Cincinnati Reds (908) listing both starting pitchers Jake Arrieta and Sal Romano. Cincinnati (53-74) has lost three straight games after their 9-3 loss to the Cubs . The Reds’ pitching is just getting clobbered right now as they have surrendered at least eight runs in four straight games. Cincinnati has then played 7 straight games Over the Total after allowing at least seven runs in three straight games. The Reds have also played 8 of their last 9 games Over the Total after a loss. Furthermore, Cincy has played 8 of ther last 11 games Over the Total after allowing at least five runs in their last game. And this Reds team has played 20 of their last 26 games Over the Total when looking to avenge a loss by at least six runs. Additionally, Cincinnati has played 7 straight home games Over the Total at home. They give the ball to Romano who is 3-5 with a 5.32 ERA and 1.58 WHIP this season. The right-hander has particularly struggled at home where he has been saddled with a 6.63 ERA along with a 1.74 WHIP and .296 opponent’s batting average in four starts as compared to his 4.39 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and .282 opponent’s batting average in five starts on the road. He faces a red-hot Cubs team that is scoring 6.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games along with a .297 batting average with a .380 On-Base Percentage and .864 OPS during that span. Chicago has played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. The Cubs have also played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

Chicago (68-57) has now won five straight games — and they have played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total after a win. The Cubs have also played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last contest. And in their last 10 road games against teams with a losing record at home, the Over is 7-2-1. They counter with Jake Arrieta who is 13-8 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.20 WHIP this season. The right-hander comes off a strong outing where he allowed only one earned run at home against the Blue Jays — but Chicago has then played 16 of their last 21 games Over the Total when Arrieta is coming off a game where he did not allow more than one earned run in his last start. Arrieta has not been as effective on the road either where he has a 3.86 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and .244 opponent’s batting average in sixteen starts as compared to his 3.23 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and .216 opponent’s batting average in nine starts at home. The Over is 3-1-1 in the Cubs’ last 5 road games with Arrieta facing a team with a losing record. Chicago has also played 5 straight road games Over the Total with Arrieta facing this Reds team. Cincinnati may be struggling with their pitching — but they are swinging good bats right now as they are scoring 6.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .289 batting average along with a .370 On-Base Percentage and .884 OPS over that span. Lastly, the Reds have played 9 of their last 11 games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB National League Central Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Chicago Cubs (907) and the Cincinnati Reds (908) listing both starting pitchers Jake Arrieta and Sal Romano. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:00 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the Miami Dolphins (251) plus the points versus the Philadelphia Eagles (252). Miami (1-1) looked awful last week in a 31-7 loss at home to Baltimore despite being a 2.5-point favorite. The Dolphins managed to gain only 120 yards of offense in that game on nine first downs. One of the problems for this team was that they held the ball for only 23:33 of that contest. Look for head coach Adam Gace to play his likely new starting quarterback Jay Cutler past halftime of this game at least until the offense has experienced a good deal of success in this dress rehearsal game to prepare for the regular season. Cutler threw only 6 passes last Thursday in two offensive series— completing 3 of these throws for 24 yards. Backup Matt Moore should also play more tonight after completing 3 of 5 passes last week. Gace still played four QBs last week with Brandon Doughty and Nick Fales combining to complete 8 of 19 passes for 55 yards playing a large role in the team’s anemic offense. The Dolphins were outgained by 262 net yards to the Eagles in that contest after giving up 382 yards in that contest. But Miami should bounce-back with a strong effort as they have covered the point spread in 13 of their last 19 preseason games after being outgained by at least 100 net yards in the preseason. The Dolphins have also covered the point spread in 8 of their last 12 road preseason games as an underdog in the 3.5 to 7 point range. And in their last 4 preseason games against NFC opponents under Gace, Miami has covered the point spread 4 times. This Dolphins team has been ravaged with injuries on both sides of the ball this preseason. But Gace’s expected starters will be on the field tonight with perhaps the biggest impact being on the offensive line with both center Mike Pouncey and right tackle Ja’Won James finally getting some action tonight — and their presence shakes up their depth chart on their line which should reap dividends through all four quarters of this game.

Philadelphia (1-1) won their first preseason game last week with their 20-16 win over the Bills. Depth on defense remains a concern for this team as they allowed 408 total yards in that game and were outgained by -79 net yards in their victory. The Eagles offense has issues as well. Their ground game has yet to show signs of like as they rushed for just 66 yards on 26 carries against the Bills after gaining 47 yards on 19 carries in their opening preseason game against the Packers. That translates to just 2.5 Yards-Per-Carry. Philadelphia has failed to cover the point spread in 6 of their last 7 preseason games after failing to rush for at least 75 yards in either of their last two preseason contests. Head coach Doug Pederson has his offense throwing a ton of passes — his group of QBs have thrown 41 and 54 passes in their first two preseason games (although Carson Wentz has tossed just 13 of these throws this month). The Eagles have failed to cover the point spread in 6 of their last 9 preseason games after playing two straight preseason games where they attempted at least 40 passes. Expect a big bounce-back effort from this Dolphins team that needs to build some momentum after a preseason where they have been ravaged with injuries. 25* NFLx Preseason Underdog of the Year with the Miami Dolphins (251) plus the points versus the Philadelphia Eagles (252). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the New York Giants (431) plus the point(s) versus the Cleveland Browns (432). Cleveland (1-0) did something last week that they did not accomplish all of last preseason: win an exhibition game. The Browns claimed a 20-10 victory over the Saints last Thursday despite being outgained in yardage in that contest. A +2 net turnover margin held Cleveland win that contest. Last year in losing all four of their preseason games, the Browns were outscored by -12.0 net PPG due to a lackluster offense that scored just 11.0 PPG. Two new quarterbacks are on the roster this season with rookie draft pick DeShone Kizer and free agent acquisition Brock Osweiler but the offense still looks to struggle this season. Osweiler completed just 6 of 14 passes last week for just 42 yards. Kizer was impressive by completing 11 of 18 for 184 passing yards but that was against the bottom of the Saints’ first week depth chart. Kizer will be the second QB in the game for the Browns tonight to see how he does against significantly better defensive players. Cody Kessler will mop up and he likely played himself out of one of the top spots on the depth chart after a listless 5 of 10 effort last week for just 47 yards. Cleveland has failed to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games in the preseason. But what is particularly telling is that head coach Hue Jackson’s teams with the Browns and the Raiders have failed to cover the point spread in 8 of their 9 preseason contests — and that includes failing to cover the point spread in five of their six preseason games when listed in the +/- 3- point range. The scoreboard is just not a priority for Jackson in these preseason contests.

New York (0-1) looks to bounce-back from a 20-12 loss to the Steelers last Friday as a 4-point favorite in their first preseason game ten days ago. The Giants have bounced-back to cover the point spread in 3 of their last 4 preseason games after both a straight-up loss as well as point spread setback in the preseason. Eli Manning and a few of the other core starters for this squad did not play last week but head coach Ben McAdoo has indicated that his starters will play into the second quarter tonight. McAdoo will clearly want better execution from his offense after they managed only 242 total yards of offense against Pittsburgh. The Giants averaged only 3.72 Yards-Per-Play last week — but they have covered the points spread in 7 of their last 11 preseason games (including their last three preseason games) after failing to average at least 4.0 YPP in their last preseason contest. The Giants do have a solid backup quarterback situation with Geno Smith battling Josh Johnson to be Manning’s backup. Between those two veterans, they have 61 combined appearances in the regular season along with 8 starts. The team is also intrigued with their rookie QB Davis Webb who completed 8 of 16 passes last week for 67 yards. The Giants will be a much better team than the Browns this season — expect the evidence of that to manifest itself in this second preseason game for both teams. 25* NFLx Monday Night Football Preseason Game of the Year with the New York Giants (431) plus the point(s) versus the Cleveland Browns (432). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers (951) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (952) listing both starting pitchers Alex Wood and Gerrit Cole. Los Angeles (87-35) suffered a rare loss yesterday in a 6-1 loss to the Tigers and Justin Verlander. The Dodgers have then played 10 of their last 14 games Under the Total after a loss. Los Angeles has also played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total on the road. They give the ball to Wood who is 14-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 1.01 WHIP this season. The left-hander has been particularly tough on the road where he enjoys a 1.72 ERA along with a 1.01 WHIP and .201 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as compared to his still strong (but not filthy) 2.77 ERA along with a 1.02 WHIP and .211 opponent’s batting average in ten starts (twelve games) at home. Furthermore, while Wood comes off another strong start where he allowed only one run at home against the White Sox — and the Dodgers have then played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total with Wood looking to follow up a Quality Start.

Pittsburgh (60-64) looks to build off their 6-3 win over the Cardinals last night. The Pirates have then played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total after a victory. That game finished just below the 9.5 Total (unfortunately for us) — and that was the 28th Under in their last 43 games played in the second-half of the season. Additionally, the Under is 3-1-1 in Pittsburgh’s last 5 home games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on the road. They counter with Gerrit Cole who is 10-8 with a 4.04 ERA and 1.24 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 3.94 ERA along with a 1.21 WHIP and .250 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts as compared to his 4.10 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .261 opponent’s batting average in fourteen starts on the road. The Pirates have played 4 straight home games Under the Total with Cole facing a team with a winning record. He faces a Los Angeles team that has seen their bats cool a bit — they are hitting only .239 with a .381 slugging percentage over their last seven games as compared to their .257 batting average with a .433 slugging percentage for the season. Lastly, the Dodgers have played 9 of their last 11 road games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB National League Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers (951) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (952) listing both starting pitchers Alex Wood and Gerrit Cole. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 3:00 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing Everton (76629) plus the +1.5 goals versus Manchester City (76630). Manchester City (1-0-0) remains the betting favorite to win this year’s English Premier League after their 2-0 win at Brighton last week. That result is a bit misleading as it was still a 0-0 score entering the 70th minute mark before Sergio Aguero finally scored against these minnows playing their first ever match in the EPL. That second goal was an “own goal” scored by Brighton’s Lewis Dunk. This Man City team finished 3rd in the EPL last year in manager Pep Guardiola’s first season with the club. But an early exit in the Champions League does little to change the impression that this is a team that feasts on the lower end of the standings table. Guardiola’s pressing style can overwhelm inferior foes — but better talent can expose their subsequent weaknesses in their back end. Man City allowed more than 1 Goal-Per-Game last year. The team did make three significant additions for their defense in the offseason by acquiring Kyle Walker from Tottenham along with Benjamin Mendy from Monaco and Danilo from Real Madrid. But team chemistry and cohesion remains an issue for this team early in the season. I am also skeptical that playing forward Gabriel Jesus along with Sergio Aguero up top will be an easy transition after Jesus was Aguero’s sub last year.

Everton (1-0-0) is a difficult opponent for sides looking to firm-up their identity. The Toffees finished 6th in the league last year and looked solid in their debut 1-0 win over the same Stoke City side that upset Arsenal yesterday. Manager Ronald Koeman’s style of play is not flashy — but his defensive tactics work. Everton controlled possession for 62% of their match with Stoke City with their four-man defensive approach stymying the Potters. Wayne Rooney scored just before the end of the first half in a very encouraging turn of events for this side since their biggest hole seems to be up-front after Romelu Lukaku left for tons of money at Manchester United. Between Rooney and the 21-year old Sandro Ramirez, the Toffees may be better served by more scoring options as they were sometimes too dependent on Lukaku last season. Everton also added some a strong midfielder in David Klaassen from Ajax in the offseason — and that move was complemented by the completion of their transfer of midfielder Guilfi Sigurdsson. Everton also acquired a great keeper in Jordan Pickford in the offseason after his team from last year, Sunderland, was relegated. This Toffee roster includes the core of the strong England U-20 squad — so the talent is there up and down the roster. Look for a close, low-scoring match. 25* EPL Monday NBC-Sports Match of the Month with Everton (76629) plus the +1.5 goals versus Manchester City (76630). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the Los Angeles Chargers (430) minus the points versus the New Orleans Saints (429). Los Angeles (0-1) looks to clean a host of things up after they were embarrassed last Sunday in a 48-17 blowout loss at home to the Seahawks. That result may have been a small blessing in disguise for rookie head coach Anthony Lynn as he unquestionably had an attentive group of players this week in practice to address all those mistakes. Four turnovers was the biggest issue that must be changed for the Chargers — expect a much better effort all the way around tonight which includes better protection of the football. San Diego needs better play out of their backup quarterbacks with Kellen Clemens, Cardelle Jones and Mike Bercovic combining to complete 10 of 25 passes for 218 yards of offense. There are reasons to be optimistic for better results from these three fighting to be the primary backup to Phillip Rivers. Clemens threw two interceptions last Sunday but the 12-year veteran with 57 games along with 21 starts under his belt certainly no better than that. Jones should be better after another week of practice after being recently acquired by the Chargers — and the second-year pro Bercovici showed some of the feistiness he displayed at Arizona State by completing 4 of 6 passes for 68 yards. Actually, the starting units for San Diego played fine as they led the Chargers to a 7-3 lead over the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson and company for the backups soon took over. Rivers and the rest of the San Diego starters should play longer tonight. San Diego has covered the point spread in 12 of their last 17 preseason games after suffering -2 or worse net turnover margin in their last game. And in their last 6 preseason games at home, the Chargers have covered the point spread 4 times.

New Orleans (0-1) is also looking for success in this preseason after their 20-14 loss in Cleveland last Thursday. The Saints have failed to cover the point spread in 10 of their last 16 preseason games after a straight-up preseason loss under head coach Sean Payton. They also have failed to cover the point spread in 8 of their last 11 preseason games after a preseason game where they did not score more than 14 points. Additionally, New Orleans has failed to cover the point spread in 15 of their last 23 road games in the preseason under Payton’s leadership. And in the Saints’ last 18 road games as an underdog under Payton, the Saints have failed to cover the point spread in 12 of these games. With Payton being one of the Dean of coaches in the NFL at this point in his career, this exhibition game means much more to Lynn trying to mold this team in his image while fighting with the Rams to earn the loyalties of the Los Angeles fan base. 25* NFLx NFL Network Preseason Game of the Year with the Los Angeles Chargers (430) minus the points versus the New Orleans Saints (429). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:00 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (912) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (911) listing both starting pitchers Ivan Nova and Mike Leake. Pittsburgh (59-64) snapped a six-game losing streak yesterday with their 6-4 win over the Cardinals in the third game of this series. The Pirates have then won 17 of their last 26 games after a win by at least two runs. Pittsburgh has also won 7 of their last 9 games at home against teams with a winning record. This novelty game will be played at the famous Little League stadium in Williamsport, PA — but I still assign the Pirates home field edge in this game as they will bat last and still enjoy a home crowd advantage despite being 200 miles south of Pittsburgh. In fact, the more intimate surroundings may give the atmosphere more of a playoff-like vibe in favor of the Pirates. Additionally, Pittsburgh have won 6 straight fourth games of a series. They give the ball to Nova who is 10-10 with a 3.77 ERA and 1.21 WHIP this season. The right-hander has pitched much better in front of the home crowd this season where he owns a 2.70 ERA along with a 1.14 WHIP and .259 opponent’s batting average in ten starts as compared to his 4.52 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .281 opponent’s batting average in fourteen starts on the road. The Pirates have won 5 straight home games with Nova on the hill. Pittsburgh has also won 6 of their last 8 games with Nova pitching after a game where they scored at least five runs. And in Nova’s last 64 starts when he was favored in the -100 to -150 price range, his teams have won 45 of these contests.

St. Louis (63-60) has lost 26 of their last 38 road games against teams with a winning record at home. They counter with Mike Leake who is 7-11 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.32 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been good at home where he owns a 3.44 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in thirteen starts this season — but he sees these numbers rise to a 4.43 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP in eleven starts on the road. The Cardinals have lost 4 straight road games with Leake on the mound. He faces a Pirates team swinging good bats over their last seven games as they are scoring 4.7 Runs-Per-Game with a .272 batting average along with a .340 On-Base Percentage and a .776 OPS over that span. Lastly, St. Louis has lost 19 of their last 26 games with Leake pitching against NL Central opponents. 25* MLB Sunday Night ESPN Game of the Year with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (912) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (911) listing both starting pitchers Ivan Nova and Mike Leake. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:00 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Chicago Bears (425) and the Arizona Cardinals (426). Chicago (0-1) finds themselves in the midst of a quarterback battle after their 24-17 loss to the Broncos last Thursday. The Bears’ play was hoping to ease their 1st round draft pick Mitch Trubisky into the starting job with their free agent acquisition of Mike Glennon leading the way in that transition. But Chicago may not have the luxury of leaning on Trubisky if Glennon does not significantly improve after his poor performance last week where he completed only 2 of 8 passes of 20 yards while tossing a very bad interception. Glennon showed sparks of potential when with the Buccaneers with his strong arm — but he has never been the clear starter and may have trouble handling the pressure of being the presumed starter. Trubisky looked the part last week by completing 18 of 25 passes for 166 yards — but he was facing mostly backup competition. Trubisky will likely get the opportunity to face better defensive talent tonight. The Bears were small favorites by kickoff against the Broncos last week — and John Fox-coached teams in the NFL Preseason have played 7 of their 9 games Under the Total when coming off an upset loss at home. Fox will lean on his defense to lead the way in this bounce-back game. That unit did play well against a Denver team dealing with their own quarterback battle as they held the Broncos to just 281 yards of offense while surrendering just 17 points with one of Denver’s touchdowns coming from that pick-six that Glennon thew. Fox’s teams have also played 11 of their last 16 road games Under the Toal with the number in the 35.5 to 42 point range. And in the Bears last 6 preseason games as an underdog under Fox, they have played 4 of these games Under the Total.

Arizona (1-1) will be playing their third exhibition game this preseason after their 20-10 win over Oakland last Saturday. The Cardinals held the Raiders’ offense to just 252 yards of offense. This defense was 2nd in the NFL last season by holding teams to just 305.2 total YPG last season and should be in good form playing their third preseason game tonight while licking their chops at the unsettled QB situation for the Bears. On offense, Arizona has scored 38 points in their first two preseason games this season which is right in line with the 18.7 PPG they scored in their four preseason games last year. If that number holds steady with them being 3-point favorites tonight, our Under should be in good shape. Head coach Bruce Arians’ teams have played 3 of their last 4 preseason games Under the Total with the number set in the 38.5 to 42 point range. Furthermore, while the Cardinals held a 17-3 halftime lead over the Raiders last week, they have then played 6 of their last 9 preseason games Under the Total after enjoying at least a two-touchdown lead at halftime of their last game. Lastly, because Arizona has committed only one turnover so far this preseason, the Under is complemented by an empirical preseason angle that has been 76% effective over the last five seasons. Chicago forced no turnovers last week — and in preseason games involving a team that did not force more than one turnover in their last preseason game now facing a team that has not committed more than one turnover in two straight preseason games, that game finished Under the Total in 34 of the last 45 situations where these conditions applied. 25* NFLx NFC Preseason Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Chicago Bears (425) and the Arizona Cardinals (426). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the New York Yankees (969) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Boston Red Sox (970) listing both starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Chris Sale. New York (65-56) seized a 6-3 lead last night with a four-run 7th inning but then gave up four runs in the bottom of the 7th to fall by a 9-6 score (in a fortunate result for us last night!). The Yankees should bounce-back to play well tonight against their arch rivals as they have won 4 of their last 5 games after a loss. New York has lost three straight games to the Red Sox — but they have lost 19 of their last 27 games when playing with triple revenge. They give the ball to Sabathia who is 9-5 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.31 WHIP this season. The left-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 2.79 ERA along with a 1.29 WHIP and .239 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts as compared to his 5.68 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and .254 opponent’s batting average in eight starts at home. The Yanks have won 5 of their last 7 road games with Sabathia on the mound. He comes off the disabled list tonight after serving the ten-day minimum after dealing with a knee injury. New York has won 8 of their last 10 games when Sabathia is pitching with at least ten days between starts.

Boston (70-51) has won five of their last six games entering this contest. And while the Red Sox have a 1.18 bullpen WHIP this season, the Yankees have won 31 of their last 53 road games against teams with a bullpen WHIP of 1.25 or lower. Boston sends out their ace in Chris Sale who is 14-4 with a 2.51 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP this season. The left-hander has not been quite as good at home with that short left-field porch behind the Green Monster as he sees his ERA rise to a 2.82 mark along with a 0.90 WHIP as compared to his tiny 2.30 ERA and 0.87 WHIP when on the road. The Bronx Bombers only average 0.49 Stolen Bases her game — the Sale’s teams have lost 9 of their last 12 games in the second-half of the season against teams that do not steal more than 0.5 Stolen Bases per game. Furthermore, the Yankees have won 11 of their last 16 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. Lastly, while these team trends do not take into account the +1.5 Run-Line we are taking with this play, the Red Sox fall into an empirical “play-against” angle that is specific to the Run-Line that has been 70% effective over the last five seasons. Sale averages 1.29 walks per start — and home favorites with a slugging percentage no better than .410 (Boston: .397 slugging percentage) with a starting pitcher that does not walk more than 1.75 batters per start now facing an American League starting pitcher with a WHIP in the 1.30 to 1.40 range have then failed to cover the -1.5 Run-Line in 70 of the last 100 situations where these conditions applied. 25* MLB American League East Run-Line Underdog of the Year with the New York Yankees (969) plus the +1.5 Run-Line versus the Boston Red Sox (970) listing both starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and Chris Sale. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 4:00 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the Toronto Argonauts (358) minus the points versus the Montreal Alouettes (357). Montreal (3-4) looks to build off their 21-9 win over Toronto last Friday as an 8-point favorite. The Alouettes have then failed to cover the point spread in 8 of their last 11 games after a straight-up win. And while Montreal has covered the point spread in three of their last four games, they have then failed to cover the point spread in 26 of their last 39 games on the road after covering the point spread in three of their last four contests. The Alouettes won that game last week despite losing the first down battle by a 20-19 margin while also being outgained by 11 yards.

Toronto (3-5) was without their starting quarterback Ricky Ray last week as he dealt with an injury — but after practicing with the first team this week, it has been confirmed that he will take the field this afternoon. Last week, the Argos split time under center between Cody Fajardo and Jeff Matthews — and that is a dramatic difference than Ray who remains the best QB in the CFL when healthy. Despite their losing record, Toronto is outgaining their opponents by +42.5 net YPG. The Argonauts have failed to cover the point spread in five straight games — but CFL teams with a losing record who have failed to cover the point spread in five or six of their last seven games have covered the point spread in 71 of the last 108 situations (66%) where these conditions applied. 25* CFL East Division Game of the Month with the Toronto Argonauts (358) minus the points versus the Montreal Alouettes (357). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:00 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the Minnesota Vikings (407) plus the points versus the Seattle Seahawks (408). Minnesota (1-0) won their opening preseason game in Buffalo last week by a 17-10 score but there are plenty of things that got under the skin of head coach Mike Zimmer. The Vikings’ head coach identified pass protection, the efficiency of the first-string offense and run defense as three areas that he expects to see improvement for this rematch of their heartbreaking playoff loss to the Seahawks two seasons ago. Minnesota was outgained by the Bills by a 309 to 242 yards margin in that victory. Incumbent starting quarterback Sam Bradford completed 5 of 7 passes but for just 35 yards with him too often acting as Check-Down Charlie. Facing this stout Seahawks’ defense is the good opportunity to be more aggressive on offense as a dress rehearsal for the regular season. The good news for the Vikings from that contest was the strong play of backup Case Keenum who completed 11 of 16 passes for 121 yards. The onus is now on Taylor Heinicke who is playing for his job — with the Vikings or with another team — to play better than his 3 of 8 effort against the Bills. Zimmer is a coach who demands success in these preseason games with the belief that it breeds a winning atmosphere. Minnesota is now 13-1 straight-up in their fourteen preseason games under Zimmer. The Vikings have covered the point spread in 8 of their 9 preseason games listed in the +/- 3-point range under Zimmer. Minnesota has also covered the point spread in 6 of their last 7 preseason games under Zimmer’s command. Additionally, the Vikings have covered the point spread in 9 of their last 11 preseason games under Zimmer with the Total set in the 35.5 to 42 point range. And in their last 7 preseason games as the underdog, Minnesota has covered the point spread 6 times.

Seattle (1-0) looked in midseason form already last week with their 48-17 blowout win in Los Angeles over the Chargers. We had the Seahawks in that contest as head coach Pete Carroll is like Zimmer in using these exhibition games as important opportunities for every player on his roster to compete and prove himself. However, it will be difficult for this Seattle team to maintain that level of intensity and urgency after such an easy victory last week. The Seahawks benefitted from plenty of Chargers’ mistakes last week including a +3 net turnover margin — and that sets up an empirical preseason “play-against” angle that has been 77% effective over the last ten seasons. Home teams coming off a preseason game where they had a +3 or better net turnover margin have then failed to cover the point spread in 30 of the last 39 preseason games where these conditions applied. 25* NFLx NFC Preseason Game of the Year with the Minnesota Vikings (407) plus the points versus the Seattle Seahawks (408). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:30 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Ottawa Redblacks (353) and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (354). Ottawa (1-6-1) continued their tough-luck season last week with a 27-20 loss to Edmonton as a 2.5-point favorite. All six of the losses for the reigning Grey Cup champions have been by 7 points or less. Offense was the problem last week as the Redblacks managed only 308 yards of offense. They held the ball for only 23:30 minutes again the Eskimos so controlling the clock and keeping their defense off the field should be a priority tonight. Moving forward, Ottawa has played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total after a straight-up loss — and they have played 11 of their last 15 games Under the Total after a point spread loss. Additionally, the Redblacks have played 19 of their last 26 road games Under the Total against fellow divisional opponents. And in their last 11 games against East Division foes, Ottawa has played 8 of these games Under the Total.

Hamilton (0-7) remains winless after their 39-12 loss to Winnipeg last week. The Tiger-Cats managed only 247 yards of offense in that contest. While the offense struggles under quarterback Zack Collaros, Hamilton needs to get back to basics by playing better on the defensive side of the football. The Tiger-Cats are last in the CFL by scoring just 18.6 PPG and averaging only 281.1 total YPG. Hamilton stays at home where they have played 23 of their last 31 games Under the Total. The T-Cats have also played 37 of their last 58 home games Under the Total as an underdog getting no more than 7 points. Lastly, while the Redblacks allow 85 rushing YPG, Hamilton has played 10 of their last 12 home games Under the Total against teams who do not allow more than 90 rushing YPG. 25* CFL East Division Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Ottawa Redblacks (353) and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (354). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (918) versus the New York Yankees (917) listing both starting pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Montgomery. New York (65-55) has won four straight games with their 7-5 win over the Mets last night. The Yankees raced out to a 7-0 lead in that game but things got too close for comfort in the 9th inning when the Mets scored four runs before their rally was snuffed out. New York has then lost 11 of their last 12 road games after a game where their bullpen allowed at least four earned runs. The Yankees have also lost 6 of their last 8 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. And in their last 7 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home, New York has lost 5 of these games. They give the ball to Montgomery who is 7-6 with a 3.94 ERA and 1.22 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics call for immediate regression with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.22 and 4.39 moving forward. Additionally, the left-hander has not been as effective on the road where he owns a 4.13 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and .243 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts as compared to his 3.75 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and .232 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts at home. The Yankees have lost 4 of their last 5 road games with Montgomery facing a team with a winning record. He faces a hot-hitting Boston team that is scoring 6.3 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests. The Red Sox have also won 15 of their last 21 home games against left-handed starting pitchers.

Boston (69-51) has won four of their last five games with their 5-4 win over the Cardinals on Wednesday. The Red Sox have then won 9 of their last 11 games after a victory. Boston has also won 7 of their last 9 games after an off day. Furthermore, the Red Sox have won 8 of their last 9 games at home. They counter with Drew Pomeranz who is 12-4 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.34 WHIP this year. The left-hander has been better at  home where he has a 1.28 WHIP and .248 opponent’s batting average in twelve starts at home as compared to his .141 WHIP and .263 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts on the road. The Red Sox have won 4 of their last 5 home games with Pomeranz on the hill. Lastly, the Yankees have lost 4 of their last 5 road games against left-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB American League East Game of the Year with the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (918) versus the New York Yankees (917) listing both starting pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Montgomery. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (405) minus the points versus the Jacksonville Jaguars (406). Jacksonville (1-0) returns home for their first preseason game this season after traveling to New England and defeating the defending Super Bowl Champions by a 31-24 score last Thursday. The Jaguars lost the first down battle by a 26-19 margin in that game but used a +1 net turnover margin to help pull out that victory. Veteran backup quarterback Chad Henne led the way by completing 5 of 6 passes for 139 yards while tossing a touchdown pass. Blake Bortles completed 3 of his 5 passes for just 16 yards and will likely play a bit longer in this second preseason contest. The pressure is on Bortles this season after failing to meet expectations after being the number one pick in the NFL draft. Head coach Gus Bradley plans on running the ball more to take the onus off of Bortles and his inconsistent past play. The team grabbed Leonard Fournette in the first round of the NFL draft this season — but with Fournette suffering a leg injury in practice this week don’t expect him to take too many snaps tonight. As it is, the Jags have failed to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 5 preseason games after a preseason game on there road in the Bradley era. Jacksonville has also failed to cover the point spread in 3 straight home preseason games with the Total set in the 38.5 to 42 point range when being coached by Bradley.

Tampa Bay (0-1) looks to bounce-back from a 23-12 loss at Cincinnati last week. The Buccaneers lost that game despite winning the first-down battle by a 23 to 19 margin while outgaining the Bengals by a 330 to 316 mark. This Tampa Bay team  should keep the pressure on the Jaguars defense throughout the game given their robust battle at running back. Doug Martin is the incumbent starter but Jacquizz Rodgers is the backup with a good pedigree that justifies he sees plenty of touches. The team also drafted former Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols who enjoyed a productive college career there like Martin did. Charlie Sims and Peyton Barber are also fighting for running back jobs on the team. In his second season with the Bucs, head coach Dirk Cotter saw his team cover both their preseason games last year after a game on the road. 25* NFLx Preseason ESPN Game of the Year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (405) minus the points versus the Jacksonville Jaguars (406). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the British Columbia Lions (377) and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (378). Saskatchewan (2-4) looks to avenge a 30-15 loss at British Columbia last week. The Roughriders have played 9 of their last 11 games Under the Total when looking to avenge a same-season loss to their opponents. First order of business for head coach Chris Jones is to get better play out of his defense after they surrendered 537 yards of offense to the Lions. Jones is a defensive-guru who earned his stripes leading the Edmonton Eskimos to the 2015 Grey Cup based on their ferocious defense — so expect some quality adjustments in this immediate rematch. Saskatchewan managed only 334 yards of offense last week with quarterback Kevin Glenn struggling so expect Jones to try to win a low-scoring game. These two teams have played 8 of their last 10 games Under the Total when playing in Saskatchewan. And in the Roughriders’ last 7 games against fellow West Division opponents, they have played 5 of these games Under the Total.

British Columbia (5-2) completely dominated the Roughriders last week — they were leading 30-0 until giving up 15 meaningless points in the last 3:15 of that contest. The Lions have played 23 of their last 30 games Under the Total after not allowing more than a field goal in the first-half of their last game. BC has also played 28 of their last 40 games Under the Total after outgaining their last opponent by at least 120 net yards. Additionally, the Lions have played 20 of their last 27 road games Under the Total against teams with a winning percentage in the 25-40% range. And in their last 4 games in the month of August, the game finished Under the Total all 4 times. Lastly, the Under is supported by a historical angle that has been 70% effective since 1996. Saskatchewan forced one turnover last week — and in games with the Total set at least at 56, when the home team comes off a game where they did not force more than one turnover, these games finished Under the Total in 56 of the last 80 situations where these conditions applied. 25* CFL ESPN2 Total of the Month with Under the Total in the game between the British Columbia Lions (377) and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (378). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Kansas City Royals (921) versus the Chicago White Sox (922) listing both starting pitchers Ian Kennedy and James Shields. Kansas City (57-58) is desperate for a win after their 6-3 loss to the White Sox last night. The Royals remain alive the race for the playoffs in both the AL Central as well as the AL Wild Card race despite losing five straight games as well as ten of their last twelve contests. Kansas City has now played seven straight games that finished Over the Total — and they have then won 39 of their last 62 games after playing at least three straight games Over the Total. The Royals have also won 8 of their last 9 games against fellow teams from the AL Central. And in their last 5 road games against teams with a losing record at home, Kansas City has won 4 of these games. They give the ball to Kennedy who is 4-8 with a 4.83 ERA and 1.23 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective on the road where he has a 4.30 ERA along with a strong 1.17 WHIP and .216 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts as compared to his 5.43 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and .232 opponent’s batting average in ten starts at home. The Royals have won 6 of their last 8 road games with Kennedy on the hill. He faces a White Sox team that has lost 14 of their last 20 games against right-handed starting pitchers.

Chicago (45-68) has now won four straight games — but they have lost 7 of their last 9 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The White Sox have also lost 7 of their last 8 games against teams with a losing record. And in their last 6 home games against teams with a losing record, Chicago has lost 5 of these games. They counter with Shields who is 2-4 with a 6.03 ERA and 1.60 WHIP this season. The right-hander has not been as effective at home where he has been saddled with a 6.46 ERA along with a 1.73 WHIP in six starts. The White Sox have lost 6 of their last 8 home games with Shields facing a team with a losing record. And while the Royals are slumping, don’t blame the offense as they are scoring 5.1 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven contests with a .287 batting average along with a .331 On-Base Percentage and .784 OPS over that span. Lastly, Kansas City has won 20 of their last 28 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. 25* MLB American League Central Game of the Year with the money-line on the Kansas City Royals (921) versus the Chicago White Sox (922) listing both starting pitchers Ian Kennedy and James Shields. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Cleveland Indians (969) and the Tampa Bay Rays (970) listing both starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Jacob Faria. Tampa Bay (59-57) won the opening game of this series last night with their 4-1 win over the Indians. The Rays have then played 4 straight games Under the Total after a win. Tampa Bay has also played 7 of their last 8 games Under the Total against teams with a winning record. And in their last 7 games at home, the Rays have played 6 of these games Under the Total. They give the ball to their Faria who is 5-2 with a 2.81 ERA and 1.14 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he enjoys a 2.56 ERA along with a 1.07 WHIP and .207 opponent’s batting average in five starts at home as compared to his 3.03 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and .221 opponent’s batting average in six starts on the road. Faria comes off a tough-luck loss in his last start where he allowed just one earned run in 6 innings of work against the Brewers — and Tampa Bay has played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total with Faria looking to follow up a Quality Start. He should fare well against the cold Cleveland bats that are scoring only 3.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .176 batting average along with a .238 On-Base Percentage and .527 OPS over that span. The Indians have played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers.

Cleveland (60-52) has lost four of their last five games after last night’s setback. The Indians are the money-line favorite tonight with Carlos Carrasco on the hill — and they have played a decisive 19 of their last 24 road games Under the Total as a favorite priced in the -125 to -175 price range. The Under is also 12-3-1 in Cleveland’s last 16 games against teams with a winning record. Carrasco has a 10-5 record with a 4.06 ERA and 1.16 WHIP this year. The right-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 3.44 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and .223 opponent’s batting average in twelve starts as compared to his 4.80 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and .262 opponent’s batting average in ten starts at home. The Indians have played 12 of their last 13 road games Under the Total with Carrasco pitching as a money-line favorite in the -100 to -150 price range. Cleveland has also played 15 of their last 18 road games Under the Total with Carrasco pitching at night. He faces a Tampa Bay team that is not swinging hot bats either. Over their last seven contests, the Rays are scoring only 1.9 Runs-Per-Game with a .197 batting average along with a .260 On-Base Percentage and .556 OPS over that span. The Rays have played 6 of their last 7 games at home Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB American League Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Cleveland Indians (969) and the Tampa Bay Rays (970) listing both starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Jacob Faria. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:15 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the St. Louis Cardinals (922) versus the Kansas City Royals (921) listing both starting pitchers Lance Lynn and Jason Hammel. Kansas City (57-56) is in the midst of a series slump having lost five of their last six games after their 8-5 loss to the Cardinals yesterday. The Royals have then lost 5 of their last 7 games are a loss. Now this home-and-home series with their cross-town rivals finishes up tonight with St. Louis look to pull off the four-game sweep. Kansas City has lost 34 of their last 47 games when playing with triple revenge against their opponent. Bad bullpen work has been much of the problem for the Royals as their pen has been saddled with a 6.76 ERA over their last five games. Kansas City has also lost 6 straight games in Interleague play. And in their last 4 games on the road, the Royals have lost all 4 games. They give the ball to Hammel who is 5-9 with a 4.73 ERA and 1.38 WHIP this season. The right-hander has struggled when on the road where they he has a 4.86 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and .302 opponent’s batting average in eight starts as compared to his 4.65 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .252 opponent’s batting average in fourteen starts at home. And while Hammel comes off a solid effort where he allowed three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings at home against the Mariners, Kansas City has the lost 7 of their last 10 games with Hammel on the hill looking to follow up a Quality Start. He faces a red hot Cardinals offense that is scoring 7.0 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .294 batting average along with a .394 On-Base Percentage and .896 OPS over that span. St. Louis has played 29 runs in the first three games of this series. The Cardinals have won 4 straight games against right-handed starting pitchers. They have also won 6 of their last 7 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

St. Louis (58-56) has won five straight games — scoring a robust 9.2 Runs-Per-Game over that win streak. Obviously, the Cardinals have won 4 straight games after a victory. St. Louis has also won 8 of their last 10 games at home. They counter with Lance Lynn who is 10-6 with a 3.12 ERA and 1.12 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been very tough as of late as he owns a perfect 4-0 record with a 1.31 ERA over his last six starts. Lynn has been better at home all season where he owns a 2.58 ERA along with a 1.06 WHIP and .199 opponent’s batting average in ten starts as compared to his 3.56 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and .213 opponent’s batting average in thirteen starts on the road. The Cardinals have won 4 straight games with Lynn facing a team with a winning record. He should fare very well against this Kansas City team that has lost 6 of their last 8 games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, the Royals have lost 5 of their last 7 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. 25* MLB Interleague Game of the Year with the money-line on the St. Louis Cardinals (922) versus the Kansas City Royals (921) listing both starting pitchers Lance Lynn and Jason Hammel. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:07 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the New York Yankees (911) versus the Toronto Blue Jays (912) listing both starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and J.A. Happy. New York (59-51) has won two straight games with their 8-1 win over at Cleveland on Sunday. The Yankees have then won 6 of their last 8 games after a win. New York has also won 5 of their last 7 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. And in their last 5 opening games to a new series, the Yankees have won 4 of these contests. They give the ball to Sabathia who is 9-4 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.28 WHIP this season. The left-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 2.29 ERA along with a 1.24 WHIP and .225 opponent’s batting average in ten starts as compared to his 5.68 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and .254 opponent’s batting average in eight starts at home. New York has won 5 of their last 6 road games with Sabathia on the mound. He should fare well against this Toronto team that only scores 3.6 Runs-Per-Game against left-handed starting pitchers along with a low .231 batting average with a .302 On-Base Percentage and .684 OPS against lefties. The Blue Jays have lost 11 of their last 14 home games against left-handed starting pitchers.

Toronto (52-59) has lost two of their last three games with their 7-6 loss at Houston on Sunday. The Blue Jays have then lost 5 of their last 6 games after an off day. Toronto has also lost 5 of their last 6 games against teams with a winning record. And in their last 7 home games against teams with a winning record, the Blue Jays have lost 5 of these contests. They counter with J.A. Happ who is 4-8 with a 3.92 ERA and 1.31 WHIP this year. The left-hander has not been as good at home where he has a 4.25 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and .289 opponent’s batting average in seven starts at home as compared to his 3.67 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and .224 opponent’s batting average in eight starts on the road. The Blue Jays have lost 6 of their last 8 home games with Happ on the hill. Together, these team trends produce our specific 52-15 combined angle for this situation. 25* MLB American League East Underdog of the Month with the money-line on the New York Yankees (911) versus the Toronto Blue Jays (912) listing both starting pitchers C.C. Sabathia and J.A. Happy. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:45 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing the Manchester United plus the +0.5 goals versus Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup. The UEFA Super Cup represents the opening match of the new professional soccer season featuring the winners of the Champions League and the Europa League. Real Madrid enters the 2017-18 season coming off a magical campaign for the ages where they won both the Champions League as well La Liga. We had Real Madrid in the Champions League Finals and were rewarded with an easy 4-1 victory over Juventus. What made that squad so good was their quality of depth at all three levels of the pitch would served them well from week-to-week in the grind of a professional season with league obligations as well as these various international tournaments and events. But it is very hard to maintain that uber-high level of intensity — and the signs are numerous that this club has exhaled a sigh of relief. This team has not played well in their preseason competitions which included an ugly 4-1 loss to Manchester City as well as an emotional 3-2 loss to Barcelona two Saturdays ago (and we had Barcelona in that one as well). And while the team did manage to defeat the MLS All-Stars last week via Penalty Kicks after a 1-1 score after regulation, it is certainly not encouraging to not be a cut (or two) above the MLSers. Granted, all those matches were technically friendlies with this match being the first competitive contest for this group since winning the Champions League. But it is also very difficult for soccer clubs to just flip the proverbial switch from match-to-match. The depth on this squad is simply not the same as last season with the following good contributors no longer with the team: Pepe, Fabio Coentrao, James Rodriguez, Danilo, Alvaro Morato. Striker Gareth Bale and his ridiculous man-bun had to be taken off the practice pitch this week with an ankle injury that questions his fitness for this match. Then there is Cristiano Ronaldo who rejoined the team last Saturday after taking the month of July off after listlessly leading Portugal to a middling performance in the Confederations Cup. The 32-year old is likely to not even play since he is not not likely fit for competitive matches. Real Madrid has won this trophy in two straight seasons as well as three of the last four — so their motivation for this match is not likely to be as urgent as that of their competitor.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho would love to lead his team to victory over a Real Madrid franchise that he used to skipper. The Red Devils won the Europa League earlier this year to earn the right to play for this championship. It would also be the first time that an English team won this event since last Liverpool last lifted the Cup in 2005. Expectations are high this season for the Reds with some nice offseason acquisitions of Romelu Lukaku along with Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof to help jumpstart a side that finished a disappointing 6th in the English Premier League last season. Talent certainly is abundant still with this team — the biggest challenge for this group is developing chemistry and cohesion. This team has played very well in their preseason friendlies as they won six of their seven matches. Expect the Red Devils to play this match very close with them pulling the upset being a very good possibility. 25* Soccer International Match of the Month with the Manchester United plus the +0.5 goals versus Real Madrid. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:10 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Milwaukee Brewers (961) versus the Minnesota Twins (962) listing both starting pitchers Brett Suter and Ervin Santana. Milwaukee (59-54) saw their three-game winning streak snapped last night with the loss in Tampa Bay to the Rays. The Brewers have then bounced-back to win 5 of their last 7 games after a loss — and they have won 5 of their last 7 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. Additionally, Milwaukee has won 6 of their last 8 home games in Interleague play. They give the ball to Suter who is 2-2 with a 3.04 ERA and 1.21 WHIP this season. The left-hander has been more effective on the road where he has a 2.92 ERA in six appearances (four starts) along with a 1.18 WHIP and .250 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 316 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and .260 opponent’s batting average in eight appearances (six starts) at home. He should fare well against this Minnesota team that is scoring only 3.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games while posting a .197 batting average along with a .266 On-Base Percentage and .607 OPS over that span. The Twins have also lost 10 of their last 12 games against left-handed starting pitchers.

Minnesota (53-56) has won two of their last three games with their 6-5 win over Texas yesterday. But the Twins have then lost 20 of their last 28 games after a victory. Minnesota has also lost 6 of their last 7 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. And in their last 53 home games against teams with a winning record on the road, the Twins have lost a decisive 37 of these contests. They counter with Ervin Santana who is 12-7 with a 3.28 ERA and 1.11 WHIP this season. The right-hander has not been as effective at home where he has a 4.09 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and .225 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts as compared to his 2.52 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and .199 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts on the road. Lastly, the Twins have lost 6 of their last 7 home games with Santana on the mound. Together, these team trends produce our specific 95-34 combined angle for this situation. 25* MLB Underdog of the Month with the money-line on the Milwaukee Brewers (961) versus the Minnesota Twins (962) listing both starting pitchers Brett Suter and Ervin Santana. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers (903) and the New York Mets (904) listing both starting pitchers Hyun-Jin Ryu and Steven Matz. New York (49-59) has lost three straight as well as six of their last seven contests with their 7-4 loss to the Dodgers yesterday afternoon. The Mets have now seen the Over go 9-1-1 in their last 11 games against teams with a winning percentage over 60%. The Over is 15-4-3 in New York’s last 22 third games of a series. They give the ball to Steven Matz who is 2-4 with a 5.50 ERA and 1.51 WHIP this season. The left-hander is struggling — he has not recorded a Quality Start since June 3rd. Matz has been particularly ineffective when pitching at home where he has been saddled with a 9.69 ERA, 2.08 WHIP and a rough .413 opponent’s batting average in three starts as compared to his 4.12 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and .265 opponent’s batting average in seven starts on the road. Additionally, the Over is 24-9-5 in the Mets’ last 38 games at home.

Los Angeles (78-32) has now won twelve of their last thirteen contests. The Over is 19-6-1 in the Dodgers’ last 26 games against teams with a losing record. Los Angeles has also played 4 of their last 5 third games to a series. They counter with Hyun-Jin Ryu who is 3-6 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP this season. The left-hander has not been as effective on the road where he has a 4.25 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and .293 opponent’s batting average in seven starts as compared to his 3.51 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and .263 opponent’s batting average in eight starts (and nine games) at home. The Dodgers have played 6 of their last 8 games Over the Total on the road — and they have played 4 of their last 5 road games Over the Total against teams with a losing record at home. Ryu faces a Mets offense that does liven up to score 5.2 Runs-Per-Game when playing at night. Lastly, in the last 4 games between these two teams, the game finished Over the Total all 4 times. 25* MLB Sunday Night ESPN Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers (903) and the New York Mets (904) listing both starting pitchers Hyun-Jin Ryu and Steven Matz. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 6:10 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (979) and the Tampa Bay Rays (980) listing both starting pitchers Zack Davies and Alex Cobb. Milwaukee (57-53) has won three of their last four games after taking the opening game of this series last night by a 2-0 score. The Brewers are surviving despite swinging cold bats right now. They have not scored more than four runs in each of their last eight games — and they managed to plate for runners four times just once during that span. Not only has Milwaukee then played 15 of their last 17 games Under the Total after failing to score more than four runs in at least three straight games but they have also played 10 of their last 11 games Under the Total after failing to score more than four runs for at least five straight contests. Additionally, the Brewers have played 26 of their last 39 games Under the Total after a game where four or less combined runs were scored. Furthermore, Milwaukee has played 5 of their last 6 games Under the Total in Interleague play. The Brewers have also played 6 of their last 8 games Under the Total against teams with a winning record. They give the ball to Davies tonight who is 12-5 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.42 WHIP this season. After surviving a horrible April, the right-hander has settled down to pitch quite well albeit under the radar of many. Over his last seven starts, he has not allowed more than three earned runs in five of those occasions — posting a sparkling 2.74 ERA along with a 1.13 WHIP over that span. Davies has also been much better away from home for the entire season given his 2.80 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and .256 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts on the road as compared to his 6.15 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and .304 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts at home. The Brewers have played 9 of their last 12 games on the road Under the Total.

Tampa Bay (57-53) saw their three game winning streak snapped after being shut out last night. The Rays have now played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total in Interleague play against teams with a winning record. Tampa Bay has also played 6 of their last 8 home games Under the Total against teams with a winning record. Furthermore, the Rays have not allowed more than four runs in four straight games — and they have then played 11 of their last 14 games Under the Total after playing at least three straight games where they did not allow more than four earned runs. They counter with Alex Cobb who is 9-7 with a 3.89 ERA and 1.23 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been very tough at home where he has a 2.59 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and .206 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as opposed to his 4.94 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and .288 opponent’s batting average in thirteen starts on the road. Tampa Bay has played 7 of their last 10 home games Under the Total with Cobb facing a team with a winning record. He faces a Brewers team that has played 9 of their last 11 road games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. Over their last seven games, Milwaukee is scoring only 2.3 Runs-Per-Game with a low .194 batting average along with a .271 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .575 over that span. Lastly, in the last 6 meetings between these two teams in Tropicana Field, the game finished Under the Total all 6 times. 25* MLB Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (979) and the Tampa Bay Rays (980) listing both starting pitchers Zack Davies and Alex Cobb. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 6:40 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Cincinnati Reds (904) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (903) listing both starting pitchers Asher Wojciechowski and Mike Leake. St. Louis (53-55) has lost three of their last five games with their 2-1 loss in Milwaukee yesterday. The Cardinals have then lost 5 of their last 6 games after not allowing more than two runs in their last game. St. Louis has also lost 4 of their last 5 games on the road. And in their last 6 encounters with the Reds, the Cardinals have lost 5 of these contests. They give the ball to Leake who is 7-9 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.24 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics do call for immediate regression for the right-hander with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.24 and 3.99 respectively moving forward. Leake has also not been as effective when on the road where he has a 3.42 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in nine starts as compared to his 3.20 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in twelve starts at home. The Cardinals have lost 4 of their last 5 road games with Leake on the hill. St. Louis has also lost 7 straight games with Leake facing a team with a losing record. Leake is facing his original team that drafted him in the Reds — but his results when facing his first squad are not inspiring. Not only does Leake have a 4.79 ERA overall in his seven career starts against Cincinnati but his ERA explodes to an 8.27 mark in his three career starts in the Reds’ Great American Ballpark.

Cincinnati (44-64) saw their three-game winning streak snapped yesterday with their 6-4 loss at Pittsburgh. The Reds have still won 10 of their last 14 games against fellow NL Central rivals. Cincinnati has also won 11 of their last 16 home games against teams with a losing record. They counter with Asher Wojciechowski who is 1-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 34 innings of work this season. The prospect has been quite good pitching out of the bullpen since being recalled from Triple-A — he has only allowed one earned run in 12 2/3 innings over that span. Wojciechowski has struck out 35 batters this season while issuing just eight walks. He also has been much better when pitching at home where he has a 3.43 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and .211 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 6.23 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and .286 opponent’s batting average when on the road. He will be facing a cold-hitting Cardinals team that is scoring just 1.9 Runs-Per-Game while hitting .212 with a .271 On-Base Percentage and a .549 OPS over that span. Furthermore, while St. Louis is hitting just .213 over their last five games, they have then lost 12 of their last 14 road games after a five-game span where they did not hit better than .225. Furthermore, St. Louis has lost 4 of their last 5 games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, the Cardinals have lost 24 of their last 31 games against starting pitchers. 25* MLB National League Central Underdog of the Year with the money-line on the Cincinnati Reds (904) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (903) listing both starting pitchers Asher Wojciechowski and Mike Leake. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing the Pittsburgh Pirates (902) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the Cincinnati Reds (901) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Williams and Robert Stephenson. Pittsburgh (51-55) looks to bounce-back from a 9-1 loss to the Reds yesterday. The Pirates have won 5 of their last 6 games against an opponent that did not allow more than two runs in their last game. Additionally, Pittsburgh has won 5 of their last 6 games at home. They give the ball to Williams who is 4-4 with a 4.53 ERA and 1.37 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been a bit better at home this season where he owns a 4.18 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .253 in ten appearances (and seven starts) at home as opposed to his 4.89 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and .279 opponent’s batting average in eleven games (and seven starts) on the road. Furthermore, the Pirates have won 5 of their last 7 games with Williams facing a team that scored at least five runs in their last game. He should fare well against this Cincinnati team that has lost 15 of their 21 road games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Reds have also lost 8 of their last 10 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or less.

Cincinnati (43-63) has lost 6 of their last 8 games after a victory — and they have lost 6 of their last 8 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The Reds have also lost 16 of their last 20 road games with the Total set in the 9-9.5 range. And in Cincinnati’s last 22 road games against teams with a losing record, they have lost 17 of these contests. They counter with Robert Stephenson who is 0-4 with a 7.86 ERA and 2.04 WHIP this season. The right-hander has really struggled when away from home given his 10.34 ERA, 2.74 WHIP and .377 opponent’s batting average in eleven appearances on the road (eight starts) as compared to his 5.79 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and .264 opponent’s batting average in eleven games (seven starts) at home. The Reds have lost 4 straight games with Stephenson facing a team from the NL Central. He faces a Pirates team that has won 4 of their last 5 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, because the Reds score 4.6 Runs-Per-Game, they fall into an empirical “play-against” angle that is specific to the Run-Line that has been 57% effective over the last five seasons. National League road teams that score at least 4.5 Runs-Per-Game who come off a game where they scored at least 8 runs have then failed to cover the +1.5 Run-Line in 155 of the last 273 situations where these conditions applied. 25* MLB National League Central Run-Line of the Year with the Pittsburgh Pirates (902) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the Cincinnati Reds (901) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Williams and Robert Stephenson. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:05 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Oakland A’s (918) versus the San Francisco Giants (917) listing both starting pitchers Paul Blackburn and Matt Cain. Oakland (46-59) has won two straight games with their 6-5 win over Minnesota last night. The A’s have then won 13 of their last 19 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Oakland has also won 5 of their last 7 games after allowing at least five runs in their last contest. Additionally, the A’s have won 8 of their last 11 games at home. They give the ball to Paul Blackburn who is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.06 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where opponent’s are hitting just .182 against him as compared to his .232 opponent’s batting average when on the road. He should fare well against this San Francisco team that has lost 4 straight road games against right-handed starting pitchers. Additionally, the Giants have lost 5 straight games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower.

San Francisco (40-66) has lost three straight games after their 6-5 loss to the Dodgers last night in 11 innings. The Giants have then lost 19 of their last 26 games after a loss. San Francisco has also lost 15 of their last 22 road games against teams with a losing record. They counter with Matt Cain who is 3-9 with a 5.45 ERA and 1.67 WHIP this season. The right-hander has struggled on the road where he has been saddled with an 8.14 ERA, 1.99 WHIP and .350 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as compared to his 3.25 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and .272 opponent’s batting average in nine starts on the road. The Giants have lost 23 of their last 31 road games with Cain on the mound — and that includes losing 4 straight road games with Cain facing a team with a losing record. Lastly, the A’s have won 7 of their last 8 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. Together, these team trends produce our specific 103-34 combined angle for this situation. 10* MLB Monday Late Show Bailout with the playing the money-line on the Oakland A’s (918) versus the San Francisco Giants (917) listing both starting pitchers Paul Blackburn and Matt Cain. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Texas Rangers (912) versus the Seattle Mariners (911) listing both starting pitchers Cole Hamels and Felix Hernandez. Texas (50-54) begins this season looking to bounce-back from a 10-6 loss to the Orioles yesterday. The Rangers have then won 10 of their last 14 games after allowing at least nine runs in their last game. Texas has also won 39 of their last 59 home games when priced in the -100 to -150 price range. They send out Hamels who is 5-1 with a 3.97 ERA and 1.12 WHIP this season. The left-hander has been more effective at home where he has a 2.88 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and .205 opponent’s batting average in five starts as compared to his 5.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and .241 opponent’s batting average in six starts on the road. The Rangers have won 22 of their last 27 home games with Hamels on the hill. He should fare well against this slumping Seattle team that is hitting just .237 over their last seven games with a .308 On-Base Percentage and .677 OPS over that span. Furthermore, the Mariners have lost 5 of their last 6 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower.

Seattle (53-53) has won two straight games with their 9-1 win over the Mets on Sunday. The Mariners have lost 8 of their last 10 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Seattle won Game Two of their series with the Mets on Saturday by a 3-2 score — and they have then lost 20 of their last 30 games after not allowing more than two runs in two straight games. They counter with Felix Hernandez who is 5-4 with a 4.08 ERA and 1.33 WHIP this season. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he has a 5.00 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and .346 opponent’s batting average in four starts as compared to his 3.75 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and .242 opponent’s batting average in eight starts at home. The Mariners have lost 4 of their last 5 road games with Hernandez on the hill. He faces a hot-hitting Texas team that is scoring 5.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .273 batting average along with a .347 On-Base Percentage and .814 OPS during that span. Lastly, the Rangers have won 5 of their last 7 games against right-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB Game of the Month with the Texas Rangers (912) versus the Seattle Mariners (911) listing both starting pitchers Cole Hamels and Felix Hernandez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the San Francisco Giants (961) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (962) listing both starting pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Los Angeles (77-31) has won seven straight games with their 2-1 win over the Giants yesterday. The Dodgers finish out their ten-game home stand tonight — and they have played a decisive 38 of their last 59 home games Under the Total after playing at least five straight games at home. Los Angeles has also played 26 of their last 36 home games Under the Total as a money-line favorite in the -100 to -150 price range. They give the ball to Ryu who is 3-6 with a 4.17 ERA and 1.42 WHIP this season. The left-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 4.10 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .268 opponent’s batting average in seven starts (eight games) at home as compared to his 4.25 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and .293 opponent’s batting average in seven starts on the road. The Dodgers have played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total with Ryu pitching on five days of rest. He should fare well against this Giants team that is scoring only 3.6 Runs-Per-Game against left-handed starting pitchers.

San Francisco (40-65) has lost four of their last six games. Moving forward, the Giants have played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total after allowing two runs or less in their last game. They counter with Madison Bumgarner who is getting the start for this nationally televised game after bumping Matt Cain from the rotation for one day for this appearance. Bumgarner is pitching on his normal rest after throwing 80 pitches in his last start. For his abbreviated season after his stint on the disabled list after that motor bike incident, the left-hander has a 1-4 record along with a 3.38 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. Bumgarner has been more effective on the road where he has a 2.89 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and .215 opponent’s batting average in four starts as compared to his 4.15 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and .257 opponent’s batting average in three starts at home. The Giants have played 5 of their last 6 road games Under the Total with Bumgarner on the mound. Bumgarner should be focused to pitch very well tonight. As it is, the Under is 8-3-1 in San Fran’s last 12 roads games when pitching in LA against the Dodgers. 25* MLB Sunday Night ESPN Total of the Month with Under the Total in the game between the San Francisco Giants (961) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (962) listing both starting pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 1:35 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Atlanta Braves (953) and the Philadelphia Phillies (954) listing both starting pitchers R.A. Dickey and Vince Velasquez. Atlanta (48-54) has lost six of their last seven games with their 4-3 loss to the Phillies last night. The Braves have then played 6 of their last 7 games Over the Total after a loss. Atlanta has also played 10 of their last 12 games Over the Total on the road. They give the ball to Dickey who is 6-7 with a 4.31 ERA and 1.40 WHIP this season. The right-handed knuckleballer has not been as effective on the road where he has been saddled with a 5.68 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and .267 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as compared to his 3.33 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .258 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts at home. The Over is 4-1-1 in the Braves’ last 6 road games with Dickey pitching as an underdog. Dickey faces a red hot Phillies’ offense that is scoring 5.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .275 batting average along with a .333 On-Base Percentage and .807 OPS during that span.

Philadelphia (37-64) has played 6 of their last 8 games Over the Total after a victory. And while the Braves only strand 6.76 runners on base per game, the Phillies have played 27 of their last 42 games Over the Total in the second-half of the season against teams that do not strand more than 6.9 runners per game. They counter with Vince Velasquez who is 2-6 with a 5.49 ERA and 1.47 WHIP this season. The right-hander has struggled particularly at home where he has a 6.82 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and .306 opponent’s batting average in six starts as compared to his 4.08 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and .236 opponent’s batting average in six starts on the road. Philadelphia has played 7 of their last 9 home games Over the Total with Velasquez on the mound. Lastly, the Braves have played 7 of their last 9 road games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB NL East Total of the Month with Over the Total in the game between the Atlanta Braves (953) and the Philadelphia Phillies (954) listing both starting pitchers R.A. Dickey and Vince Velasquez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:55 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing Barcelona (53125) -0.5 goals versus Real Madrid (53126). Real Madrid enjoyed a dominant 2016-17 campaign which saw them win both La Liga as well as the UEFA Champions League consisting of the best professional squads in Europe. The Blancos strength was nearly overwhelming depth — and that was one of the reasons we took Read Madrid in the Finals of the Champions League over Juventus a few months ago. But this side has been sluggish in this event with only one point accrued in two matches. The Blancos looked rather pedestrian against Manchester City on Wednesday in their 4-1 loss — and Man City is not an elite team from the English Premier League right now. Real Madrid is without their Talisman in Cristiano Ronaldo who has taken the summer off after playing with Portugal in the Confederation’s Cup. With the UEFA Super Cup coming up on August 8th against Manchester United and another set of home-and-homes due in early August against Barcelona yet again in the Super Copa tournament, the motivation of the Blancos remains in question.

Barcelona does have a few issues at hand tonight that will serve as motivation. First and foremost, Barca lost out to Real Madrid to win La Liga — so revenge will be on their minds. Also, this group is getting used to play ing under new manager Ernesto Valverde after he replaced Luis Enrique after the La Liga season. The entire roster is playing with fervor and grit in this tournament as they look to impress their new skipper while establishing  momentum for their La Liga season where they look to take back the champions trophy. This team has all their best players — and that starts with Lionel Messi who remains the best player in the world. He is joined by Neymar who is in top form right now despite (or perhaps because of rumors of his being moved to Paris Saint-German this fall). In many ways, this tournament offers this elite teams nothing more than glorified preseason friendly matches while attempting to expand the soccer brand to the United States and China (where half the matches are being played). But Barcelona is in position to take this championship at this point as they are the only team with a perfect record in the United States side of things. A win over their arch rivals and the continuation of their momentum they are building under Valverde are all additional reasons for Barca to bring their A-Game. 25* International Champions Cup Match of the Year with the Barcelona (53125) -0.5 goals versus Real Madrid (53126). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:30 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the British Columbia Lions (373) plus the point(s) versus the Edmonton Eskimos (374). British Columbia (4-1) will be looking to avenge a 30-27 upset loss at home to Edmonton in the opening week of the CFL season despite being a 4-point favorite in that game. The Lions have still covered the point spread in 4 of their last 5 encounters with the Eskimos. Remember, BC was clearly the second best team in the league last year — just behind Calgary who defeated them in the West Division Finals before they were upset in the Grey Cup by Ottawa. British Columbia has since won four straight games this season with their 45-42 win over Winnipeg last week as a 4-point favorite. The Lions have then covered the point spread in 5 of their last 7 games after a point spread loss. BC has also covered the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games played in July. The team will likely have the veteran Travis Lulay under center again with Jonathan Jennings still recovering with a bum shoulder. Considering that Lulay has passed for more than 400 yards in two straight games (and wins), BC has the luxury to wait until Jennings is 100% again before putting him back on the field. Moving forward, the Lions have covered the point spread in 4 straight games on the road.

Edmonton (4-0) remains the last undefeated team in the CFL with their 31-28 win at Hamilton last week. The Eskimos are then just 0-3-2 ATS in their last 5 games after a win. Edmonton has already been hit by the injury bug this year with the biggest loss being the season-ender to their top running back John White IV. Now the team has lost their slot receiver Adarius Bowman who was the top receiver in the CFL last year with 120 receptions for 1761 yards. Despite their perfect record, the Eskimos are only outscoring their opponents by +3.0 PPG. British Columbia is outscoring their opponents by +7.0 PPG. The Lions are just 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 games in the month of July. BC has also failed to cover the point spread in 6 of their last 8 games against West Division foes. And in their last 12 games at home, Edmonton has failed to cover the point spread in 9 of these games. 25* CFL West Division Game of the Month with the British Columbia Lions (373) plus the point(s) versus the Edmonton Eskimos (374). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:30 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Montreal Alouettes (371) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (372). Winnipeg (2-2) has lost two of their last three games with their 45-42 loss at British Columbia last Friday. The Blue Bombers were outscored by an 18-0 score in the 4th quarter to blow that game. Now Winnipeg returns home likely with a hangover which might be difficult for them to shake out of after such a collapse. As it is, the Blue Bombers have seen the Under go 12-5-2 in their last 19 games at home. They do have the league’s best run defense. On offense, they are averaging just 348.5 total YPG which is second-to-last in the CFL. Moving forward, the Under is 4-1-1 in Winnipeg’s last 6 games when playing on a Thursday.

Montreal (2-3) returns to action after enjoying a bye week. The Alouettes have lost three of their last four games with their 24-19 loss at Ottawa as a 4.5-point underdog back on July 19th. Montreal has then played 29 of their last 41 games Under the Total after a point spread loss — and the Under is 25-10-1 in their last 36 games after a straight-up loss. Offense has also been an issue for this team as they just slightly better than the Blue Bombers by averaging 371.6 total YPG which is 7th in the CFL. But defensive coordinator Noel Thorpe is doing a great job with his defense as the Alouettes lead the CFL by holding teams to just 21.8 PPG. Montreal has played 8 of their last 10 games Under the Total in the month of July. They have also played 6 straight games Under the Total on the road with the Total set in the 49.5-56 range. Furthermore, in the last 5 meetings between these two teams, the game finished Under the Total 4 times. Together, these team trends produce our specific 88-31-4 combined angle for this situation. Lastly, because the Alouettes suffered from a -2 net turnover margin in their last game against the Redblacks, the Under is supported by a situational angle that has been 63% effective since 1996. In games with the Total set in the 49.5 to 56 point range, when one team comes off a game where they had at least a -2 net turnover margin, these games finished Under the Total in 125 of the last 199 situations where these conditions applied. 25* CFL ESPN Total of the Month with Under the Total in the game between the Montreal Alouettes (371) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (372). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:30 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing Under the Total (2.0) in the match between Jamaica (7511) and the USMNT (7512). The USMNT (4-1-0) reached the Finals of the Gold Cup with their 2-0 victory over Costa Rica on Saturday. While that final result suggests a decisive victory for the Americans, that match was still scoreless after 70 minutes of play until Jozy Altidore scored at the 72nd minute mark. Clint Dempsey — on the pitch as a second-half substitute — then added the second and last goal ten minutes later. Despite controlling the ball for 57% of the match, the Stars and Stripes only attempted 10 shots. But Tim Howard was outstanding in goal for the USMNT to help the Yankees earn their third straight clean sheet. Team USA has allowed only three goals in five matches in this tournament. Expect the Stars and Stripes to play cautiously on their home soil in this Finals match. Depth is an advantage for this team — and this Finals match will have a 30 minute extra time before the contest resorts to a Penalty Kick resolution (as opposed to going directly to PKs after 90 minutes as all the matches in both Group Stage play as well as the Quarterfinals and Semifinals). Remember, Totals plays in soccer are evaluated after 90 minutes of play (and after the few minutes of potential time to accommodate the running clock). Furthermore, there is the issue of Dempsey likely to continue to come off the bench in this match. The forward may be looking to pass Landon Donovan for most goals by an American in international play for the USMNT but the 34-year old cannot be relied upon as a key piece in any potential 2018 World Cup team given his rising age. The Stars and Stripes may be content with not taking many chances until Dempsey takes the pitch sometime in the second-half.

Jamaica (3-2-0) reached the Finals of this tournament with their 1-0 upset win over Mexico on Sunday. This was an impressive victory for the Reggae Boyz who frustrated El Tri in their Group Stage match that ended in a 0-0 draw and continued to stymie the Mexicans even after they made adjustments in this rematch. Jamaica has a very fine back line led by three quality MLS players in Kemar Lawrence, Alvas Powell and Jermaine Taylor. They are experienced and play with discipline. Perhaps more importantly for international play, they are very comfortable playing with each other and offer the team great cohesion. Furthermore, Jamaica has an outstanding goalkeeper in Andre Blake who was the Man of the Match on Sunday with his five saves. The Philadelphia Union keeper was the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016. The Reggae Boyz have allowed only two goals in this tournament. And they have earned the opportunity to win this event despite scoring only six goals in their five matches. Jamaica is quite happy to muck things up on their end by playing with a buck mentality while taking sporadic chances on the counter-attack. Jamaica has been successful in imposing their style of play in this tournament. Expect another low-scoring match. 25* CONCACAF Gold Cup Total of the Year with Under the Total (2.0) in the match between Jamaica (7511) and the USMNT (7512). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:10 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Chicago Cubs (977) and the Chicago White Sox (978) listing both starting pitchers Jake Arrieta and James Shields. The Cubs (52-47) are playing much better baseball having won nine of their last eleven games with their 7-2 victory over the White Sox last night. The Under is then 13-5-1 in the Cubs’ last 19 games after a win. The Cubbies have also played 12 of their last 16 games on the road Under the Total — and this includes playing eight of their last eleven road games Under the Total against teams with a losing record. Much of the defending World Series’ success as of late can be attributed to improved starting pitching with Arrieta being one of the key contributors. In his four starts this month, the right-hander has a 2.13 ERA. And over his last two starts on the road, Arrieta has allowed only one earned run in 13 2/3 innings of work. The Cubs have played 6 of their last 8 road games Under the Total with Arrieta on the hill. He should fare well against this slumping White Sox team that is scoring only 2.6 Runs-Per-Game with a low .251 batting average along with a .290 On-Base Percentage and .656 OPS over their last seven games.

The White Sox (39-58) host the next two games of this four-game home-and-home cross-town series. They have not only played 7 of their last 10 games Under the Total after a loss but they have also played 6 of their last 7 games Under the Total after allowing at least five runs in their last game. The Under is also 3-0-1 in the White Sox’s last 4 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with James Shields who is 2-2 with a 5.79 ERA and 1.63 WHIP this season. The right-hander has struggled in his six starts since returning from the disabled list — but he has pitched better at home in Comiskey Park. The White Sox have played 10 of their last 14 games Under the Total at home with Shields making the start. It is Shields’ presence on the mound tonight that has helped push the Total to 9.5 to 10 for this contest. But the Cubs hit only .236 against right-handed starting pitchers with a low .307 On-Base Percentage. The Cubs have played 19 of their last 27 road games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, the Under is 5-1-1 in the Cubs’ last 7 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. 25* MLB ESPN Total of the Month is with Under the Total in the gam between the Chicago Cubs (977) and the Chicago White Sox (978) listing both starting pitchers Jake Arrieta and James Shields. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Tampa Bay Rays (918) versus the Baltimore Orioles (917) listing both starting pitchers Jacob Faria and Wade Miley. Baltimore (48-51) has won six of their last eight games with their 5-0 victory over the Rays last night. That was a good start for the Orioles’ six-game road trip — but they have then lost 21 of their last 30 road games after winning six or seven of their last eight games. Baltimore has also lost 23 of their last 32 games away from home. And in their last 27 games against teams with a winning record, the Orioles have lost 19 of these games. They give the ball to Miley who is 4-8 with a 5.56 ERA and 1.82 WHIP this season. The left-hander has particularly struggled on the road where he has been saddled with a 6.10 ERA, 1.87 WHIP and .312 opponent’s batting average in ten starts as compared to his 5.07 ERA, 1.77 WHIP and .289 opponent’s batting average in ten starts at home. The Orioles have lost 4 of their last 5 road games with Miley on the mound. He faces a Rays team that has won 4 of their last 5 games against left-handed starting pitchers.

Tampa Bay (51-49) has lost five straight games — but they have won 4 of their last 5 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. The Rays have also won 5 straight games against an opponent that did not allow more than two runs in their last contest. They counter with Jacob Faria who is 4-1 with a 2.52 ERA and 1.08 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he has a 2.45 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and .190 opponent’s batting average in three starts as compared to his 2.56 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and .231 opponent’s batting average in five starts on the road. Tampa Bay has won 6 of their 8 games with their rookie starting pitcher making the start. Faria should pitch well against this Orioles team that has lost 20 of their last 28 road games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, Baltimore has lost 15 of their last 20 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. 25* MLB American East Game of the Month with the money-line money-line on the Tampa Bay Rays (918) versus the Baltimore Orioles (917) listing both starting pitchers Jacob Faria and Wade Miley. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Baltimore Orioles (963) and the Tampa Bay Rays (964) listing both starting pitchers Kevin Gaussian and Blake Snell. Baltimore (47-51) looks to build off their 9-7 victory over the Astros yesterday afternoon. The Orioles have then played 6 straight games Over the Total after a win — and they have played 7 straight games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, Baltimore has played 9 of their last 13 road games Over the Total against teams with a winning record. They send out Gausman who is 6-7 with a 6.11 ERA and 1.75 WHIP this season. The right-hander has particularly struggled on the road where he has been saddled with a 7.98 ERA, 2.01 WHIP and .351 opponent’s batting average in nine starts on the road as compared to his 5.05 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and .291 opponent’s batting average in twelve starts at home. The Orioles have played 10 of their last 12 games Over the Total with Gausman pitching as a money-line favorite in the -100 to -150 price range. And while Gausman comes off a nice outing where he allowed just one earned run in 6 innings of work at home against the Rangers, Baltimore has then played 4 of their lease 5 games Over the Total with Gausman on the hill looking to follow up a Quality Start. He faces a Rays team that scores 4.9 Runs-Per-Game at home and who have played 9 of their last 12 home games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers.

Tampa Bay (51-48) has lost four straight games with their 6-5 loss to the Rangers yesterday. The Rays have then played 21 of their last 29 games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, Tampa Bay has played 11 straight games at home Over the Total against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. And in their last 47 games as an underdog, the Rays have played a decisive 30 of these games Over the Total. They counter with Blake Snell who is 0-5 with a 4.98 ERA and 1.63 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics call for things to immediately get even worse with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 5.48 and 5.32 moving forward. The right-hander has not been as effective at home either given his 5.40 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and .266 opponent’s batting average in four starts as compared to his 4.72 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and .246 opponent’s batting average in seven starts on the road. Tampa Bay has played 8 of their last 10 home games Over the Total with Snell on the hill. He faces a red hot Orioles offense that is scoring 7.7 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .326 batting average along with a .382 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .926 over that span. Lastly, the Orioles have played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. 25* MLB AL East Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Baltimore Orioles (963) and the Tampa Bay Rays (964) listing both starting pitchers Kevin Gaussian and Blake Snell. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the Chicago Cubs (914) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the St. Louis Cardinals (913) listing both starting pitchers Jose Quintana and Michael Wacha. Chicago (50-46) has won seven of their last eight games with their 3-2 victory over the Cardinals yesterday. The Cubs have won four of those seven games by at least four runs which inspires confidence in this Run-Line play. As it is, Chicago has won 5 of their last 6 games after a victory. The Cubs have also won 6 of their last 7 games against teams with a losing record. And in their last 19 home games against teams with a losing record, Chicago has won 13 of these contests. They send out Quintana who is 5-8 with a 4.20 ERA and 1.27 WHIP this season. The left-hander was spectacular in his first start with the Cubs after being traded from the White Sox as he allowed no earned runs while striking out 12 in 7 innings at Baltimore. Quintana has been locked-in over his last eight starts where he has produced a 2.30 ERA along with a 1.21 WHIP in 47 innings while striking out 57 batters.

St. Louis (47-50) will be playing their tenth game in a row on the road — and they have lost 25 of their last 37 games when having played at least six games away from home. The Cardinals have also lost 20 of their last 27 road games against teams with a winning record at home. And in their last 20 games against NL Central opponents, St. Louis has won 15 of these contests. They counter with Michael Wacha who is 7-3 with a 3.71 ERA and 1.33 WHIP this season. But while the right-hander has a strong 2.93 ERA along with a 1.22 WHIP and .240 opponent’s batting average in eleven starts at home, those numbers skyrocket to a 7.03 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .291 in his five starts on the road. Additionally, the Cardinals have lost 4 of their last 5 games with Wacha facing a team with a winning record. That is not a good sign when facing this Cubs team that has won 7 straight games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. Chicago has also won 5 of their last 6 games against right-handed starting pitchers. And while these team trends do not take into account the -1.5 Run-Line we are laying in this play, because the Cubs are hitting only .246 this season, they are supported by a historical angle that has been 71% effective since 1997. Favorites with a batting average no higher than .255 using a starting pitcher who did not surrender an earned run in his last start and now facing a National League starting pitcher with an ERA in the 3.70 to 4.20 range have then covered the -1.5 Run-Line in 43 of the last 61 situations where these conditions applied (when priced at -1.5 runs in the +135 to -190 price range). 25* MLB Sunday Night ESPN Run-Line of the Year with the Chicago Cubs (914) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the St. Louis Cardinals (913) listing both starting pitchers Jose Quintana and Michael Wacha. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:00 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing Over the Total in the match between the USMNT (35789) and Costa Rica (35790). The United States (3-1-0) reached the Semifinals of the 2017 Gold Cup with their 2-0 victory over El Salvador. The Stars and Stripes lead all teams in this tournament with nine goals in four matches — and they saw Gyasi Zardes’ goal scored in the Quarterfinals waved off from an incorrect offsides call (in hindsight). The offensive firepower of this team has significantly improved with manager Bruce Arena’s decisions to tap forwards Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore along with midfielders Michael Bradley and Darlington Nagbe to begin the Knockout Stage — so this is a roster that looks more like the one Arena hopes to see next summer in the World Cup. Tim Howard also took over in goal for Brad Guzan who joined his new team in the MLS (Atlanta United). But despite that clean sheet on Wednesday, the USMNT looked shaky on defense against El Salvador who blew a handful of strong scoring chances.

Costa Rica (3-1-0) reached the Semifinals of this tournament with their 1-0 victory over Panama on Wednesday. Los Ticos won that game due to Panama actually scoring an own-goal at the 77th minute mark. Costa Rica has only scored five goals — by players in their own uniforms — in this tournament. They also made four players changes for the Knockout State of this event which included losing their 24-year old star forward Joel Campbell who suffered a knee injury that may keep him on the shelf for six months. Los Ticos got some great goaltending from their keeper Patrick Pemberton on Wednesday against Panama in what was his third clean sheet in their last four matches. Those are some of the reasons why the Total is posted just at 2 for this Semifinals match. But there are reasons to suspect that Costa Rica can increase their offensive productivity if need be tonight. They did collect a healthy ten shots against Panama with five of them on target. This is a counter-attacking team that has not scored more goals because they have not needed to — they have won three of their four matches with the fourth resulting in a 1-1 draw with Canada. The USMNT is not playing with cohesion right now — and that should facilitate a more open match where the loser is eliminated. 25* CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinals Total of the Year withOver the Total in the match between the USMNT (35789) and Costa Rica (35790). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Detroit Tigers (969) and the Minnesota Twins (970) listing both starting pitchers Jordan Zimmermann and Kyle Gibson. Detroit (43-51) has won five of their last seven games with their 6-3 victory in the first game of this series. The Tigers are swinging hot bats: over their last seven games, they are scoring 7.0 Runs-Per-Game with a .313 batting average along with a .382 On-Base Percentage and an .884 OPS. The Tigers have played 28 of their last 45 games on the road Over the Total. And in their last 18 games against fellow AL Central opponents, the Over is 11-5-2. They send out Zimmermann who is 6-7 with a 5.58 ERA and 1.49 WHIP this season. The right-hander has particularly struggled on the road where he has been saddled with a 6.29 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and .307 opponent’s batting average in ten starts as compared to his 4.75 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and .280 opponent’s batting average in eight starts at home. The Over is 3-0-1 in the Tigers’ last 4 road games with Zimmermann on the mound. He faces a Twins team that has scored 4.9 Runs-Per-Game this season against right-handed starting pitchers.

Minnesota (48-46) has played 7 of their last 10 games Over the Total after a loss. The Twins’ bullpen has been overworked by pitching 13 innings over their last three games — and they have then played a decisive 17 of their last 20 home games Over the Total when their bullpen has pitched at least 13 innings over a three-game stretch. Furthermore, the Over is 15-7-2 in Minnesota’s last 24 home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. They counter with Kyle Gibson who is 5-8 with a 6.29 ERA and 1.76 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been hit hard when at home where he has been saddled with a 7.20 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and .352 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as compared to his 5.31 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and .264 opponent’s batting average in eight starts on the road. The Over is 10-3-1 in the Twins’ last 14 home games with Gibson on the mound. Furthermore, Minnesota has played 4 of their last 5 home games Over the Total with Gibson on the mound. Lastly, the Over is 7-3-1 in the last 11 meetings between these two teams in Minnesota. 25* MLB AL Central Total Over the Total in the game between the Detroit Tigers (969) and the Minnesota Twins (970) listing both starting pitchers Jordan Zimmermann and Kyle Gibson. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:15 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the San Diego Padres (913) and the San Francisco Giants (914) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Cahill and Jeff Samardzija. San Diego (41-54) won the opening game of this series last night by a 5-2 score. The Padres have then played 5 straight games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The Over is also a decisive 19-5-2 in San Diego’s last 26 games against fellow NL West opponents. And in their last 4 road games against teams with a losing record at home, the Over is 3-0-1. They give the ball to Cahill who is 4-3 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.24 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been outstanding at home where he has a 0.72 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and .169 opponent’s batting average in four starts — but those numbers explode to a 5.01 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and .279 opponent’s batting average in six starts on the road. That is not a good sign when facing this Giants team that has seen the Over go 4-1-2 in their last 7 games against right-handed starting pitchers. Furthermore, the Padres have played a decisive 29 of their last 43 games as an underdog in the +110 to +150 price range.

San Francisco (37-60) has seen the Over go 4-1-1 in their last 6 games after a loss. The Over is also 5-0-1 in the Giants’ last 6 games against teams with a losing record. Additionally, the Over is 7-2-2 in San Francisco’s last 11 home games against teams with a losing record. And in their last 42 home games when listed as a big money-line favorite in the -151 to -200 price range, the Giants have played 28 of these games Over the Total. They counter with Jeff Samardzija who is 4-11 with a 4.86 ERA and 1.17 WHIP this season. The right-hander was not as effective at home last year for the Giants where he had a 1.28 WHIP and .262 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 1.14 WHIP and .238 opponent’s batting average on the road. This season, Samardjzija has a 1.20 WHIP at home as compared to his 1.15 WHIP when on the road. Of graver concern is that Samardzija is given up too many gopher balls. He has surrendered ten home runs in his last seven starts. Over his last two starts, Samardzija has been saddled with a 7.62 ERA along with a 1.73 WHIP. San Francisco has played 4 of their last 5 home games Over the Total with Samardzija on the mound. He faces a Padres team that has played 5 straight games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, the Over is 3-0-1 in the last 4 meetings between these two teams. 25* MLB National League West Total of the Month with Over the Total in the game between the San Diego Padres (913) and the San Francisco Giants (914) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Cahill and Jeff Samardzija. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:30 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing Under the Total (2.5) in the match between Honduras (47365) and Mexico (47366). Mexico (2-1-0) clinched winning Group C of this Gold Cup with their 2-0 victory over Curacao on Sunday. Despite that victory, El Tri has been far from dominant in this tournament — and at times they were dominated by the lesser opponent in that Curacao side. Manager Juan Carlos Osorio has changed his lineup significantly in each of the three matches so far in this event which has impacted in the ability of these younger players to develop chemistry. Mexico has scored only five combined goals in this tournament. But the encouraging sign for El Tri has that they have allowed only one goal so far in this tournament. Goalkeeper Jesus Corona was outstanding on Sunday with four saves including spectacular ones that preserved that clean sheet. Corona was on the roster of the “A-Team” that played in last month’s Confederation’s Cup. Corona is still fighting to earn the starting job on next year’s World Cup team so he should be on his game tonight.

Honduras (1-0-1) qualified as one of the two third place squads in the Quarterfinals of this tournament with their 0-0 draw with Canada last Friday. Los Catrachos earned their one victory with a forfeit over French Guinana who used a player that CONCACAF had not cleared to be able to play for the Honduras National Team. In practice, that 3-0 result for Los Catrachos was actually a 0-0 draw with the small island nation. Honduras has yet to score in this tournament but they have only allowed one goal. Manager Jorge Luis Pinto deploys a counter-attacking style so the game plan against Mexico will be to attempt to steal a low scoring contest. 25* CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals Total of the Year with Under the Total (2.5) in the match between Honduras (47365) and Mexico (47366). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:10 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the Seattle Mariners (968) plus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Yankees (967) listing both starting pitchers Felix Hernandez and Luis Severino. Seattle (48-48) has won six of their last seven games with their 4-1 win at Houston yesterday. The Mariners have then won 4 of their last 5 games after a victory. Seattle has also won 16 of their last 23 games after winning two of their last three games. Furthermore, the Mariners have won 10 of their last 13 opening games to a new series. And in their last 23 home games as an underdog, Seattle has won 16 of these contests. They send out Hernandez who is 5-3 with a 4.20 ERA and 1.44 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been better at home where he has a 3.82 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and .267 opponent’s batting average in six starts as compared to his 5.00 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and .342 opponent’s batting average in four starts on the road. Seattle has won 11 of their last 14 home games with King Hernandez facing a team with a winning record. He faces a New York team that has lost 16 of their last 22 games on the road. Additionally, the Yankees have lost 13 of their last 16 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

New York (48-45) has lost three of their last four games with their 6-1 loss in Minnesota yesterday. The Yankees have then lost 7 of their last 9 games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. New York has also lost 14 of their last 20 games on the road — and that includes losing 10 of their last 13 road games against teams with a winning record at home. They counter with Luis Severino who is 5-4 with a 3.40 ERA and 1.10 WHIP this season. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he has a 1.12 WHIP and .227 opponent’s batting average in ten starts as compared to his 1.08 WHIP and .220 opponent’s batting average in eight starts at home. The Yankees have lost 4 of their last 5 games on the road with Severino on the mound. He faces a Seattle team that has won 5 of their last 6 games on the road. Lastly, the Yankees have a team batting average of just .262 — and that helps place them into a historical “play-against” angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 76% effective since 1997. Severino comes off a start where he did not allow an earned run in 7 innings of work — and road favorites who do not hit better than .265 using a starting pitcher who did not allow more than one earned run in his last start now facing an American League team with an ERA of 4.20 to 4.70 have then failed to cover the +1.5 Run-Line in 50 of the last 66 situations (when priced at -1.5 Run-Line in the +160 to -115 price range) in 50 of the last 66 situations where these conditions applied. 25* MLB American League Run-Line Underdog of the Month with the Seattle Mariners (968) plus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Yankees (967) listing both starting pitchers Felix Hernandez and Luis Severino. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:00 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing El Salvador (29869) plus the 1.5 goals versus the USMNT (29870). The USMNT (2-1-0) won Group B by scoring a late goal on Saturday in their match with Nicaragua to pull out a 3-0 victory and seize first place by scoring one more goal in Group Stage play versus Panama. Manager Bruce Arena has since called in the proverbial “Pros from Dover” by adding six of the better players eligible for Team USA after using a roster of B-Team players in the Group Stage. Frankly, I hate this move — it is the type of maneuver that might placate short-sighted American fans but it misses the big picture. The six players are forwards Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, midfielders Michael Bradley and Darlington Nagbe and goalkeepers Tim Howard and Jesse Gonzalez. While this may look like a group of “All-Stars,” their addition to the pitch disrupts the cohesion with a group of younger players that they have not played with often in USMNT play. Bringing on the 35-year old Dempsey is infuriating. If Arena had his way, Landon Donovan would still be on the American roster — as if the plan was to have him involved in a significant way in next year’s World Cup. Like with Jurgen Klinsman’s correct decision to leave Donovan off the 2018 World Cup roster, the Stars and Stripes are in big trouble if they are relying on these aging (and mediocre) veterans. Altidore, Bradley and Nagbe are fine although there will be cohesion concerns in this match. Howard has been overrated for years and they have a keeper who is as good at this point in Brad Guzan who was let go to return to Atlanta United of the MLS. Now with these additions, the expectations are for the Yankees to win this tournament — especially with Mexico being made up younger players and Costa Rica leaving four of their better players off their Knockout State roster due to injuries. The Americans were already underperforming with the huge weight of high expectations which are made worse by being the host nation.

El Salvador (1-1-1) would love to pull the upset with this game being played in Philadelphia. The Cuscatlecos enter this match after a gritty 1-1 draw with Jamaica on Sunday in a game where they desperately needed some kind of result to advance. El Salvador controlled the ball for 54.1% of that match while outshooting the Reggae Boyz by a 10-8 margin. This is an experienced team that can play keep-away with the ball to create some nervy moments for the Americans. The team is led by a trio of MLSers who all play together for the New York Cosmos in Irvin Herrera, Andres Flores and Richard Menjivar. While this national team is still rebuilding after a 2013 game-fixing scandal tore things apart, this remains a proud soccer nation that typically qualifies for World Cups — although they are already eliminated from next summer’s event. The climb for 2022 has started with this tournament — and a competitive showing would go a long way to rebuild confidence with their fan base. The Americans will likely win — but it might take more than 90 minutes to resolve and a victory by more than one goal is unlikely. 25* CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals El Salvador (29869) plus the 1.5 goals versus the USMNT (29870). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:30 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Montreal Alouettes (351) and the Ottawa Redblacks (352). Montreal (2-2) enters this game coming off a 30-23 upset win over Calgary last Friday. The Alouettes now go on the road where they have played 7 straight games Under the Total when the Total is set in the 49.5-56 point range. Montreal has also played 14 of their last 19 road games Under the Total as an underdog getting 3.5 to 10 points. Additionally, the Alouettes have seen the Under go 17-5-1 in their last 23 games against teams with a losing record. And in their last 9 games in the month of July, Montreal has played 7 of these games Under the Total.

Ottawa (0-3-1) is desperate for a victory after their 23-21 win at Edmonton last Friday. The Redblacks have then played 9 of their last 12 games Under the Total after a straight-up loss. Additionally, the Under is 4-1-1 in Ottawa’s last 6 games in the month of July. Together, these team trends produce our specific 58-16-2 combined angle for this situation. 25* CFL East Division Total of the Month with Under the Total in the game between the Montreal Alouettes (351) and the Ottawa Redblacks (352). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 3:10 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the San Diego Padres (905) and the Colorado Rockies (906) listing both starting pitchers Clayton Richard and Jon Gray. Colorado (55-41) has won three straight games after their 9-7 victory over the Padres yesterday. The Total is elevated to the 11.5 range for this afternoon Getaway Game — but the Rockies have still played 6 of their last 8 games Under the Total at home in Coors Field. Colorado has also played 26 of their last 39 games Under the Total in the month of July. Additionally, the Under is 4-1-1 in the Rockies’ last 6 games against NL West opponents. They send out Gray who is 2-1 with a 6.23 ERA and 1.81 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics do call for immediate improvement in Gray’s numbers with a drop of more than 1 1/2 earned runs allowed per outing with his SIERA and xFIP of 4.47 and 4.03. The right-hander has been much better at home where he enjoys a 2.45 ERA as compared to his 9.00 ERA when on the road. The Rockies have played 4 of their last 5 home games Under the Total with Gray on the mound. He should fare well against this Padres team that has played 7 of their last 9 road games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers.

San Diego (40-53) has played 14 of their last 18 road games Under the Total after a game where at least 15 combined runs were scored. The Padres have also played 9 of their last 11 road games Under the Total. And in their last 32 games as an underdog of at least +150 with the money-line, San Diego has played 21 of these games Under the Total. They counter with Clayton Richard who is 5-9 with a 4.75 ERA and 1.52 WHIP this season. The left-hander has been more effective on the road where he has a 3.88 ERA along with a 1.39 WHIP in nine starts as compared to his 5.49 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in ten starts at home. The Padres have played 5 of their last 6 road games Under the Total with Richard on the mound. He faces a Colorado team that has played 11 of their last 16 games Under the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. Furthermore, the Under is 5-2-2 in the Rockies’ last 9 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, in the last 6 meetings between these two teams, the game finished Under the Total 5 times. 25* MLB Getaway Game Total of the Month with Under the Total in the game between the San Diego Padres (905) and the Colorado Rockies (906) listing both starting pitchers Clayton Richard and Jon Gray. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:10 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers (975) and the Chicago White Sox (976) listing both starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Miguel Gonzalez. Chicago (38-52) has lost four straight games after their 7-6 loss to Seattle on Sunday. The White Sox are slumping with their bats — over their last seven games, they are scoring just 3.4 Runs-Per-Game with a .211 batting average along with a .259 On-Base Percentage and a .628 OPS. That is not a good sign when having to face Kershaw tonight. As it is, Chicago is hitting only .198 over their last five games — and they have then played 13 of their last 14 home games Under the Total after not hitting at least .200 in their last five games. The White Sox have also played 8 of their last 11 games Under the Total against teams with a winning percentage over 60%. Additionally, the Under is 3-1-2 in Chicago’s last 6 home games against teams with a winning record on the road. They give the ball to Gonzalez who is 4-8 with a 5.15 ERA and 1.50 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 3.98 ERA along with a 1.26 WHIP and .242 opponent’s batting average in five starts at home as compared to his 5.94 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and .313 opponent’s batting average in eight starts on the road. The White Sox have played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total with Gonzalez facing a team with a winning record. Los Angeles has played 4 straight games Under the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. And in their last 11 games against a right-handed starting pitcher, the Under is 7-2-2.

Los Angeles (64-29) has won nine straight games with their 3-2 win in Miami on Sunday. The Angels have then seen the Under go 4-1-1 in their last 6 games after a victory. The Under is also 3-1-1 in the Marlins’ last 5 games on the road. And in their last 7 games in Interleague play, the Under is 5-1-1. They give the ball to their ace Clayton Kershaw who is 14-2 with a 2.18 ERA and 0.88 WHIP this season. The left-hander has been sensational over his last thirteen starts where he is a perfect 10-0 with a 1.98 ERA and an opponent’s batting average of .187 while striking out 115 batters and issues only 15 walks over that span. Kershaw has been more effective on the road where he has a 1.79 ERA in eight starts as comported to his 2.45 ERA in eleven starts at home. The Dodgers have seen the Under go 14-6-1 in their last 21 road games with Kershaw on the mound. Lastly, the White Sox have played 4 straight home games Under the Total in Interleague play against left-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB Total of the Month with Under the Total in the game between the Under the Total in the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers (975) and the Chicago White Sox (976) listing both starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Miguel Gonzalez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (916) versus the Toronto Blue Jays (915) listing both starting pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez and Marcus Stroman. Boston (52-41) snapped a two-game losing streak last night with their 3-0 victory over the Yankees for Sunday Night Baseball. The Red Sox have then won 28 of their last 40 games after dropping two of their last three games. Boston stays at home where they have won 15 of their last 22 games — and they have won 35 of their last 51 home games against teams with a losing record. Additionally, the Red Sox have lost 5 of their last 6 games against teams with a losing record. And in their last 6 opening games to a new series, Boston has won 5 of these contests. They send out Rodriguez who is 4-2 with a 3.54 ERA and 1.15 WHIP this season. The left-hander comes off the disabled list after pitching well last Sunday in his last rehab start where he allowed only one earned run in 6 1/3 innings of work. Rodriguez has a strong 1.56 ERA in three starts at home this season as compared to his 4.33 ERA in seven starts on the road. The Red Sox have won 7 of their last 9 home games with Rodriguez facing a team with a losing record. He should fare well against this Blue Jays team that has lost 15 of their last 21 games against left-handed starting pitchers.

Toronto (42-49) has lost three of their last four games with their 6-5 loss in Detroit yesterday. The Blue Jays have then lost 6 of their last 7 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Additionally, Toronto is hitting just .196 over their last three games — and they have then lost 12 of their last 15 games after failing to hit at least .200 as a team over their last three games. They counter with Marcus Stroman who is 9-5 with a 3.28 ERA and 1.26 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been less effective on the road where he has a 4.54 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and .276 opponent’s batting average in eight starts on the road as compared to his 2.70 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and .261 opponent’s batting average in ten starts at home. The Blue Jays have lost 7 of their last 9 road games with Stroman facing a team with a winning record. 25* MLB Monday ESPN Game of the Month with the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (916) versus the Toronto Blue Jays (915) listing both starting pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez and Marcus Stroman. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 1:35 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (960) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (959) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Williams and Carlos Martinez. Pittsburgh (43-47) had won six of their last seven games before suffering a 4-0 loss to the Cardinals last night. The Pirates have then won 5 of their last 6 games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. Furthermore, Pittsburgh has won 5 of the last 7 games against teams with a losing record. They send out Williams who is 3-4 with a 4.80 ERA and 1.27 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been much better at home where he has a 4.54 ERA along with a strong 1.06 WHIP and .226 opponent’s batting average in six starts as compared to his 5.13 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and .283 opponent’s batting average in six starts on the road. The Pirates have won 5 of their last 7 games with Williams on the mound pitching the third game of a series.

St. Louis (43-46) has won three of their last four games after yesterday’s victory — but they have lost 4 of their last 5 games after a win. The Cardinals have also lost 10 of their last 14 road games against teams with a losing record. They counter with Carlos Martinez who is 6-8 with a 3.40 ERA and 1.16 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics do call for some immediate regression with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 3.87 and 3.68 moving forward. Additionally, the right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he has a 4.13 ERA along with a 1.33 WHIP and .227 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 2.90 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and .198 opponent’s batting average in ten starts at home. The Cardinals have lost 4 of their last 5 games with Martinez on the mound. Together, these team trends produce our specific 33-11 combined angle for this situation. 25* MLB NL Central Underdog of the Month with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (960) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (959) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Williams and Carlos Martinez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:00 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing Under the Total in the match between Nicaragua (10314) and the USMNT (10313). The USMNT (1-1-0) will not know what result they need until the conclusion of the Panama-Martinique contest that is the first Gold Cup match in Cleveland this afternoon. The Stars and Stripes are tied with Panama with 4 points in Group B play — and they have the tie-break advantage with four goals scored as compared to the three goals scored by Panama in these games. It may very well be the case that the Americans will be happy to play conservative to ensure the 1 point from a draw. One likely event for tonight is better play from goalkeeper Brad Guzan. Guzan allowed two soft goals on Wednesday in the USMNT’s 3-2 victory over Martinique. Guzan is a quality keeper and should play better tonight. The Yankees have allowed three goals in these games while scoring four times — which makes the 3 1/2 Total for this match seemingly a bit high. Perhaps the Total has been moved up given the possible need for the USA to score goals to ensure first place in Group B. But this team is not playing with much cohesion having little experience playing with each other. Manager Bruce Arena is using this tournament to give playing time to his entire roster as an audition for next summer’s World Cup.

Nicaragua (0-0-2) lost their second straight match in this Gold Cup with their 2-1 setback to Panama on Wednesday. Los Pinoleros have only scored once in this tournament. And while they have demonstrated vulnerabilities on defense, their best chance for a victory in this match would be to play cautiously and hope to escape with a 1-0 victory. While Nicaragua is desperate for a victory to hold out hope to qualify as one of the two 3rd place entries into the Quarterfinals, they entered this event looking to play aggressively with nothing to lose — and that has only resulted in their one lone goal. 25* FIFA Gold Cup Group B Total of the Year with Under the Total in the match between Nicaragua (10314) and the USMNT (10313). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:00 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing Under the Total in the match between Mexico (24266) and Jamaica (24267). Jamaica (1-0-0) stepped up with two goals in the second half on Sunday to secure a 2-0 victory over a Curacao side that had defeated them less than three weeks ago in the Finals of the Caribbean Cup. With 3 points under their belts, the Reggae Boyz are in a very good position to advance to the Knockout Stage — and the point they would secure from a draw would be very valuable. This is a team that thrives on playing cautious with most of their players protecting the back end. Jamaica boasts three strong defenders in Jermaine Taylor, Alvas Powell and Kemar Lawrence who all star in the MLS. Furthermore, the Reggae Boyz have an outstanding goalkeeper in Andrew Blake was awarded the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award in 2016. Blake was sensational on Sunday in that match with Curacao as he made six saves against them including three that were Sports Center worthy.

Mexico (1-0-0) might be content with a draw (1-1?) as well after their 3-1 victory over El Salvador on Sunday. That match was a bit nervy for El Tri early until they exposed a vulnerability on defense of Los Cuscatlecos. That is not a weakness from which the Reggae Boyz also suffer. This is a difficult match for Mexico as they tend to struggle against teams that have a direct style with a quick pace that Jamaica does. Mexico dominated El Salvador by controlling the ball for 66.3% of that match. And while El Tri did defeat the Reggae Boyz in the 2015 Finals of the Gold Cup by a 3-1 score, that match involved the best of what the Mexican National team has to offer while this roster is made of their B-team of younger players looking to prove themselves worthy of their 2018 World Cup squad. Expect a lower scoring match. 25* FIFA Gold Cup Group Stage Total of the Year with Under the Total in the match between Mexico (24266) and Jamaica (24267). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:30 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (372) minus the points versus the Toronto Argonauts (371). Winnipeg (1-1) looks to bounce-back from a rough 29-11 loss at home to Calgary as a 3.5-point underdog last Friday. The Blue Bombers have rebounded to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games after a point spread loss. Quarterback Matt Nichols will look to redeem himself after tossing two interceptions in that game. But remember that Winnipeg has still won eleven of their last fifteen games going back to last season since Nichols took over as their starter under center. And the Blue Bombers’ defense has continued to be great at forcing turnovers. After leading the CFL by far with 30 interceptions, Winnipeg so far leads the league (despite being one of the three teams to have a bye week) with four interceptions. Moving forward, the Blue Bombers have covered the point spread in 6 straight games against teams with a winning record.

Toronto (2-1) comes off a 26-25 upset win at Ottawa last Saturday as a 4.5-point favorite. Now the Argonauts stay on the road while playing on a short-week just five days since their last game. As it is, Toronto has failed to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games after a straight-up win — and they have failed to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 5 games after a point spread victory. Additionally, not only has the Argonauts failed to cover the point spread in 9 of their last 12 games as an underdog but they have failed to cover the point spread in five straight games when getting 3 points or less as the dog. Furthermore, Toronto has failed to cover the point spread in 6 of their last 7 games on the road. And in their last 11 games against West Division foes, the Argos have failed to cover the point spread in 9 of these games. Together, these team trends produce our specific 42-9 ATS combined angle for this situation. 25* CFL Game of the Month with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (372) minus the points versus the Toronto Argonauts (371). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:30 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing Martinique (94090) plus +2.0 goals versus the USMNT (94091). The USMNT (0-1-0) did not look particularly good on Saturday in their 1-1 draw with Panama. After taking a 1-0 lead with a goal from Dom Dwyer at the 50th minute mark, the Stars and Stripes were outplayed the rest of the way starting with a ten-minute stretch where Los Canaleros were completely dominant which was culminated with a tying goal from Miguel Camargo. We had the Yankees in that match on the heels of their impressive victory over Ghana in a friendly back on July 1st. In retrospect, the lack of urgency in that match prior to this competition may have given this USMNT too much confidence. This remains the second tier group of players for a national team that fired their manager Jurgen Klinsman last Fall. And while Bruce Arena has a track record as a previous manager of the Stars and Stripes, he has his limitations. Now the Americans enter this second match in Group B play as heavy favorites despite shaky play from their back end defense. This team committed too many turnovers against Panama — and they were too soft. If not for the outstanding play from their underrated keeper Brad Guzan, they may have very well lost that match. With three matches being played in eight days in the summer heat in the southern parts of the United States (this match is in Tampa), Arena is likely to play plenty of substitutes in this match which includes possibly not relying on Guzan tonight. Frankly, when handicapping other sports, poor efforts can often be classified as outlier performances. In tournament soccer play, the recency effect tends to provide more accurate evidence as to what to expect moving forward. This USMNT lacks cohesion playing together yet have the pressure of expectations despite lacking real accomplishments together. They are an unreliable heavy favorite at this point — and playing on their home soil may only contribute to their nerves.

Martinique (1-0-0) surprised on Saturday with a decisive 2-0 victory over Nicaragua. They displayed plenty of offensive mettle with nineteen shots with eleven of those directly on target. Now emboldened with 3 points and a clear path to the Quarterfinals, Les Matinino’s will be very motivated and confident to pull a huge upset against the North American hegemons. Like Panama, Martinique will bring a physical style of play to the pitch tonight. This side committed 22 fouls while getting whistled for four Yellow Cards in their win on Saturday. This is a formidable challenge for a young American team that looked soft in their match with Panama. With many players experienced with played in the French Ligue-2 professional league against European competition, Les Martininos will not be intimidated to face a young Stars and Stripes team made up of MLSers. Martinique is not a member of FIFA but they qualified for this tournament with a Semifinals run in the Caribbean Cup where they lost to Curacao by a 2-1 score. I expect a close match that the Americans probably win by a goal — and while a Push is certainly possible, I do not see the Yankees winning by three or more goals. 25* FIFA Gold Cup Group Stage Match of the Year with Martinique (94090) plus +2.0 goals versus the USMNT (94091). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:00 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing Honduras (46196) minus the -1.5 goals versus French Guiana (46195). Honduras (0-0-1) will be desperate for a victory tonight after their tough-luck 1-0 loss to Costa Rica on Friday. Los Catrachos lost that match despite winning the possession battle against the favorites to win Group A by a 55% to 45% margin. They also outshot Los Ticos by a 15 to 9 divide. This was an impressive effort for this Honduras side that won the 2017 Copa Centramericana earlier this year. Remember, Costa Rica still has many of the core players that played a key role in their Quarterfinals run in the 2014 World Cup with Captain Bryan Ruiz  and forward (and Arsenal property in the English Premier League) Joel Campbell still the heart of this team. With Canada also earning a 4-2 win on Friday, Honduras now faces not only a must-win match but they will be motivated to produce a big result — so they will be inspired to win by as many goals as possible with goal differential being a key tie-breaker. Los Catrachos should enjoy a bit of a home crowd advantage with this match being played in Houston. Furthermore, three of their players play for the Houston Dynamo MLS squad in Boniek Garcia, Alberth Ellis and Romell Quito.

French Guiana also faces a must-win situation after they lost to Canada by that 4-2 score. Surrendering four goals to a Les Rouges side not known for their scoring prowess raises questions about the quality of their back line. French Guinana are the minnows of this tournament playing in their first ever Gold Cup. This South American team is not an official member of FIFA — they qualified for this event by finishing in 3rd Place in the Caribbean Cup this year where they lost to Jamaica in the Semifinals. That was the first time they ever advanced out of the Group Stage of that tournament. The majority of their players either play for their national professional league or in the lower leagues in France. Facing this Honduras side that has competed in the last two World Cups is a big step up in competition. Les Yana Dokos will have to  play aggressive as well since they will need at least some kind of result to keep their hopes alive of advancing to the Quarterfinals. 25* FIFA Gold Cup Group A Match of the Year with Honduras (46196) minus the -1.5 goals versus French Guiana (46195). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the Cleveland Indians (924) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the Detroit Tigers (923) listing both starting pitchers Corey Kluber and Michael Fulmer. Detroit (38-48) has lost two straight games as well as five of their last seven contests with their 4-0 loss to the Indians yesterday. The Tigers have then lost 6 of their last 7 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. Detroit has also lost 4 of their last 5 road games against teams with a losing record at home. They give the ball to Fulmer who is 8-6 with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP this season. The Tigers have lost 4 of their last 5 road games with Fulmer on the mound against teams with a winning record. He faces an Indians team that has won 5 of their last 7 games against right-handed starting pitchers.

Cleveland (47-39) has won five of their last seven games — and they have won 8 of their last 11 games after allowing two runs or less in their last game. They counter with Corey Kluber who is 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 0.97 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he has a 2.60 ERA and .201 opponent’s batting average in eight starts as compared to his 3.27 ER and .208 opponent’s batting average in five starts on the road. The Indians have won 21 of their last 29 home games with Kluber facing a team with a losing record. Cleveland has also won 11 of their last 12 games overall when Kluber was matched up against a team with a losing record. Detroit has lost 20 of their last 27 road games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Tigers have also lost 5 straight games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. Lastly, while these team trends do not take into account the -1.5 Run-Line we are laying in this game, because the Indians score 4.9 Runs-Per-Game, they are supported by a Run-Line specific angle that has been 59% effective since 1997. Home teams that score 4.4 to 4.9 Runs-Per-Game coming off a game where they did not allow more than one run and now face a starting pitcher with an ERA of 3.50 or lower have then covered the -1.5 Run-Line in 116 of the last 196 situations where these conditions applied. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break AL Central Run-Line of the Year with Cleveland Indians (924) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the Detroit Tigers (923) listing both starting pitchers Corey Kluber and Michael Fulmer. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:10 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Arizona Diamondbacks (962) versus the Cincinnati Reds (961) listing both starting pitchers Taijuan Walker and Luis Castillo. Arizona (53-34) looks to build off the momentum of their 6-3 win over the Reds last night. The Diamondbacks have then won 23 of their last 31 games after a victory. Arizona has also won 28 of their last 36 home games against teams with a losing record. They give the ball to Walker tonight who is 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.34 WHIP this season. The right-hander comes off a strong outing where he allowed only two runs while striking out eight in 7 innings of work against Colorado — and the Diamondbacks have won 5 straight games with Walker looking to follow up a Quality Start. Arizona has also won 5 of their last 6 games at home with Walker on the mound. Additionally, the Diamondbacks have won 8 of their last 9 games with Walker pitching at night. And in their last 8 games with Walker pitching with the Total set in the 8-8.5 range, Arizona has won all 8 occasions. He should fare well against this Reds team that has lost 4 of their last 5 games against right-handed starting pitchers.

Cincinnati (37-49) has lost four of their last six games — and they have now lost 24 of their last 31 games on the road. The Reds have also lost 4 of their last 5 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home And while the Diamondbacks strand 6.8 runners per game, Cincinnati has lost 29 of their last 40 games against teams that do not strand more than 6.9 runners per game. They counter with Luis Castillo who is 0-1 with a 4.41 ERA and 1.71 WHIP in his first three Major League starts this season. The rookie has struggled in his two starts in a hostile environment where he has a 5.06 ERA, 1.88 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .326. That is not a good sign when facing this Arizona team that has won 28 of their last 39 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, the Diamondbacks have won 37 of their last 54 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Television Game of the Year with the money-line on the Arizona Diamondbacks (962) versus the Cincinnati Reds (961) listing both starting pitchers Taijuan Walker and Luis Castillo. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:00 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the Toronto Argonauts (355) plus the points versus the Ottawa Redblacks (356). Toronto (1-1) looks to bounce-back from a 28-15 upset loss to British Columbia as a 1.5-point favorite last Friday. This was a disappointing effort for former Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman who had his team look outstanding in his first game back in the Canadian Football League in a 32-15 blowout victory over Hamilton. Look for the Argonauts to play much better against the reigning Grey Cup Champions tonight. The marriage between Trestman who has been long considered a quarterback guru with veteran Ricky Ray continued to be fruitful last week even in defeat. The 37-year old completed 30 of 45 passes for 327 yards and he is overseeing an offense that leads the CFL in passing yards. Toronto is also getting improved play from their defensive unit under new defensive coordinator Corey Chamblin. The former Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach — who led them to a Grey Cup in that capacity — has dialed up the complexity of the coverage schemes and blitz packages. While Toronto was just 5-13 last season, that record needs to be taken with a grain of salt given another injury-riddled campaign for Ray. When the veteran is healthy and on the field as he is now, the Argos are a much better team considering that Ray is now the Dean of all CFL quarterbacks. Furthermore, Toronto has covered the point spread in 6 of their last 7 games played in the month of July.

Ottawa (0-1-1) completed their initial home-and-home swing with Calgary in a rematch of last November’s Grey Cup with a 43-39 loss on the Stampeders home field. Expect the Redblacks to suffer an emotional letdown after these two initial contests. As it is, while Ottawa did cover the 7.5-point spread in that game, they have then failed to cover the point spread in 6 of their last 8 games after a point spread cover. The Redblacks lost five starters from the defensive unit that started in last year’s Grey Cup so this is a team in transition. They were also a team that benefited from the weak East Division — they were actually outgained in yardage during the 2016 season but won the division with their 8-9 record. Moving forward, Ottawa has failed to cover the point spread in 5 of their last 7 games in the month of July. Additionally, the Redblacks have failed to cover the point spread in 6 of their last 7 games when favored in the 3.5 to 10 point range. 25* CFL East Division Game of the Month with the Toronto Argonauts (355) plus the points versus the Ottawa Redblacks (356). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Texas Rangers (920) with the money-line versus the Los Angeles Angels (919) listing both starting pitchers Cole Hamels and Ricky Nolasco. Los Angeles (44-45) snapped their three-game losing streak on Wednesday with their 2-1 win in Minnesota. But the Angels have then lost 7 of their last 9 games after a victory. Los Angeles has also lost 8 of their last 10 games after allowing two runs or less in their last game. Additionally, the Angels have lost 5 of their last 6 games on the road against teams with a losing record. They send out Nolasco who is 4-9 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.33 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been less effective on the road where he has a 1.40 WHIP and .286 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as compared to his 1.26 WHIP and .260 opponent’s batting average in eight starts at home. Los Angeles has lost 6 of their last 7 road games with Nolasco on the mound. Furthermore, the Angels have lost 9 straight games when Nolasco is pitching with five days of rest.

Texas (41-44) has won 9 of their last 13 games against a team that did not score more than two runs in their last game. They snapped their three game losing streak on Wednesday with their 8-2 victory over the Red Sox. The Rangers have won a decisive 39 of their last 58 home games against teams with a losing record on the road — and they have also won thirteen of their last seventeen home games against teams with a losing record overall. Additionally, Texas has won 51 of their last 79 games when favored in the -110 to -150 price range. And while the Rangers may be undermanned tonight with Elvis Andrus on maternity leave and Rougned Odor and Joey Gallo perhaps out after suffering knocks on Wednesday, they still can rely on the strong arm of Cole Hamels. The left-hander is 3-0 with a 4.12 ERA and 1.17 WHIP this season. Hamels has been more effective at home where he owns a 3.05 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and .211 opponent’s batting average in three starts at home as compared to his 5.09 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and .233 opponent’s batting average in four starts on the road. Texas has won 12 of their last 13 home games with Hamels on the hill. Lastly, the Angels have lost 4 straight games against left-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break AL West Game of the Year with the money-line on the Texas Rangers (920) with the money-line versus the Los Angeles Angels (919) listing both starting pitchers Cole Hamels and Ricky Nolasco. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:10 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Minnesota Twins (966) versus the Baltimore Orioles (965) listing both starting pitchers Jose Berrios and Dylan Bundy. Minnesota (43-41) comes off winning their last series with the Angels but they look to bounce-back from their 2-1 loss to Los Angeles last night. The Twins have won 11 of their last 16 games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. Minnesota is scoring 4.9 Runs-Per-Game over their last seven games with a .278 batting average along with a .356 On-Base Percentage and an OPS of .748 over that span. The Twins have also won 27 of their last 46 games played at night. They give the ball to Berrios who is 7-2 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP this season. The right-hander rookie phenom has been particularly tough at home where he owns a 2.51 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and .167 opponent’s batting average in four starts at home as compared to his more modest 4.17 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and .246 opponent’s batting average in six starts on the road. The Twins have won 5 straight games with Berrios facing a team with a losing record. He should fare well against this Baltimore team that has lost 11 straight games against American League teams with a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.10 for lower. Furthermore, the Orioles have lost 15 of their last 19 road games against right-handed starting pitchers.

Baltimore (40-44) has lost three straight games as well as five of their last six games after their 4-0 loss in Milwaukee last night. That was the Orioles’ second time over their last eight games where they were shut-out while scoring just 2.38 Runs-Per-Game over that span. Baltimore is also hitting only .215 batting average with a .250 On-Base Percentage and a .589 OPS over their last seven games. The Orioles have lost 4 of their last 5 games after scoring two runs or less in their last game. Baltimore has also lost 21 of their last 27 games on the road. And in their last 31 games against teams with a winning record, the Orioles have lost 23 of these games. They counter with Dylan Bundy who is 8-7 with a 4.02 ERA and 1.24 WHIP this season. The right-hander has struggled as of late with a 2-4 record over his last six starts while being saddled with a 6.61 ERA. Buddy has not been as effective on the road where he has a 4.20 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and .253 opponent’s batting average in eight starts as compared to his 3.86 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and .250 opponent’s batting average in nine starts at home. The Orioles have lost 4 of their last 5 games with Bundy facing a team with a losing record. Lastly, the Twins have won 7 of their last 9 games against right-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Game of the Year with the money-line on the Minnesota Twins (966) versus the Baltimore Orioles (965) listing both starting pitchers Jose Berrios and Dylan Bundy. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:40 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Colorado Rockies (908) versus the Cincinnati Reds (907) listing both starting pitchers Jon Gray and Scott Feldman. Colorado (49-37) looks to bounce-back from their 8-1 loss to the Reds last night. The Rockies have lost eleven of their last thirteen games — but ten of those games were on the road. This is Colorado’s third game back at home in Coors Field since June 22nd — and they have won 8 of their last 11 games at home. The Rockies have also won 5 of their last 6 home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. Furthermore, Colorado has won 14 of their last 21 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. They give the ball to Gray who is 1-0 with a 3.93 ERA and 1.42 WHIP this season. The right-hander looked good in his first start since being on the shelf for 2 1/2 months with a stress fracture in his foot has he allowed only two runs in 6 innings of work in Arizona while striking out 10 Diamondback hitters. In his lone start at home this season, Gray allowed only one run in 5 1/3 innings of work against the Dodgers. Last season, Gray was more effective at home where he owned a 4.30 ERA along with a 1.12 WHIP and .241 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 4.91 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and .245 opponent’s batting average when on the road. The deeper sabermetics for Gray were bullish on the young phenom with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 3.72 and 3.61 respectively. The Rockies have won 4 of their last 5 home games with Gray on the mound. He should fare well against this Reds team that has lost 19 of their last 26 road games against right-handed starting pitchers.

Cincinnati (36-47) has lost 5 of their last 7 games after a win. The Reds have also lost 5 of their last 7 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. They counter with Scott Feldman who is 7-5 with a 3.78 ERA and 1.27 WHIP this season. The sabermetrics do call for immediate regression given his SIERA and xFIP of 4.43 and 4.08 respectively. The right-hander has also struggled on the road where he has a 4.74 ERA along with a 1.49 WHIP and .298 opponent’s batting average in eight starts as compared to his 3.00 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and .215 opponent’s batting average in nine starts at home. He faces a Colorado team that clubs the baseball at home — the Rockies score 5.7 Runs-Per-Game with a .290 batting average along with a .342 On-Base Percentage and .816 OPS in Coors Field. Cincinnati has lost 22 of their last 28 games on the road — and they have lost 10 of their last 13 road games against teams with a winning record at home. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break National League Game of the Year with the money-line on the Colorado Rockies (908) versus the Cincinnati Reds (907) listing both starting pitchers Jon Gray and Scott Feldman. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (969) and the Texas Rangers (970) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Yu Darvish. Boston (48-35) has won five games in a row with their 7-5 victory over the Rangers last night. The Red Sox are swinging hot bats right now: over their last seven games, they are scoring 7.4 Runs-Per-Game with a .308 batting average along with an On-Base Percentage of .401 and an OPS of .859. Boston has played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total on the road. The Red Sox have also played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total against teams with a losing record. They send out Price who is 3-2 with a 4.61 ERA and 1.27 WHIP this season. The left-hander has not been as effective on the road where he has been saddled with a 5.32 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and .244 opponent’s batting average in four starts on the road as compared to his 3.79 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and .222 opponent’s batting average in three starts at home. Boston has played 9 of their last 13 road games Over the Total with Price on the mound. And while Price comes off a solid outing where he allowed three earned runs in 7 innings of work against the Twins, the Red Sox have played 11 of their last 12 games Over the Total with Price looking to follow up a Quality Start.

Texas (40-43) has now lost two straight games as well as five of their last six games. The Rangers have played 5 of their last 6 games Over the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Texas has also played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Furthermore, not only is the Over 15-5-1 in the Rangers’ last 21 games at home but the Over is also a decisive 37-15-4 in Texas’ last 56 home games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Yu Darvish who is 6-6 with a 3.11 ERA and 1.08 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics do call for immediate regression with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 3.86 and 3.79 moving forward. Dervish has not been nearly as effective at home either where he has a 3.81 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and .216 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as compared to his 2.32 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and .191 opponent’s batting average in eight starts on the road. The Over is 5-0-2 in the Rangers’ last 7 home games with Darvish on the hill. Lastly, the Red Sox have played 4 of their last 5 road games Over the Total when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break ESPN Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (969) and the Texas Rangers (970) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Yu Darvish. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:00 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing Chile (5860) as a pick ‘em versus Germany (5859). Chile raised their level of play on Wednesday with their Semifinals match with Portugal which they won after a scoreless 120 minutes of play with a dominant 3-0 victory via Penalty Kicks. This was a huge victory for La Roja who proved themselves more than capable against the reigning European Champions. The most impressive aspect of their victory was their commitment to disciplined play on defense which has sometimes been a weakness for this side. They also won the possession battle against Cristiano Ronaldo and company by a 56%-44% mark. Frankly, I have thought that Portugal has been playing better soccer this summer than they did for most of their Euro 2016 run — so this is big. Remember, this Chile team was spending last summer successfully defending their Copa America championship against Argentina. With those victories as well as their win over the Selaccao, La Roja has cemented their place as one of the best five teams in the world. This is an aging squad — but the extra day of rest will help for this Finals match. The time is now for this Chile team to seize this championship.

Germany earned their spot in the Finals by routing Mexico by a 4-1 score on Thursday. Die Mannschaft won that match with rising star Leon Goretzka scoring twice in the first eight minutes of play. But this young German team did look vulnerable — they were outplayed for most of the rest of that first half. If El Tri could have managed to score a goal before halftime, that could have been a much different result. Mexico won the possession battle by a 57%-43% mark. I am pleasantly surprised to see the Germans as small money-line favorites as a pick ‘em in this match. While they are talented, the so-called “B Team” representing the German National team lacks big game experience on the biggest stages of international play. This is a side that is not nearly as cohesive playing together as La Roja — they only started practicing together ten days before the tournament started. Chile has a big edge in terms of team chemistry — and they also retain a huge advantage in terms of experience in pressure situations like this. Lastly, make no mistake about it: the best two players on the pitch this afternoon will be La Roja’s Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal. Furthermore, Chile owns an edge in goal with Claudio Bravo who can been erratic at times but who was in complete form on Wednesday after stopping all three penalty kicks he faced. This is a rematch from their 1-1 draw in Group Stage play back on June 22nd. I don’t take too much stock in that result since both sides were content with the draw by the second half as it positioned them to advance to the Knockout Stage. Chile did outshoot the Germans by an 11-9 mark while missing some big chances late. I think there is a very good chance that Chile wins this match in regulation with a tie score requiring extra time (and a Push for our bet) the next likely result. 25* FIFA Confederations Cup Match of the Year with Chile (5860) as a pick ‘em versus Germany (5859). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (952) versus the San Francisco Giants (951) listing both starting pitchers Gerrit Cole and Johnny Cueto. San Francisco (37-42) has won two straight games with their 4-0 win over Tampa Bay yesterday. The Pirates have then won 4 of their last 5 games after allowing no more than two earned runs in their last game. Pittsburgh stays at home where they have 7 of their last 10 home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. The Giants are just 13-30 on the road this season — and they are only scoring 3.8 Runs Per Game. The Pirates have won a decisive 38 of their last 50 games against National League teams that do not score more than 4.0 Runs-Per-Game. They send out a red hot Gerrit Cole who is 6-6 with a 4.11 ERA and 1.25 WHIP this season. The right-hander endured a rough four-game stretch earlier this year — but he has everything clicking now. Over his last three starts, Cole is a perfect 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 20 innings while striking out 13 over that stretch. Cole has been more effective at home where he has a 3.50 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and .234 opponent’s batting average in seven starts as compared to his 4.61 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and .277 opponent’s batting average in nine starts on the road. The Pirates have won 4 of their last 5 home games with Cole on the mound. He should fare well against this Giants team that has lost 10 of their last 13 games against right-handed starting pitchers.

San Francisco (30-51) have won three straight games as they enter this series after their 5-3 win over Colorado on Wednesday. The Giants have then lost a decisive 44 of their last 63 games after a victory. San Francisco has also lost 8 of their last 9 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. Despite this recent run, this team remains the second worst in baseball — so getting the opportunity to fade them with a favorite priced under -150 is a nice situation. They so send out Johnny Cueto who is 5-7 with a 4.20 ERA and 1.29 WHIP this season. The right-hander has not been as effective in his nine starts on the road where he has a 4.58 ERA as compared to his 3.74 ERA in seven starts on the road. The Giants have lost 4 of their last 5 games on the road with Cueto facing a team with a losing record. Lastly, San Francisco has lost 11 of their last 13 road games against teams with a losing record. 25* MLB Game of the Month with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (952) versus the San Francisco Giants (951) listing both starting pitchers Gerrit Cole and Johnny Cueto. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:00 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the British Columbia Lions (373) and the Toronto Argonauts (374). Toronto (1-0) had the biggest win by the largest margin in the opening week of the new Canadian Football League season with their 32-15 upset victory over Hamilton. At first glance, the headlining story would likely be quarterback Robby Ray passing for 506 yards under the guidance of new head coach Marc Trestman in his first game back in the CFL after a tour in the National Football League which included a head coaching gig with the Chicago Bears. But perhaps the more exciting development for the Argonauts franchise was the play of their defense which held the Tiger-Cats to just 258 yards of offense. Trestman hired former Saskatchewan head coach (and Grey Cup winner) Corey Chamblin as his defensive coordinator and he displayed a high level of sophisticated blitz schemes and coverages despite the turnover that this team saw on defense from last season. This strong defensive play should carry over to this week. As it is, the Argonauts have played 6 of their last 8 games Under the Total after a straight-up victory. Additionally, Toronto has played 26 of their last 36 home games when not laying more than 3 points as the favorite. Furthermore, the Argonauts have played 17 of their last 22 games Under the Total in the month of June.

British Columbia (0-1) will be looking to bounce-back from a 30-27 upset loss to Edmonton last week despite being a 4.5-point favorite. Lions’ quarterback Jonathon Jennings was sacked five times in that game in what might be a harbinger for things to come for this offense. British Columbia chose not to resign left tackle Jovan Olafioye in the offseason with the six-time All Star signing a big contract with Montreal. It might take some time for this group to get things together on the offensive side of the field as they try to replace Olafioye. In the meantime, the Lions will need to lean heavily on their defense that topped the league last year in total defense. And while that unit has lost half their starters from last season — including three to the NFL — British Columbia has played 7 of their last 9 games Under the Total in the month of June. Furthermore, in the last 26 meetings between these two teams, the game finished Under the Total 19 times — and they have played 13 of the last 16 meetings between these two teams Under the Total when playing in Toronto. Lastly, the Under is supported by a CFL-specific empirical angle that has been 72% effective over the last five seasons. In games with the Total set at least at 52, when the road team is coming off a point spread loss, these games finished Under the Total in 41 of the last 57 situations where these conditions applied. 25* CFL Total of the Month with Under the Total in the game between the British Columbia Lions (373) and the Toronto Argonauts (374). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 3:40 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Arizona Diamondbacks (902) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (901) listing both starting pitchers Patrick Corbin and Lance Lynn. Arizona (50-29) saw their four-game winning streak snapped last night in their 4-3 loss to the Cardinals — but they have still won six of their last eight contests. The Diamondbacks have won 4 straight games after a loss. Arizona has also won 27 of their last 34 home games against teams with a losing record. They send out Corbin who is 6-7 with a 4.89 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP this season. Corbin has been more effective at home this season where he has a 3.19 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and .278 opponent’s batting average in nine starts at home as compared to his rough 7.84 ERA, 1.74 WHIP and .331 opponent’s batting average in six starts on the road. The Diamondbacks have won 7 of their last 8 home games with Corbin pitching on the hill.

St. Louis (36-41) has still lost 12 off their last 16 games on the road. The Cardinals have also  lost 4 of their last 5 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Lance Lynn who is 5-5 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.19 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics call for immediate regression from the right-hander given his SIERA and xFIP which both project an ERA of 4.51 and 4.63 respectively moving forward. Lynn has not been as effective on the road either where he has been saddled with a 4.41 ERA along with a 1.27 WHIP and .219 opponent’s batting average in nine starts as compared to his 3.09 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and .200 opponent’s batting average in six starts at home. The Cardinals have lost 5 straight games on the road with Lynn on the mound. Lastly, the Diamondbacks have won a decisive 25 of their last 34 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB Getaway Game of the Month with the money-line on the Arizona Diamondbacks (902) versus the St. Louis Cardinals (901) listing both starting pitchers Patrick Corbin and Lance Lynn. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:00 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing Over the Total in the match between Mexico (48779) and Germany (48780). Mexico (2W-1D-0L) is an underdog in this Semifinals match against the German B (or C) team. And while El Tri has a history of disappointments on the big international teams outside of North America, this side has proven themselves resilient. Mexico has trailed in all three of their Group Stage matches — yet they managed to pull out two wins and one draw in all three contests. They fell behind 1-0 to Russia last Saturday but then scored the 30th and 52nd minute to pull out that 2-1 victory. They have scored two goals in all three of their Group Stage matches. But defense has been an issue for this squad. They have given up four goals in this tournament including one in each of their three matches which includes a weak New Zealand side. Not only has their back end been too leaky at times, but they have struggled when facing a high-pressing team — and that is exactly the German style of play. To compound matters, their captain and glue in the midfield Andres Guardado will be out for this match after earning a second Yellow Card versus Russia.

Germany (2W-1D-0L) clinched first place in Group B play with their 3-1 victory over Cameroon on Sunday. Die Mannschaft was flat in the first half in that match in a 0-0 score but flexed their offensive muscles in the second half by scoring three times. Their seven goals in this event tied with Portugal for most goals scored during the Group Stage. But defense remains an issue for this team as well — they allowed a goal in the 81st minute to Cameroon despite the Indomitable Lions playing with only ten men after a Red Card was issued. Like Mexico, Die Mannschaft does not have any clean sheets in this tournament — and they surrendered two goals to an Australian side not know for their offensive prowess. Yesterday’s Semifinals match evolved into a defensive struggle between top of the top five teams in the world. Neither of these teams possess that level of quality. Expect at least three goals to be scored in regulation time with the respective offenses dictating the tempo of the match. 25* FIFA Confederations Cup Total of the Year with Over the Total in the match between Mexico (48779) and Germany (48780). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:07 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing the Toronto Blue Jays (964) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the Baltimore Orioles (963) listing both starting pitchers Marcus Stroman and Wade Miley. Toronto (36-40) has lost four of their last five games with their 3-1 loss to the Orioles in the opening game of that series. The Blue Jays have bounced-back to win 10 of their last 14 games after a loss. Additionally, Toronto has won 14 of their last 16 games after failing to score more than two runs in their last game. Additionally, the Blue Jays have won 13 of their last 16 games when looking to avenge a loss where they did not score more than one run against their opponent in that loss. And while Toronto’s bullpen has not allowed an earned run in three straight games, they have then won 31 of their last 40 games after two straight games where their bullpen did not allow an earned run. They send out Stroman who is 7-4 with a 3.69 ERA and 1.29 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he owns a 3.29 ERA and 1.23 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he has a 3.29 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and .271 opponent’s batting average in eight starts at home as compared to his 4.20 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and .276 opponent’s batting average in seven starts on the road. The Blue Jays have won 4 of their last 5 games at home with Stroman on the mound.

Baltimore (38-38) has won three straight games — but they have lost 4 straight games after allowing two runs or less in their last game. Additionally, the Orioles have lost 19 of their last 26 games on the road — and they have lost 13 of their last 17 road games against teams with a winning record at home. They counter with Wade Miley who is 3-5 with a 4.48 ERA and 1.64 WHIP this season. The left-hander has been solid at home where he has a 3.60 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and .263 opponent’s batting average in eight starts — but he sees those numbers rise to a rough 5.45 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and .286 opponent’s batting average in seven starts on the road. Furthermore, Miley is averaging 2.85 walks per start — and that helps place the Orioles into a “play-against” angle that is specific to the Run-Line. Baltimore allows only 0.20 stoles bases per game — but underdogs who did not allow more than a stolen base every two games using a starting pitcher who allows at least 2.75 bases-on-balls per game have then failed to cover the +1.5 Run-Line (when priced at +1.5 Runs in the +165 to -135 range) in 40 of the last 58 situations where these conditions applied. 25* MLB Pre-All-Star Break AL East Run-Line of the Year with the Toronto Blue Jays (964) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the Baltimore Orioles (963) listing both starting pitchers Marcus Stroman and Wade Miley. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:10 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the Chicago White Sox (962) plus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Yankees (961) listing both starting pitchers David Holmberg and Jordan Montgomery. For the record, I do like the White Sox in this situation as the money-line underdog — but with New York (40-33) has two straight games as well as ten of the last twelve contests with their 7-6 loss to the Rangers yesterday. The Yankees have then lost 7 of their last 9 games after a loss. Furthermore, New York has lost 10 of their last 11 games against teams with a losing record. Additionally, the Yankees have lost 6 straight games on the road. And in their last 20 road games as a money-line  favorite priced at least at -110, New York has lost 14 of these contests. They send out Montgomery who is 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA and 1.25 WHIP this season. The left-hander has not been quite as effective on the road where he had a 1.37 WHIP and .244 opponent’s batting average in six starts as compared to his 1.15 WHIP and .230 opponent’s batting average in seven starts at home. The deeper sabermetrics also call for immediate regression for Montgomery as both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.49 and 4.60 moving forward. Additionally, the Yankees have lost 4 of their last 5 games with Montgomery facing a team with a losing record. That does not bode well when facing this Chicago team that has won 20 of their last 28 home games against left-handed starting pitchers. The White Sox are scoring 5.5 runs per game with a .295 batting average against left-handed starting pitchers.

Chicago (32-42) looks to avenge a 9-1 loss to the Yankees back on April 19th in the last meeting between these two teams. The White Sox have then won 28 of their last 46 games when looking to avenge a loss where they did not score more than one run. They look to bounce-back from a 5-3 loss at home to the A’s yesterday. Chicago has won a decisive 52 of their last 90 games after playing at least two straight games at home. They counter with David Holmberg who is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA and 1.04 WHIP this season. The left-hander has been tough at home where he enjoys a 2.77 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .159. He should pitch well against this slumping Yankees team that has lost 5 of their last 6 games against left-handed starting pitchers. These trends do not take into account the recommended +1.5 Run-Line play. While I do like the White Sox as an underdog money-line play, I think the preferred play is to take the +1.5 Run-Line option with that not being priced higher then -150. Furthermore, the Yankees fall into an empirical “play-against” angle that is specific to the Run-Line that has been 63% effective over the last five seasons. The Yankees average 1.48 home runs per game — and road favorites who average at least 1.25 home runs per game using a starting pitcher that averages at least 5.0 strikeouts per start (Montgomery: 5.46 K/s start) have then failed to cover the 1.5 Run-Line (as long as that money-line price is +160 to +110 as the Yankees are tonight at -1.5 Run-Line) in 103 of the last 163 situations where these conditions applied. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break American League Run-Line Underdog of the Year with the Chicago White Sox (962) plus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Yankees (961) listing both starting pitchers David Holmberg and Jordan Montgomery. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates (907) and the St. Louis Cardinals (908) listing both starting pitchers Chad Kuhl and Mike Leake. Pittsburgh (35-40) has won the opening two games of this series after their 7-3 victory yesterday. The Pirates have then played 5 of their last 6 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The Under is also 5-1-1 in their last 7 games after a victory. Furthermore, Pittsburgh has played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total on the road. And despite looking to secure the sweep tonight, this Pirates team is hitting just .158 over their last three games. Pittsburgh has played a decisive 33 of their last 48 games Under the Total when hitting no better than .175 in their last three games. They give the ball to Kuhl who is 2-6 with a 5.46 ERA and 1.55 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective when pitching on the road where he owns a 3.45 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and .267 opponent’s batting average in six starts as compared to his rough 7.36 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and .299 opponent’s batting average in eight starts at home. These disparate home/road split stats are consistent with last season where he enjoyed a 2.72 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and .231 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 7.03 ERA, 1.93 WHIP and .330 opponent’s batting average when at home. The Pirates have played 6 of their last 8 games Under the Total with Kuhl pitching with four days of rest.

St. Louis (33-40) has played 4 of their last 5 home games Under the Total against teams with a losing record on the road. Furthermore, the Cardinals have not scored more than three runs in three straight games — and they have played a decisive 64 of their last 107 home games Under the Total after failing to score at least four runs in three straight contests. Over their last five games, the Cards are hitting just .216 themselves — so this Sunday Night battle on ESPN involves two teams struggling to scratch out base hits. St. Louis counters with Mike Leake who is 5-6 with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP this season. St. Louis has played 4 straight games Under the Total with Leake facing a team with a losing record. He faces a Pittsburgh team that has played 6 of their last 7 games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, the Pirates have played 9 of their last 12 games Under the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Sunday ESPN Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates (907) and the St. Louis Cardinals (908) listing both starting pitchers Chad Kuhl and Mike Leake. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 11:00 AM EST on Sunday, we will be playing Germany (16732) -1.5 goals versus Cameroon (16731). Cameroon needs a victory by at least two goals to put them into a position to qualify for the Semifinals of the Confederations Cup. That reality will likely compel the Indomitable Lions to play their most aggressive match in these games. But that is not the preferred style of this team that qualified for this event through the emphasis of defensive tactics in winning the Africa Cup of Nations. Cameroon has only scored once in their two matches so far — that goal occurred on Thursday in their 1-1 draw with Australia. The Indomitable Lions earned the point in that match despite losing the possession battle by a 46% to 54% mark. That is a dangerous sign for this Cameroon side. Another disturbing sign for this young and inexperienced team in international competition is that they once again displayed their nerves in the opening moments of that match. This national team lacks top level professional players. As the youngest team in this event, manager Hugo Broos has conceded that his group is “here to learn.”

Germany is here to audition their next generation of stars who will likely form the foundation of their 2022 World Cup squad. And breakout performers in this tournament will very likely find themselves on next summer’s team that looks to defend their 2014 World Cup title back in Russia. One of those players will likely be striker Lars Stindl who is the only player in this event to score more than one goal. Die National Mannschaft feels pretty good about things after their 1-1 draw with an experienced and talented Chilean team on Thursday. Germany showed resolve and grit by rallying from an early goal from Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez in the 6th minute of that match — and they did win the possession battle against La Roja. This young team has at times struggled against the high pressing style of Chile and Australia who they defeated by a 3-2 score. Look for Die Mannschaft to feast off the counter-attacking style of the Indomitable Lions. 25* FIFA Confederations Cup Group B Match of the Year with the Germany (16732) -1.5 goals versus Cameroon (16731). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:10 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Detroit Tigers (979) and the San Diego Padres (980) listing both starting pitchers Anibal Sanchez and Dinelson Lamet. San Diego (30-44) won the opening game of this series last night by a 1-0 score. The Padres have not allowed more than four runs in five straight games — but they have then played 19 of their last 25 games Over the Total after not allowing more than four runs in at least four straight contests. San Diego has also played 21 of their last 30 games Over the Total when priced in the +/- 125 price range. Furthermore, the Over is 6-2-1 in the Padres’ last 9 home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. And in their last 7 games in Interleague play, the Over is 5-1-1. They send out their 24-year old rookie Lamet who is 2-2 with a 7.50 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP this season. Lamet has not been as effective at home in Petco Park where he has been saddled with a 8.10 ERA and .262 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 7.07 ERA and .222 opponent’s batting average when on the road.

Detroit (32-41) has now lost seven straight games — and they have played 20 of their last 26 games Over the Total after losing at least three straight games. Additionally, the Tigers have played 9 of their last 10 road games Over the Total after a loss by two runs or less. Detroit has also played 5 of their last 7 games Over the Total against an opponent that did not score more than two runs in their last game. Furthermore, the Tigers’ bullpen only pitched 1 inning last night — and they have played 21 of their last 27 road gams Over the Total after a game did not pitch more than 1 inning in their last game. They send out Anibal Sanchez who is 0-0 with a 7.96 ERA and 1.96 WHIP this season. The 33-year old veteran was OK in his first start of the season on Monday in what ended up being a 6-2 loss for the Tigers. Sanchez has lost over a MPH on his fastball which helped explain his 5.87 ERA and 1.46 WHIP last season along with the 21 earned runs he surrendered in 21 innings of work out the bullpen for Detroit this season. The right-hander was demoted to the minor leagues for a bit this season where he continued to be hit hard with a 4.60 ERA in 15 2/3 innings of work. The Over is 18-6-3 in the Tigers’ last 27 road games with Sanchez on the mound. He faces a San Diego team that has played 6 of their last 8 games Over the Total against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. Lastly, the Over is 3-1-1 in the Padres’ last 5 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Detroit Tigers (979) and the San Diego Padres (980) listing both starting pitchers Anibal Sanchez and Dinelson Lamet. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 11:00 AM EST on Saturday, we will be playing Under the Total in the match between Portugal (47112) and New Zealand (47113). Portugal enters this final match in Group A play in the Confederations Cup after their 1-0 victory over Russia on Wednesday. Now the Seleccao needs just a draw to ensure they advance to the Semifinals of this tournament. The stakes are so low for this Portugal side that there is a very good chance that their Talisman Cristiano Ronaldo may sit for this match. Ronaldo was quite effective with his club team Real Madrid this season with him given periodic rest during the season being seen as one of the reasons for his success — so don’t be surprised if he is not on the pitch on Saturday despite manager Fernando Santos refusing to disclose his specific plans on the matter. The Total is set at 3.5 for this match with the expectation that this Portugal side will dominate the Kiwis — they are laying -2.5 goals. Yet the Seleccao has scored only three goals in this tournament. Remember, they scored only nine combined goals in seven matches last summer in the Euro 2016 Championship with three of those goals occurring in one match. And while that three-goal “explosion” did occur in the last match in Group Stage play, that scenario was much different with both Portugal and their opponent Hungary needing a victory to safely advance to the Knockout Stage. That result was a 3-3 draw and the Seleccao managed to slip in to the Round of 16 as the bottom seed. So I do not expect the Seleccao to score three or more goals in this match. I also see Portugal continue to play outstanding defense in this match after tightening things up on Wednesday after allowing two goals to Mexico in their opening match. Keeper Rui Patricio was outstanding in his shutout over the Russians. What is perhaps the most underrated strength of the European Champions is just how stingy when it comes to giving up goals. Portugal allowed only five goals in their seven Euro matches last season — with three of those goals in that Group Stage match against Hungary. The Seleccao enjoyed four clean sheets in the Euro last summer — and they have a great opportunity to claim yet another on Saturday.

New Zealand has been eliminated from the Knockout Stage with their 2-1 loss to Mexico on Wednesday. The All Whites’ goal in the first-half in that match has been their only goal in this tournament. This struggle to generate goals is not a surprise when considering that the Kiwis did not qualify for this tournament due to their potent offense. They won the Oceania Confederation via Penalty Kicks after a scoreless match with Papa New Guinea. Their 5-3-2 formation emphasizes defense with strategic counter-attacks led by forward Chris Wood. But I do expect this New Zealand side to play with vigor in the attempt to earn a result to leave this event with confidence. The Kiwis want to build momentum for their bid for next summer’s World Cup back in Russia. The All-Whites need to win their Oceania Confederation and this win a playoff qualifying match with the fifth-place team coming from South America’s Confederation. The best route for success for New Zealand is for a low-scoring match that perhaps they can steal. 25* FIFA Confederations Cup Group Stage Total of the Year with Under the Total in the match between Portugal (47112) and New Zealand (47113). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:10 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Detroit Tigers (929) versus the San Diego Padres (930) listing both starting pitchers Michael Fuller and Luis Perdomo. Detroit (32-40) is desperate for a win after losing their sixth straight game in Seattle by a 9-6 score. Their last two games against the Mariners finished Over the Total — and the Tigers have won a decisive 37 of their last 60 games after playing at least two straight games Over the Total. Detroit does feast on the lesser teams in the league as they have won 15 of their last 21 games against teams with a winning percentage below 40%. And while the Padres are just 17-18 at home in Petco Park, the Tigers have won 14 of their last 19 road games against teams with a losing record at home. They send out Fulmer who is 6-5 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective on the road where he owns a 2.30 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and .232 opponent’s batting average in six starts as compared to his more modest 4.60 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and .264 opponent’s batting average in seven starts at home. Detroit has won 8 of their last 10 road games with Fulmer facing a team with a losing record. The Tigers have also won 16 of their last 24 games with Fulmer pitching when priced in the +/- 125 price range. He should fare well against this San Diego team that is hitting just .199 over their last seven games. The Padres have also lost 5 of their last 6 games in Interleague play against right-handed starting pitchers.

San Diego (29-44) snapped their three-game losing streak on Wednesday with their 3-2 win in Chicago against the Cubs. The Padres have then lost 12 of their last 16 games after an of day. San Diego has also lost 10 of their last 13 home games in Interleague play against a team with a losing record. They counter with Luis Perdomo who is 1-4 with a 4.97 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP this season. The right-hander has not been as effective at home in Petco Park where he has a 5.31 ERA in seven starts as compared to his 4.50 ERA in five starts on the road. These disparate home/road split stats are consistent with last season when Perdomo was saddled with a 6.33 ERA at home as compared to his 5.30 ERA when on the road. Perdomo does come off a nice effort in Milwaukee where he allowed only two earned runs in 6 innings of work — but the Padres have lost 5 of their last 7 games with Perdomo looking to follow up a Quality Start. Lastly, the Tigers have won 5 of their last 6 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Road Warrior of the Year with the money-line on the money-line on the Detroit Tigers (929) versus the San Diego Padres (930) listing both starting pitchers Michael Fuller and Luis Perdomo. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:30 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the Calgary Stampeders (353) minus the points versus the Ottawa Redblacks (354). Calgary (0-0) has been licking their chops for the entire offseason to get revenge and with a very small piece of redemption against this Blackhawks team that upset them by a 39-33 score in last November’s Grey Cup despite being double-digit underdogs in that game. That loss spoiled what looked destined to be the Stampeders concluding one of the greatest seasons in Canadian Football League history. Instead, it was the veteran 41-year old Ottawa quarterback Henry Burris — who passed for 461 yards — who shellshocked this Calgary team by leading the Redblacks to a 27-7 lead. And while the Stamps rallied all the way back to force overtime, they then exhaled which allowed Burris to lead his team to victory in a Blaze of Glory that saw him conclude his long CFL career. That game was just the second time in their last seven encounters with Ottawa where Calgary did not cover the point spread. This franchise seems determined to rectify their Grey Cup loss this season as most of the teams free agents were resigned by the team. And if there was any chance that this team would enter this season flat, the memory of their Week One loss in British Columbia — their only loss last season in their 16-3-1 campaign where something was at stake before that fateful Grey Cup — should keep them razor sharp for this contest. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was last year’s CFL Most Outstanding Player and he is back to lead this team that has covered 7 of their last 10 games when favored in the 3.5-10 point range. The Stampeders have also covered the point spread in 7 of their last 9 games on the road — and they have covered the point spread in 5 of their last 7 games on the road as the favorite. Furthermore, Calgary has covered the point spread in 7 straight games on the road in expected high scoring games with the Total set in the 49.5-56 point range.

Ottawa (0-0) hosts this rematch which will also involve an opening ceremony where last year’s Grey Cup trophy will be unveiled to the home fans. That celebration will likely serve the function of both distracting the Redblacks’ players from their new task at hand while infuriating the Stampeders. As it is, this Ottawa team was below just 8-9-1 in the regular season while getting outscored in those games overall before pulling off their upset in the Grey Cup. They won an East Division that did not see a team finish with a .500 record — and that earned them the right to host the East Division Finals which was against a West Division Edmonton team that qualified for the East Division playoffs given their crossover rules. Yet this Redblacks team was just 3-6 at home last season — and they have failed to cover the point spread in 8 of their last 11 games at home. Finally, this Ottawa team has retooled significantly since their triumph last November. Five of the defensive starters from the team that upset Calgary has moved on while the offense lost two wide receivers who gained over 1000 yards in Chris Williams and Ernest Jackson. And while the franchise is comfortable handing over the offense to their 30-year old Trevor Harris who was outstanding early last season before eventually losing his job to Burris, Harris has not proven himself in clutch situations in his career. 25* CFL Game of the Month with the Calgary Stampeders (353) minus the points versus the Ottawa Redblacks (354). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Miami Marlins (958) versus the Chicago Cubs (957) listing both starting pitchers Jeff Locke and Jake Arrieta. Chicago (36-35) saw their three-game winning streak snapped last night with their 3-2 loss to the Padres. The Cubs now go back on the road where they have lost 11 of their last 14 games — and they have lost 5 of their last 7 road games against teams with a winning record at home. Chicago has also lost 5 of their last 6 games in Miami. They send out Arrieta who is 6-5 with a 4.64 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP this season. The right-hander appears to be on the decline after some outstanding seasons where he did log in plenty of innings. A danger sign last year was his walk rate increasing to 9.6% of the batters he faced as compared to his filthy 5.5% walk rate in 2015. The 31-year old has admitted that long-term fatigue could be impacting him now while he has also battled a nagging hand injury. His fastball velocity has dipped from 93 MPH last season to 91.8 MPH now. Arrieta has failed to pitch at least 5 innings in four of his fourteen starts this season — and that includes in both of his last two starts where he has been rocked for seven runs (six earned) over those last 9 innings. Furthermore, Arrieta has not been as effective in his nine starts on the road where he has been saddled with a 5.07 ERA and 1.43 WHIP as compared to his 3.86 ERA and 1.14 WHIP at home. The Cubs have lost 6 straight road games with Arrieta on the mound. Miami has won 10 of their last 11 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Marlins have also won 4 of their last 5 games against teams using a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

Miami (32-38) has won two of their last three games after surviving Max Scherzer’s no-hitter bid yesterday in their 2-1 victory. The Marlins have won 6 of their last 7 games after scoring no more than two runs in their last game — and they have won 6 of their last 8 games after not allowing more than two runs in their last game. Chicago has lost 10 of their last 14 games against teams that did not allow more than two runs in their last contest. Now Miami opens this series at home where they have won 7 of their last 8 games. The Marlins have also won 4 straight opening games to a new series. They counter with Jeff Locke who is 0-2 with a 4.58 ERA and 1.32 WHIP since coming off the disabled list to begin his new stint with this Miami franchise this season. He did allow just one earned run in his lone start at home this year. Last year with the Pirates, the left-hander was much better at home where he had a 3.63 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and .264 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 7.16 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and .330 opponent’s batting average when on the road. Chicago has lost 4 of their last 5 games on the road against left-handed starting pitchers. And in the Cubs last 12 games against a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher, they have lost 9 of these games. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break League Underdog of the Year with the money-line on the Miami Marlins (958) versus the Chicago Cubs (957) listing both starting pitchers Jeff Locke and Jake Arrieta. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:00 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing Over the Total in the match between Chile (85646) and Germany (85647). Germany (1-0-0) is using this tournament to audition a new generation of players who can earn themselves roles as this national team makes a major push to win the 2018 World Cup. Twelve likely players including most of the stars from next year’s national team — including Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil along with forward Thomas Mueller and keeper Manuel Nuer — did not make the trip to Russia. But Die Mannschaft is rich with soccer talent and this “Germany 2.0” still has plenty of quality players as they displayed on Sunday in their 3-2 victory over Australia. The German style on the pitch is to be aggressive — they are averaging 4.3 Goals-Per-Game in their nine matches in the Confederations Cup as a national squad. On Sunday, Germany collected 18 shots with six of them on target — scoring on three of these shots. Frankly, it could have been more particularly in the first half. Midfielder Julian Draxler looks destined to play an important role on next summer’s squad — and he scored an important goal at the 44th minute to give the Germans a 2-1 lead going into halftime. But defense looks to be a concern for this side as Australia was able to expose gaps in their back end as this match went on. Furthermore, keeper Bernd Leno did not demonstrate he is a threat to displace Nuer between the posts next year as the two goals he conceded were pretty shaky. Defensive tactics have been an issue for manager Joachim Low’s national teams with Germany — and this is a group that only had ten days of practice together to begin establishing some chemistry and cohesion.

Chile (1-0-0) found themselves in a defensive struggle for over half their match with a defensive-minded Cameroon side — but the insertion of Alexis Sanchez into this match changed everything for the two-time defending Copa America Champions. The Arsenal star did not make the start after tweaking his left ankle in a training session last Thursday — but manager Juan Antonio Pizzi also had the luxury to save Sanchez for this important impending match this afternoon against the reigning World Cup Champions. Sanchez’s presence on the pitch opened things up for La Roja — and he played a critical role in both Arturo Vidal’s and Eduardo Vargas’ goals that completed a 2-0 victory. Sanchez should get the start today in this match that will likely determine the top seed to advance out of Group B of this event. Chile is a powerful offensive side in international play — and Vargas in particular shines when afforded the opportunity to be fed the ball by Sanchez. La Roja’s aggressive style does call on their defensive backfield to attack — and that does leave them vulnerable on their back end. Furthermore, their top keeper — Manchester City’s Claudio Bravo — has fitness issues and may not play this afternoon after missing the match against Cameroon. Lastly, there are very few international teams that are willing to play an open match with the Chileans. Most of La Roja’s matches are like the one with Cameroon where the opponent plays very cautiously while taking their chances only with rare counter-attacks. Mexico was a side that has recently attempted to go toe-to-toe with the aggressive nature of the Chile side — and in that match last summer in the Semifinals of the Copa America, La Roja rocked them for seven goals. While I do not expect anything like that this afternoon, this should be a high scoring affair between two teams that privilege offense-first. 25* FIFA Confederations Cup Group B Total of the Year with Over the Total in the match between Chile (85646) and Germany (85647). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:05 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Houston Astros (925) and the Oakland A’s (926) listing both starting pitchers Mike Fiers and Sean Manaea. Houston (48-24) has won two straight games after their 6-2 victory over the A’s last night. The Astros have then seen the Over go 5-1-1 in their last 7 games after a win. The Over is also 10-4-3 in Houston’s last 17 games on the road. They send out Fiers who is 4-2 with a 4.00 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been even less effective in his seven starts on the road where he has been saddled with a 5.40 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .268 as compared to his 2.68 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and .250 opponent’s batting average when at home. These disparate home/road split stats are consistent with last season where Fiers had a 4.99 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and .289 opponent’s batting average on the road as compared to the modest improvements of a 4.09 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and .273 opponents batting average when he was pitching at home. The Over is 3-0-1 in the Astros’ last 4 road games with Fiers facing a team with a losing record. He faces an Oakland team that has seen the Over go 10-4-1 in their last 15 games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Over is also 5-1-1 in the A’s last 7 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher.

Oakland (31-40) has seen the Over go a decisive 20-4-2 in their last 26 games after a loss. The A’s have also played 6 of their last 7 home games Over the Total against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on the road. They counter with Sean Manaea who is 6-3 with a 4.01 ERA and 1.11 WHIP this season. The left-hander has not been as effective in his six starts at home where he has a 1.24 WHIP and .213 opponent’s batting average as opposed to his 0.98 WHIP and .186 opponent’s batting average in six starts on the road. The Over is 4-1-1 in Oakland’s last 6 home games with Manaea on the mound. He faces a Houston team that has played 5 of their last 7 road games against left-handed starting pitchers. And in their last 7 games against starting pitchers, the Over is 5-1-1 for the Astros. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break NL West Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Houston Astros (925) and the Oakland A’s (926) listing both starting pitchers Mike Fiers and Sean Manaea. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 2:00 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing Mexico (99019) minus the 2.0 Goal-Line versus New Zealand (99018). Mexico (0-1-0) showed their grit by rallying twice from one-goal deficits to pull out an important 1-1 draw with Portugal on Sunday. After surrendering a goal at the 34th minute mark, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez evened the game at 1-1 with a goal eight minutes later to ensure that El Tri entered the locker room at half time with a 1-1 score. And while giving up a goal by Portugal’s Cedric in the 86th minute could have demoralized this team with a history of underachievement against elite European teams in international play, Hector Moreno’s climactic header into the back of the net off a corner kick in the first minute of extra time to ensure one point from this match. Mexico leaves that match with both a result and with plenty of confidence moving forward that making a Semifinals run very possible. This team has to feel very good about controlling possession at a 57% clip for that contest against the side that won the 2016 European Championship last summer. But El Tri must defeat New Zealand and acquire the three points with the victory. If there was any chance of this Mexico team being overconfident now against the Kiwis, it will likely be removed by the memory on only defeating this low-rated New Zealand team by 2-1 score in a friendly back in October. Expect manager Juan Carlos Osario to make plenty of changes for this second match — there may be as many as eight or nine changes from the starting lineup from Sunday’s opener with Portugal. Not to worry — El Tri his loaded with talent with the depth at all three levels on the pitch being one of their strengths. The influx of new players on the pitch will be motivated to perform well with this match serving as their audition to get more playing time moving forward. Sunday’s players will also be available as substitutions late in the match — so don’t be surprised if Mexico scores a late goal. Finally, with Russia earning three points in the opening match of this tournament — and a potential draw with them looking in the third match in Group A possible — qualification for the Knockout Stage Semifinals may be determined by goal differential. Mexico needs to win this match by at least three goals to out-do Russia’s 2-0 win over the All Whites.

New Zealand left that match with the Russians very disappointed. While the Kiwis were confident entering this tournament, a Russia team ranked just 64th by FIFA (38th by ELO) dominated the pitch by controlling possession 57% of the match. The All Whites were also outshot by a 17-10 margin. Furthermore, this New Zealand side surrendered a decisive 12 corner kicks to the Russians — and that is something that El Tri will punish them on if they are given similar scoring chances. The Kiwis rank 95th in the world by FIFA as well as being ranked 65th by ELO and their lack of quality of competition in international tournament play is now a big question for this side. The All Whites qualified for this tournament by winning the Oceania Confederation which is the smallest confederation in the world consisting of island nations in the South Pacific. They needed penalty kicks to resolve their finals match with Papa New Guinea after that game was scoreless. New Zealand also needs to secure three points to have any hope of reaching the Semifinals — so they will need to play aggressive if they fall behind. 25* FIFA Confederations Cup Group Stage Blowout of the Year with Mexico (99019) minus the 2.0 Goal-Line versus New Zealand (99018). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 10:10 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing the Los Angeles Dodgers (964) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Mets (963) listing both starting pitchers Brandon McCarthy and Robert Gsellman. Los Angeles (45-26) has won four straight games as well as ten of their last eleven contests with their 10-6 victory in the opening game of this series. The Dodgers have then won 22 of their last 29 games after a victory. Los Angeles has also now won a decisive 43 of their last 55 games at home against teams with a losing record — and they have won 24 of their last 29 home games with the Total set in the 8-8.5 range. They send out McCarthy who is 5-3 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP this season in eleven starts. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he has a 2.83 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .200 in six starts as compared to his 3.54 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and .262 opponent’s batting average when on the road. The Dodgers have won 12 of their last 15 home games with McCarthy on the mound. He should fare well against this Mets team that has lost 5 straight games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.15 or lower.

New York (31-38) has now lost four of their last five games. The Mets have lost 4 straight road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home. New York has also lost 19 of their last 26 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Robert Gsellman who is 5-4 with a 5.50 ERA and 1.54 WHIP this season. The right-hander has particularly struggled on the road where he has a 6.33 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in four starts as compared to his 5.13 ERA and 1.54 WHIP when at home. That does not bode well when facing this Los Angeles team that has won 53 of their last 70 games against right-handed starting pitchers. The Dodgers have also won 21 of their last 28 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. Lastly, while these team trends do not take into account the -1.5 Run-Line we will be laying with this play, the Dodgers are supported by a specific Run-Line angle that has been 63% effective since 1997. Los Angeles has scored at least eight runs in three straight games — and National League teams with a batting average no better than .255 (Dodgers: 254 batting average) who have scored at least six runs in two straight games have covered the 1.5 Run-Line in 100 of the last 158 situations where these conditions applied. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break ESPN Run-Line of the Year with the Los Angeles Dodgers (964) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the New York Mets (963) listing both starting pitchers Brandon McCarthy and Robert Gsellman. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (969) versus the Houston Astros (970) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Joe Musgrave. Boston (38-30) looks to bounce-back from a 7-1 loss to the Astros yesterday. The Red Sox have still won 5 of their last 6 meetings with Houston. Boston has also won 10 of their last 14 games against teams with a winning record. They send out Price who is 1-1 with a 5.09 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in four starts this season. The left-hander started the season on the disabled list with an elbow issue. He has looked good since returning at least regarding his velocity and movement. He comes off a listless start against the Phillies last Tuesday where he allowed three earned runs in 6 innings of work — but a blister on his throwing hand which prevented him from a typical bullpen throwing session between starts. He should pitch better tonight with the additional motivation of facing the (current) best team in baseball on national television. After a disappointing start with the Red Sox last season, he did finish up with a 3.24 ERA and 1.10 WHIP along with eight wins and nine Quality Starts over his last fourteen starts to keep his claim as one of the elite pitchers in the game.

Houston (46-23) has now lost 4 of their last 5 games at home — and they have lost 17 of their last 24 home games against teams with a winning record. And while the Astros have not allowed more than two runs in their last three games, they have lost 16 of their last 24 games after allowing three runs or less in at least three straight games. They counter with Joe Musgrave who is 4-5 with a 4.81 ERA and 1.41 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been less effective at home where he has a 5.05 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in eight starts as compared to his 4.24 ERA and 1.35 WHIP this season. Houston has lost 6 of their last 8 games at home with Musgrave on the mound. And while Boston has a .399 slugging percentage this season, the Astros have lost 6 straight games at home with Musgrave facing an American League team with a slugging percentage no better than .410. Boston has won 6 of their last 7 games against right-handed starting pitchers. And in their last 5 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher, the Red Sox have won 4 of these games. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Sunday ESPN Game of the Year with the money-line on the Boston Red Sox (969) versus the Houston Astros (970) listing both starting pitchers David Price and Joe Musgrave. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 11:00 AM EST on Sunday, we will be playing Mexico (60506) plus the 0.5 Goal-Line versus Portugal (60507). Portugal qualified for this tournament by winning last summer’s Euro that culminated with a 1-0 victory against France on French soil in extra-time. That significant accomplishment along with having one of the best players in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo makes the Seleccao one of the two big favorites to win this event. But, frankly, Portugal’s success last summer was extremely improbable — making them quite overvalued now. The Seleccao barely reached the Knockout Stage of that tournament after managing three draws against mediocre competition against Iceland, Austria and Hungary. Portugal then played an awful match in the Round of 16 against Croatia where they did not even produce one shot on net before the 117th minute of play before escaping with a 1-0 result. Ronaldo and company then needed penalty kicks to eke past Poland before defeating a Wales team in the Semifinals by a 2-0 score that was missing a critical player in Aaron Ramsey. Then in the Finals, Ronaldo suffered a rough leg injury in the first ten minutes of that match and eventually had to leave the pitch. But this Team of Shields played valiantly without their leader against a nervy and young French team feeling the pressure of playing in their own country — and Eder scored the lone winning goal in the 109th minute. Eder will not be on the pitch against Mexico as he was left off this summer’s national team. Manager Fernando Santos is using this event to help phase in a new generation of talent as they transition towards next summer’s World Cup. Surprisingly, 19-year old Bayern Munich professional Renato Sanches is not on this roster either this summer. Portugal has won seven of their last nine friendlies since the 2016 Euro — but their two losses to Switzerland and Sweden were their two most challenging competitors one that span. This is a side that was very fortunate last summer — and they look ripe for the pickings now with little to play for except to find themselves for a run next summer in the World Cup.

Mexico will be playing their first match in international play since being humiliated last summer in the Quarterfinals of the Copa America by Chile who thrashed them by a 7-0 score. El Tri fell behind 2-0 in the first half which compelled them to play more aggressively — but Alexis Sanchez along with Eduardo Vargas with four goals simply punished them by running up the score as the Mexicans eventually quit with their effort on the pitch. My notes for that match indicated that El Tri was facing for the first time in that tournament a team that would attack and play aggressively rather than sit back and play defense while taking their chances on the counter-attack. Mexico did defeat a quality Uruguay side earlier in that tournament employing similar tactics. They will now be facing a Portugal side that will not play aggressively either as they can lean heavily on the counter-attacking prowess exemplified by Ronaldo. This remains a very talented Mexico side with depth at all three levels and perhaps better than their #10 ELO world ranking. Any sense of complacency entering this match was wiped away when they only produced a 1-1 result with the USMNT in a World Cup Qualifier last Sunday. We had the Stars and Stripes +0.5 goals then with the rationale being largely based on El Tri resting some of their key players as they looked forward to this event and specifically this match. Another note on Mexico for me is that they have not often shown the fortitude to handle being the favorite — and they were the slight money-line faves against Chile last summer. But El Tri are dangerous underdogs when the expectations are not heavy. The opportunity to upset the reigning European Champions would be a big feather in the cap of manager Juan Carlos Osorio. A draw is very possible here — but do not be surprised if the Mexicans pull the upset in regulation time. 25* FIFA Confederations Cup Group Stage Match of the Year with Mexico (60506) plus the 0.5 Goal-Line versus Portugal (60507). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:15 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (925) and the Houston Astros (926) listing both starting pitchers Rick Porcello and David Paulino. Boston (38-29) has won four of their last five games with their 2-1 win over the Astros last night. The Red Sox have then played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total after scoring two runs or less in their last game. Furthermore, after Chris Sale’s complete game shutout on Thursday, Boston’s bullpen has pitched only 2 1/3 innings over the last two days — and they have then played 15 of their last 18 games Under the Total after not having their bullpen pitch more than 3 innings of work in each of their last two games. And with the Red Sox having won six of their last eight games, they have then played 22 of the last 30 road games Under the Total after winning six or seven of their last eighth games. The Under is also 3-1-1 in Boston’s last 5 games on the road. They send out Porcello who is 3-8 with a 4.67 ERA and 1.51 WHIP this season. It has been a disappointing start for the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner — but the deeper sabermetrics strongly suggest that better times are coming. The right-hander’s BABIP (Batting Average for Balls In Play) of .366 is the highest of all qualifying pitchers and should drop (along with his opponent’s batting average). Porcello is enjoying his best strikeout rate in his career. His SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 4.09 and 4.23 moving forward. Porcello has been more effective on the road where he has a 3.76 ERA as compared to his 5.40 ERA when at home. The under is also 3-0-1 in the Red Sox’s last 4 games with Porcello pitching with four days of rest.

Houston (45-23) has played 4 of their last 5 games Under the Total after a loss. The Astros have also played 5 of their last 6 games Under the Total against an opponent that allowed two or less runs in their last contest. Furthermore, the Under is a decisive 33-13-6 in Houston’s last 52 home games against teams with a winning record. They counter with David Paulino who is 0-6 with a 6.59 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP in three starts this season. The sabermetrics do indicate that the right-hander should be seeing much better results with his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 3.84 and 4.13 moving forward from his deeper peripherals numbers. In three levels of the minor leagues last season, Paulino had a 2.00 ERA along with a 106:19 strikeout to walk ratio in 90 innings of work. Boston has seen the Under go 3-0-2 in their last 5 games against right-handed starting pitchers. Lastly, the Under is 3-0-2 in the Red Sox’s last 5 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Saturday Night Fox-TV Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Boston Red Sox (925) and the Houston Astros (926) listing both starting pitchers Rick Porcello and David Paulino. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (952) versus the Chicago Cubs (951) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Williams and Eddie Butler. Chicago (32-33) continues to underachieve with their lethargic play — they have lost six of their last eight games with their 9-4 loss to the Mets on Wednesday. The Cubs biggest problems have been their poor play on the road — they are last in the Major Leagues with just a .227 batting average away from home. Chicago has lost 13 of their last 16 games on the road. The Cubs have also lost 6 of their last 7 road games against teams with a losing record. Chicago has also lost 14 of their last 23 games with the Total set in the 8.5 to 10 range. They send out Butler who is 3-2 with a 4.03 ERA and 1.38 WHIP this season. The right-hander has not been as effective on the road where he owns a 5.23 ERA and 1.45 WHIP as compared to his 3.38 ERA and 1.34 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics call for significant regression as well — his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 5.28 and 4.75 moving forward respectively.

Pittsburgh (30-36) saw their four-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday with their 5-4 loss to the Rockies. The Pirates have still won 4 of their last 5 games at home. Pittsburgh has also won 4 of their last 5 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. The Pirates have also won 5 of their last 7 encounters with the Cubs. They counter with Trevor Williams who is 3-3 with a 5.13 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he has a 1.18 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .256 as compared to his 1.48 WHIP and .284 opponent’s batting average when on the road. Chicago has lost 8 of their last 9 road games against right-handed starting pitchers. And in their last 9 games against teams with a starting pitcher with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher, the Cubs have lost 8 of these contests. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break NL Central Underdog of the Year with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Pirates (952) versus the Chicago Cubs (951) listing both starting pitchers Trevor Williams and Eddie Butler. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the New York Mets (902) versus the Washington Nationals (901) listing both starting pitchers Robert Gsellman and Gio Gonzalez. New York (30-34) begins this NL East series having won five of their last six games with their 9-4 win over the Cubs. The Mets have then won 4 of their last 5 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. New York has also won 6 of their last 8 games against NL East opponents. They send out Gsellman who is 5-3 with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP this season. The right-hander has bee more effective in seven starts at home where he has a 4.25 ERA and 1.42 WHIP as compared to his 6.33 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in four starts on the road. Gsellman was more effective at home last season as well where he had a 1.19 WHIP and .241 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 1.38 WHIP and .276 opponent’s batting average on the road. The Mets have won 5 of their last 6 games with Gsellman facing a team from the NL East. He should fare well against this Nationals team that has lost 4 of their last 5 games against right-handed starting pitchers.

Washington (39-26) has lost five of their last six games with their 13-2 loss to the Braves yesterday. The Nationals have then lost 4 of their last 5 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Washington has also lost 10 of their last 14 road games after a loss by at least four runs. Furthermore, Washington has lost 10 of their last 14 road games with the Total set in the 8-10.5 range. And in their last 6 games against teams with a losing record, the Nationals have lost 5 of these games. They counter with Gio Gonzalez who is 5-1 with a 2.91 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics call for significant regression for the left-hander with both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 4.61 and 4.30 moving forward this season. Gonzalez has also struggled on the road where he has an ERA of 4.38 along with a 1.49 WHIP and .257 opponent’s batting average in six starts as compared to his 1.66 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and .211 opponent’s batting average in seven starts at home. Washington has lost 9 of their last 12 road games with Gonzalez facing a team with a losing record. The Nationals have also lost 10 of their last 11 road games with Gonzalez pitching with the Total set in the 8.5-10 range. These are not good signs when facing this Mets team that has won 4 of their last 5 games against starting pitchers with a WHIP of 1.30 or higher. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break NL East Underdog of the Year with the money-line on the New York Mets (902) versus the Washington Nationals (901) listing both starting pitchers Robert Gsellman and Gio Gonzalez. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:07 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Toronto Blue Jays (962) versus the Tampa Bay Rays (961) listing both starting pitchers Francisco Liriano and Jake Odorizzi. Toronto (31-35) saw their two-game winning streak snapped last night with their 8-1 loss to the Rays last night. The Blue Jays have then rebounded to win 6 of their last 7 games after a loss — and they have lost 10 of their last 11 games after scoring two runs or less. Toronto has also won a decisive 61 of their last 89 home games against teams with a losing record on the road — and Tampa Bay is 14-17 away from home. The Blue Jays have also won 15 of their last 22 games at home. They send out Liriano who is 3-2 with a 5.87 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP in nine starts this season. The left-hander has been more effective in his five starts at home where he has a 4.50 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and .237 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 8.16 ERA, 2.30 WHIP and .322 opponent’s batting average on the road. These disparate home/road split stats are consistent with last season where he had a 3.97 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and .232 opponent’s batting average at home as compared to his 5.54 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and .274 opponent’s batting average when on the road. The Blue Jays have won 4 straight home games with Liriano on the hill. He should fare well against this Rays team that hits only .222 against lefties — and they have lost 9 of their last 13 games against left-handed starting pitchers.

Tampa Bay (35-32) has won six of their last seven games — but they have lost 7 of their last 10 contests after not allowing more than two runs in their last game. The Rays have also lost a decisive 49 of their last 79 road games against teams with a winning record at home — and the Blue Jays are 17-15 at home this season. They counter with Jake Odorizzi who is 4-3 with a 3.59 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics call for regression as both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 4.33 and 4.35 moving forward. The right-hander has been more effective in six starts at home where he sports a 3.11 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and .213 opponent’s batting average — but he sees these numbers rise to a 4.50 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and .266 opponent’s batting average in five starts on the road. Odorizzi does come off a solid outing at home where he allowed three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings of work against the White Sox — but the Rays have lost 7 of their last 8 games with Odorizzi looking to follow up a Quality Start. Lastly, the Blue Jays have lost 16 of their last 21 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break AL East Game of the Year with the money-line on the Toronto Blue Jays (962) versus the Tampa Bay Rays (961) listing both starting pitchers Francisco Liriano and Jake Odorizzi. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:10 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Chicago White Sox (914) versus the Baltimore Orioles (913) listing both starting pitchers Derek Holland and Alex Asher. Baltimore (31-31) has lost five in a row after their 10-7 loss to the White Sox yesterday. After a sizzling 22-10 start to the season, Buck Showalter’s team has crashed by losing twenty-one of their last thirty games. Moving forward, the Orioles have lost 4 straight games after a loss — and they have lost 5 straight games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. Furthermore, Baltimore has lost 20 of their last 27 games on the road — and they have lost five straight road games against teams with a losing record. They send out Asher who is 2-4 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP in five starts along with bullpen world this season. The right-hander has made four of these starts on the road where he has been rocked with a 6.20 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .299 overall away from home. Baltimore has lost 4 straight road games with Asher on the mound. That does not bode well against this White Sox team that has won 4 of their last 5 home games against right-handed starting pitchers.

Chicago (27-35) play the second game of this home series after being on the road for nine games prior to yesterday’s contest. The White Sox have now won 7 of their last 10 games at home — and they have won 6 of their last 8 home games against teams with a winning percentage below 40% on the road. They counter with Derek Holland who is 4-6 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP in ten starts this season. The left-hander has been more effective at home where he enjoys a 2.74 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and .233 opponent’s batting average in four starts as compared to his 4.63 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and .276 opponent’s batting average when on the road. These disparate home/road split stats are consistent with last season with the Rangers where he had a 3.65 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and a .269 opponent’s batting average in that hitter-friendly park in Texas as compared to his 6.05 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and .281 opponent’s batting average when on the road. Holland has made eight starts in nine career appearances against the Orioles — and he sports a 5-2 record with a 3.21 ERA in those games. He should fare well against this Orioles team that has lost 5 of their last 6 road games against left-handed starting pitchers. Together, these team trends produce our specific 55-14 combined angle for this situation. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break League Underdog of the Year with the money-line on the Chicago White Sox (914) versus the Baltimore Orioles (913) listing both starting pitchers Derek Holland and Alex Asher. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:00 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers (709) and the Golden State Warriors (710). Cleveland (64-35) made a huge withdrawal from the Bank of the Regression Gods on Friday by collecting on the plethora of missed open shots in the first three games of this series en route to their epic 137-116 victory over the Warriors. The Cavaliers broke a host of NBA Finals records including most points in the first quarter (49), most points by halftime (86) — and their 115 points after three quarters were more than they what they had scored in any of the first three games of this series. Cleveland made 59.1% of their uncontested shots in Game Four after making host 38.4% of their uncontested shots in the first three games of this series. And most of those shots were from behind the arc — the Cavaliers became the first team in NBA Finals history to take more 3-point shots than 2-point shots. That is the simplest way to dissect why Golden State has a 3-1 lead in this series. In Game Four, Cleveland players not named LeBron James or Kyrie Irving combined to make 14 of their 25 (56%) 3-pointers. It is that simple. Golden State (82-16) scored 116 points on their losing effort despite shooting just 44.8% from the field which was their second worst shooting performance in their last nine games. The Warriors also made just 11 of 39 shots from downtown (28.2%). Draymond Green’s 16 shots were more than both Stephen Curry (13) and Klay Thompson (11). And after averaging 33 PPG in transition in the first three games of this series, the Warriors managed only 7 points in transition. So while it would be foolish to expect the Cavs to come close to replicating their offensive performance from Game Four, it is very reasonable to expect Golden State to play much better on offense and surpass the 116 points they scored on Friday. In a series that is fast-paced with plenty of 3-point attempts and plenty of trips to the charity stripe, I still don’t think the oddsmakers adjustment to (finally) place the Total in the low-230s is high enough. After four games, Cleveland is 77 of 100 (77%) which translates to a 19.3-25 FT/FTA per game average. Golden State has made 82 of 100 free throws for a 20.6-25 FT/FTA per game average. These teams are combining to tack off 40 points from the Total just from the charity stripe. The 3-point numbers are even more fascinating (as I tweeted out this morning). Cleveland has made 55 of 149 shots from behind the arc for a 36.9% average. Golden State has made 57 of 148 shots from the 3-point line for a 38.6% mark. Both teams are averaging 13.8 and 14.3 made 3s per game on 37.3 and 37 shots per game from behind the arc. In this closeout game which should see both teams starters on the floor until the waning moments even if one team is dominating, expect another high-scoring affair.

Cleveland has played 10 of their last 14 games Over the Total after scoring at least 125 points in their last game. The Cavaliers have also played 22 of their last 33 games Over the Total after a game where at least 225 combined points were scored. Cleveland has also played 10 of their last 12 games Over the Total after a game where at least a combined 245 points were scored. And in their last 5 games when playing with two days of rest, the Cavs have played 4 of these games Over the Total. Golden State has played 13 of their last 17 games Over the Total when playing with two days of rest. The Warriors have also played 4 of their last 5 home games Over the Total against teams with a winning record on the road. And in their last 21 games after scoring at least 100 points in their last game, Golden State has played 16 of these games Over the Total. 25* NBA Monday Night O/U Special Feature with Over the Total in the game between the Over the Total in the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers (709) and the Golden State Warriors (710). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:05 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the Atlanta Braves (951) plus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the Washington Nationals (952) listing both starting pitchers Mike Foltynewicz and Stephen Strasburg. Washington (38-24) has lost four of their last five games with their 5-1 loss to the Rangers yesterday. The Nationals are struggling to score runs — over their last seven games, they have failed to score more than three runs five times. All seven of those games finished Under the Total — and Washington has lost a decisive 82 of their last 126 games after playing at least four straight Unders. The Nationals have also lost 4 straight home games against teams with a losing record. They send out Strasburg who is 7-2 with a 2.80 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been less effective at home where he has a 3.18 ERA and .222 opponent’s batting average in five starts as compared to his 2.53 ERA and .187 opponent’s batting average in seven starts on the road. Last season, Strasburg had a 3.00 ERA on the road but a 4.00 ERA when at home. The deeper sabermetrics also call for regression with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 3.41 and 3.27 moving forward.

Atlanta (27-35) has won 26 of their last 38 games against an opponent that allowed at least five runs in their last start. The Braves have also won 5 of their last 7 games against teams that did not score more than two runs run their last game. Atlanta has lost three straight games after their 2-1 loss to the Mets yesterday. The Braves have then won 7 of their last 9 opening games to a new series. They counter with Mike Foltynewicz who is 4-5 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP this season. The right-hander has been more effective on the road where he has a 3.03 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and .232 opponent’s batting average in six starts as compared to his 4.03 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and .294 opponent’s batting average in five starts at home. The Braves have won 4 of their last 5 road games with Foltynewicz facing a team with a winning record. Lastly, while these team trends do not even take into account the +1.5 Run-Line we are getting with this play, the Run-Line is supported by a historical angle that has been 78% effective since 1997. Strasburg has a 2.71 ERA over his last ten starts — and home teams with a slugging percentage of .430 or higher (Washington: 449 slugging percentage) using a starting pitcher with an ERA of 3.00 or lower over his last ten starts now facing a National League starting pitcher with a WHIP in the 1.25 to 1.30 range have then failed to cover the 1.5 Run-Line in 32 of the last 41 situations where these conditions applied. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break NL East Run-Line of the Year with the Atlanta Braves (951) plus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the Washington Nationals (952) listing both starting pitchers Mike Foltynewicz and Stephen Strasburg. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (12) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (11). Nashville (54-36-12) looked due for an emotional letdown after rallying from an 0-2 deficit to pull this series at 2-2. Momentum is most defined by who scores first in the next game — and the Penguins got on the board in the first 91 seconds on Wednesday. That led to three first period goals for a 3-0 lead that compelled head coach Peter Laviolette to bench Pekka Rinne for the remaining two periods. The final result was a 6-0 loss which was the Predators’ worst loss of the entire season. Now returning home for a crucial Game Six, expect Nashville to be energized and to open the game with a great start like Pittsburgh did on Thursday. The Predators have won 6 of their last 8 games after allowing at least five goals in their last game. Nashville has also won 18 of their last 22 home games after looking to avenge a loss where they only scored one goal. Furthermore, Nashville has won 15 of their last 18 home games when looking to avenge a loss by at least three goals. The Predators have a huge home ice advantage in front of their raucous crowd in Bridgestone Arena. They are 9-1 at home in these playoffs (13-1 over the last two postseasons) while outscoring their opponents by +20 goals — and they have outscored the Penguins by seven goals in their two games at home in the Stanley Cup Finals. Rinne has been outstanding at home in these playoffs where he has a 1.44 Goals-Against-Average along with a .949 save percentage. Remember, he was facing adversity after two subpar games in Pittsburgh last week — and he responded with a 1.01 GAA along with a .962 save percentage in those two games. Laviolette’s option of the last shift change does help Rinne a great deal as it allows for the Roman Josi-Ryan Ellis line to go up against Sidney Crosby. There is an issue with Ellis who left in the 2nd period with an undisclosed injury — but my read of this situation is that the defenseman will play and his leaving Game Five had much to do with the blowout nature of that game. Rest will help — the Predators have won 24 of their last 30 home games when playing with two days of rest. Furthermore, while this is the first time in these playoffs where Nashville is facing elimination, they were 3-1 in those situations last postseason. The Predators have won 6 straight games when trailing in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh (66-28-6) are likely to let up just a bit after their easy victory on Thursday — and that is not a good mindset for them to have when playing in what will be a very loud and hostile environment. Scoring depth is an issue for this team — they scored only two goals in their two games in Nashville. Their 3rd line center Nick Bonino remains questionable for this game after missing the last three with his undisclosed injury. As it is, this team has lost 9 of their last 11 games against opponents that allowed at least five goals in their last game. The Penguins have also lost 5 straight road games after playing their last three games against non-conference opponents. And in their last 5 games road games overall in these playoffs, Pittsburgh has lost 4 of these games. Their goalie Matt Murray has not been nearly as effective away from home in these Finals either — he has allowed eight goals on 58 shots for an .862 save percentage. Lastly, the Penguins failed to take care of business in their first opportunity to close out the series in each of the previous three rounds in these playoffs. 25* NHL Stanley Cup Finals *A-List* Special with the money-line on the Nashville Predators (12) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (11). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 4:10 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (911) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (912) listing both starting pitchers Chase Anderson and Robbie Ray. Arizona (37-26) has won four of their last five games with their 3-2 victory over the Brewers yesterday. The Diamondbacks have then played 4 straight games Over the Total after a victory. Additionally, the Over is 23-9-2 in Arizona’s last 34 games against teams with a winning record. Furthermore, the Over is a decisive 50-22-3 in the Diamondbacks’ last 75 games at home — and that includes playing twenty of their last twenty-seven home games Over the Total with the number set in the 8.5-10 range. They send out Ray who is 6-3 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. The right-hander has allowed only one earned run in his last 30 1/3 innings of work — but the deeper sabermetrics call for regression. Both Ray’s SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 3.48 and 3.44 respectively moving forward. Ray has also not been as effective at home where he has a 5.67 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and .250 opponent’s batting average in six starts as compared to his microscopic 0.64 ERA along with a 0.76 WHIP and .134 opponent’s batting average in six starts on the road. The Diamondbacks have played 16 of their last 21 road games Over the Total with Ray on there mound. That bodes for trouble when facing this Brewers team that has played 13 of their last 16 road games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers.

Milwaukee (33-29) has played 15 of their last 20 road games Over the Total when looking to avenge a loss by just one run. The Brewers have also played 8 of their last 11 road games Over the Total when facing a team with a winning record. And in their last 46 games as an underdog, Milwaukee has played 28 of these games Over the Total. They counter with Chase Anderson who is 5-1 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP this season. The right-hander enters this game with a scoreless innings streak of 21 2/3rds. But given Anderson’s 4.30 SIERA and 4.33 xFIP, expect regression in his performances. Furthermore, Anderson has struggled on the road where he has a 4.36 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and .266 opponent’s batting average in six starts as compared to his 1.69 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and .218 opponent’s batting average in six starts at home. The Over is 7-2-1 in the Brewers last 10 road games against teams with a winning record. Lastly, the Diamondbacks have played 4 of their last 5 games Over the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break National League Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Milwaukee Brewers (911) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (912) listing both starting pitchers Chase Anderson and Robbie Ray. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:15 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the Boston Red Sox (970) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the Detroit Tigers (969) listing both starting pitchers Chris Sale and Justin Verlander. Boston (33-27) has won four of their last six games with their 5-3 win over the Tigers last night. The Red Sox have then won 8 of their last 11 games after a victory. Boston has also won 6 of their last 7 games at home in Fenway Park. They send out Sale who is 7-2 with a 2.89 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP this season. The left-hander has been more effective in six starts at home where he enjoys a 2.23 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and .166 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 3.63 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and .237 opponent’s batting average in six starts on the road. The Red Sox have won 5 of their 6 starts at home with Sale on the hill. The deeper sabermetrics are bullish on Sale with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an even better ERA of 2.43 and 2.44 moving forward.

Detroit (29-31) has lost three of their last four games after last  night’s loss. The Tigers have now lost 9 of their last 13 games on the road. Detroit has also lost 5 of their last 6 games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Justin Verlander who is 4-4 with a 4.63 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in twelve starts this season. The right-hander has struggle don the road where he has a 6.53 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and .288 opponent’s batting average in seven starts on the road as compared to his strong 2.10 ERA along with a 1.13 WHIP and .198 opponent’s batting average in five starts at home. Detroit has lost 5 of their last 6 home games with Verlander on the mound. The Red Sox have won 5 of their last 6 home games against right-handed starting pitchers. The sabermetrics predict more regression for Verlander with his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.74 and 5.06 respectively moving forward. Lastly, while these team trends do not take into account the 1.5 Run-Line we are laying in this game, Boston is supported by an empirical angle that has been 67% effective over the last five seasons. The Tigers allow only 0.43 stolen bases per game — and underdogs who do not allow more than one stolen base every two games while using a starting pitcher who averages at least 2.5 walks per start (Verlander: exactly 2.5 walks per start) have then failed to cover the 1.5 Run-Line when priced in the +165 to -135 price range at +1.5 Runs (Detroit: -120 range at +1.5 Runs) in 36 of the last 54 situations where these conditions applied. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break American League Run-Line of the Year with the Boston Red Sox (970) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the Detroit Tigers (969) listing both starting pitchers Chris Sale and Justin Verlander. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:00 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing Over the Total in the game between the Golden State Warriors (707) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (708). Cleveland (63-35) finds themselves on the brink of elimination after blowing a 6-point lead late in the 4th quarter in their 118-113 loss on Wednesday as a 3-point underdog. With the second straight game where at least 231 combined points were scored, the Total has risen to the 228 range. With a number that high, it does not take much defense or slowing of the pace to produce an Under. But do not expect the Cavaliers to mail-in this effort. Cleveland will be playing for pride on their home court — and the opportunity to ruin the Warriors attempt to make history with the NBA’s first perfect 16-0 playoff mark should ensure a fast start for the underdogs. While this series can be dissected to death, my primary take is quite simple: Cleveland is not making baskets. On Wednesday, they shot only 44.4% from the field while making just 12 of their 44 shots from the 3-point line (27.3%). In Game One, the Caves made only 34.9% of their shots while making 11 of their 31 shots from the 3-point line for a 35.5% mark that turned out to be their best so far in these playoffs. In Game Two, Cleveland shot 45% from the field (their best mark in this series) but made only 8 of 29 of their 3-pointers (27.6%). Credit the Warriors’ defense — but keep in mind they are primarily focused on stopping LeBron James and Kyrie Irving who combined for 77 points on Wednesday. There is no question that Zaza Pachulia and the rest of the Warriors have completely neutered Tristan Thompson. But the Cavaliers’ supporting cast continue to miss open 3-point shots which has been the biggest difference in this series. In Game Three, they made only 3 of their 18 corner 3-point attempts while making just 7 of their 30 uncontested 3-point shots! Now with the pressure off this team facing a near-impossible 0-3 deficit to overcome, I do expect some of the 3-pointers to find the net rather than the rim. I won’t re-quote the analytics entering this series for the Cavaliers that I have referenced previously — but suffice to say that their Offensive Efficiency and effective field goal percentage was not just better than the Warriors this postseason but the best mark in the NBA Playoffs over the last forty years. That 44.4% mark in Game Three was their second worst offensive performance in their last twelve games — with the worst being Game One of the NBA Finals when they were playing off the rust of six days rest. This remains a team that shoots 48.6% on their home court while also making 39.1% of their shots from behind the arc. The Cavs’ open jumpers — and 3-pointers — are bound to fall sooner rather than later.

Golden State (82-15) does seem unstoppable on offense against the suspect defense that the Cavaliers offer. I would not be surprised to see James spend less time (attempting to) defend Kevin Durant to save his energy on offense — and that should help our Over on both ends of the court. The Warriors are scoring 121.0 PPG in this series despite making more than 48.5% of their shots just once. One of the things that is pushing these higher scores is that both teams are simply not missing their free throws. Golden State is making 86.0% of their free throws while averaging over 21 freebies per game. Cleveland is making 81.2% of their free throws while averaging 23 trips to the charity stripe. In Game Four, the pace will still be fast, both teams will make their free throws — and both teams have great shooting efforts still in their pockets to offer. Lastly, the team trends regarding the respective personalities of both teams support the Over. The Warriors have played 7 of their last 8 games Over the Total after a straight-up win — and they have played 6 of their last 7 games Over the Total after a point spread victory. Golden State has also now covered the point spread in six straight games — and they have then played 22 of their last 33 games Over the Total after covering the point spread in six or seven of their last eight games. The Warriors have also played 4 straight road games Over the Total against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home court. Cleveland has seen the Over go 19-7-1 in their last 27 games at home — and that includes playing four of their last five home games Over the Total against teams with a winning record on the road. Additionally, the Cavs have played 23 of their last 34 games Over the Total after a straight-up loss — and they have played 20 of their last 30 games Over the Total after two-straight point spread losses. Furthermore, Cleveland has played 21 of their last 32 games Over the Total after a game where at least 225 combined points were scored. And in their last 13 games played with one day of rest, the Cavs have played 9 of these games Over the Total. 25* NBA Total of the Year with Over the Total in the game between the Over the Total in the game between the Golden State Warriors (707) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (708). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Thursday, we will be playing the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (10) versus the Nashville Predators (9). Pittsburgh (65-28-6) returns home to Pittsburgh with the Stanley Cup Finals deadlocked at 2-2 after their 4-1 loss in Nashville on Monday. The Penguins scored only two combined goals over these last two games. But despite those uninspiring offensive results, Pittsburgh returns home with reasons to be confident. Said Sidney Crosby about his team’s effort in Game Four: “It’s the most consistent [effort] as far as generating chances … We found a different level there tonight, and didn’t get the result we wanted.” The deeper metrics support this conclusion. After generating only 15 combined “High Danger” scoring opportunities in the first three games of this series, the Penguins had 17 High Danger scoring chances on Monday. The Pens seem to be finally finding some holes in the Predators’ defensive pairings. Frankly, the Predators’ Pekka Rinne stole Game Three by playing his best game in this series. But there is a big pile of losing tickets from bettors giving up on Crosby in the playoffs not only this postseason but throughout his career. Returning home will help as it will afford head coach Mike Sullivan to choose the exact defensive pair that he wants Crosby and center line center Eugene Malkin to face. Don’t be surprised when Sullivan chooses to have Crosby take the ice when the chirpign P.K. Subban with the vastly underrated Mattias Ekholm complete their shifts — and that will help the superstar. Pittsburgh has been very tough when looking to redeem themselves from a disappointing effort. Not only have they won 21 of their last 29 games after a loss by at least three goals, but they have won 16 of their last 20 games after suffering two straight losses by at least three goals. The Penguins have also won 14 of their last 16 home games after a loss on the road by at least two goals.

Nashville (54-35-12) may suffer an emotional letdown after getting the opportunity to exhale in winning the last two games to even this series. The Predators have lost 12 of their last 18 games after a victory by at least three goals. Nashville enjoys an outstanding home ice advantage — but they have lost 5 of their last 7 games on the road. And in their last 15 road games after a win by at least two goals, the Predators have lost 12 of these games. This team is getting unexpected strong play from players like Frederick Gaudreau who has become the second player in NHL history to score their first three goals in their career in the Stanley Cup Finals. But these unsung heroes who have been required to step up giving injuries have not performed as well in hostile environments. And while Rinne was spectacular at home over the last two games, he allowed eight goals on just 36 shots on net in the two games in Pittsburgh in this series. Expect the Penguins to play their best game of this series on Thursday. 25* NHL Stanley Cup Finals A-List Special with the money-line on the Pittsburgh Penguins (10) versus the Nashville Predators (9). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 9:05 PM EST on Wednesday, we will be playing the Cleveland Cavaliers (706) plus the points versus the Golden State Warriors (705). Golden State (81-15) have read and have heard from almost everywhere that the NBA Finals are a fait accompli after their decisive 132-113 victory over the Cavaliers in Game Two of this series on Sunday. In fact, the debate has often changed from whether or not the Warriors will dethrone this Cleveland team (that did find themselves in this situation entering Game Three last season) and instead has been replaced in many areas over the unresolvable debate regarding how they would fare against the 1996 Chicago Bulls or the Magic Johnson “Showtime” Lakers. This is an instance where the two days between games may work at the detriment for one of the teams in the playoffs. It may very hard for Golden State to have not lost just a bit of their edge after reading about their inevitable championship. And for a team that made 18 of their 43 shots from behind the arc on Sunday for a nice 41.9% clip, this overconfidence may translate into settling for too many jump shots — as was the case in the second-half in Game Two (albeit, they were making these shots). That was the case for Kevin Durant as well as his teammates in the second-half on Sunday. And while the Warriors do make over 40% of their 3-pointers on their home court this season, that mark does drop to a more modest 36.0% mark when on the road. Golden State made 36.4% of their 3-pointers in the first game of this series — and that translated into 19 fewer points from not coincidentally 18 less points via 3-pointers for the Warriors. Golden State’s 20 turnovers on Sunday were 16 more than what they committed in the opening game of this series — and this is a trend that should continue in the Cavs’ favor as they can get too loose with the basketball. Surprisingly, the Warriors out-rebounded the Cavaliers by a 53-41 margin. Golden State also made more free throws (22) than Cleveland attempted (19). Both of those events are highly unlikely to replicate themselves. Cleveland entered this series averaging 33 free throw attempts per 100 possessions which was 2nd most in these playoffs. Back on their home court, don’t be surprised that the Cavs see themselves the beneficiaries of many more whistles.

If there are two weaknesses for Golden State, it would relate to both their physical and mental toughness — with last year’s NBA Finals serving as Exhibit A. Those are also two areas that Durant has struggled with as the pressure mounted in his past playoff experiences. While there has been plenty of Monday Morning Quarterbacking for this Cleveland team, the simple solution for them to be more competitive in this series is simply to make more shots. The Cavs made 45% of their shots on Sunday while making just 8 of their 29 shots from behind the arc for a rough 27.6% mark. If Golden State shoots that poorly, it will be Cleveland enjoying 20-digit victories. And don’t give too much credit to the Warriors’ defense for that mark. Give the Warriors their proper due for Kyrie Irving missing 15 of his 23 shots from the field on Sunday. But the Golden State defense is allowing open looks for Deron Williams and Kyle Korver and J.R. Smith — yet Williams is 0 for 9 in this series, Korver has missed five of his six 3-pointers in this series and Smith has scored a mere 3 points in 42 minutes play in this series. At least some of these role players should play better at home — and that will make things easier for LeBron James, Irving and Kevin Love who is quietly having a very nice NBA Finals. The Cavaliers make 39.5% of their shots from behind the arc on their home court — so when considering that this team entered this series with 41.9% of their field goals attempts come from behind the arc in these playoffs, that can seize some momentum of their own very quickly. Remember, Cleveland entered this series with a 59.8% effective field goal percentage while scoring 120.7 points per 100 possessions which are both the best marks in NBA Playoff history over the last 40 years. James commented (a day after I released this play) on his team’s recipe for success for Wednesday night: “Take great shots and don’t turn the ball over.” I agree. The Cavs do have some strategic options such as get more playing time for Iman Shumpert who can defend Durant. But, it is pretty simple — make more shots and that will also decrease the fast break opportunities for the Warriors. Cleveland is 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing at least 125 points. And in their last 6 home games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on the road, the Cavs are 3-1-2 ATS. 25* NBA Game of the Year with the Cleveland Cavaliers (706) plus the points versus the Golden State Warriors (705). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:00 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins (7) and the Nashville Predators (8). Pittsburgh (65-28-6) scored in the first three minutes of the 1st period on Saturday but failed to score a goal for the remaining 57 minutes in their 5-1 loss to the Predators in Game Three of this series. The Penguins have scored just six goals in their last four road games as well as only ten goals in their last six playoff games on the road. While the Pens are loaded with scorers at forward, they are playing a bit more conservatively than perhaps they would like given the injuries they have endured on defense — most notably with their talisman blue-liner in Kris Letang. The team was also without their third-line center Nick Bonino on Saturday and he is listed as questionable for Game Four with his lower body injury. Goalie Matt Murray suffered his worst game in these playoffs by allowing five goals on 33 shots — he should play better tonight after stopping 60 of the first 64 shots he has faced in this series. Nashville scored twice in the 3rd period on Saturday — and Pittsburgh has played 9 of their last 10 road games Under the Total after allowing at least two goals in the 3rd period of their last game. The Penguins have also played 11 of their last 14 road games Under the Total after a loss on the road — and they have played 23 of their last 34 road games Under the Total after a loss by at least two goals. Additionally, the Under is 6-2-2 in Pittsburgh’s last 10 games against an opponent that did not allow more than two goals in their last game. And in their last 47 opportunities on the road to avenge a loss to their opponent, 32 of these games finished Under the Total.

Nashville (54-35-12) benefitted from a bounce-back performance from goalie Pekka Rinne who silenced critics by stopping 27 of the 28 shots he faced on Saturday. At home in the playoffs, Rinne has a 1.48 Goals-Against-Average along with a .949 save percentage. The Predators have then played 8 of their last 10 games Under the Total after a win by at least four goals. But Nashville is not likely to repeat their scoring barrage in that game as the Under is 4-1-1 in their last 6 games after scoring at least five goals in their last game. Additionally, the Under is 7-2-3 in the Predators’ last 12 games on their home ice. And in their last 18 games played with one day of rest, the Under is 11-3-4. 25* National Hockey League Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins (7) and the Nashville Predators (8). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:35 PM EST on Sunday, we will be playing the Chicago Cubs (964) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the St. Louis Cardinals (963) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Michael Wacha. Chicago (27-27) has won two straight games with their 5-3 victory over the Cardinals yesterday. The Cubs have now won a decisive 49 of their last 71 games at home in Wrigley Field. Chicago has also won 5 of their last 6 games against a team that allowed at least five runs in their last game. They send out Hendricks who is 4-3 with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in ten starts this season. The right-hander has been more effective at home where he has a 3.49 ERA in five starts. Last season, Hendricks enjoyed an outstanding 1.32 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .201. The Cubbies have won 13 of their last 19 home games with Hendricks on the hill. Hendricks teams have also won a decisive 21 of their last 26 games when priced in the -125 to -175 price range. He should fare well against this Cardinals team that has lost 4 straight road games against right-handed starting pitchers.

St. Louis (26-27) has lost 7 of their last 9 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. The Cardinals have also lost 5 of their last 6 road games against teams with a winning record at home. They counter with Michael Wacha who is 2-3 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP in nine starts this season. The right-hander has struggled on the road where he has a 6.19 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .323 in three starts as compared to his 2.94 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and .235 opponent’s batting average when at home. St. Louis has lost 6 straight games at night with Wacha on the mound where he has a 5.23 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .306 in six starts under the lights this season. Lastly, while these team trends do not take into account the -1.5 Run-Line we are laying for this play, the Cubs are supported by an empirical angle specific to the Run-Line that has been 73% effective over the last five seasons. The Cubs are hitting just .234 this season — and National League home favorites hitting under .245 have then covered the -1.5 Run-Line (money line priced in the +135 to -190 range) in 50 of the last 69 games when played on a Sunday. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break Sunday ESPN Run-Line of the Year on the Chicago Cubs (964) minus the 1.5 Run-Line versus the St. Louis Cardinals (963) listing both starting pitchers Kyle Hendricks and Michael Wacha. Best of luck for us — Frank (and I will be Live Tweeting during this game — follow me at FrankSawyer_HS to keep up with my comments, insights and, hopefully, a few jokes).

At 8:00 PM EST on Saturday, we will be playing the money-line on the Nashville Predators (6) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (5). Pittsburgh (65-27-6) has seized a 2-0 lead in this series with their 4-1 victory on Wednesday. The defending champions are flexing their veteran muscles in this series by scoring at key times and taking advantage of a Predators team that has not responded well to adversity so far in these Finals. The Penguins broke Game Two open by scoring three goals in a 3:28 span in the 3rd period — eerily similar to their three-goal outburst in the a 4:11 stretch late in the 1st period in the opening game of this series. But besides those two moments, this Pittsburgh team has been outplayed. Check out some of the deeper metrics after two games in this series. The Penguins are scoring on 18.8% of their shots on net while the Predators are scoring on just 8.3% of their shots. Nashville is also peppering Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray with more shots as they hold a 64-39 edge in shots on net in this series. When including blocked shots and shots wide of the net to measure aggressiveness and pure chances, the Predators hold an 86-57 shot advantage at even strength for a 60.14% edge. Furthermore, 40 face-offs have taken place on Pittsburgh’s end of the ice as compared to the 28 face-offs behind Nashville’s blue line for a 60.6% edge for the Predators. The Penguins still lack a true number-one defenseman with Kris Letang out for these playoffs. They also may lose some of the big advantage they hold in this series down the middle with center Nick Bonino listed as questionable with a lower body injury.



Nashville (53-35-12) should receive the jolt they need by returning home to Bridgestone Arena where they enjoy a big advantage in front of a very energetic crowd. The Predators have won 7 of their 8 home games in these playoffs — and they have won 11 of their last 12 home playoff games going back to last postseason. Returning home should help goalie Pekka Rinne who has a 7-1 mark at home in these playoffs with a 1.54 Goals-Against-Average along with a .947 save percentage. Talk of replacing Rinne is both crazy and absurd — head coach Mike Laviolette would face a lifetime of regret if he benched Rinne now for an untested rookie in Juuse Saros and the Preds’ lost Game Three. Besides, Rinne is 3-0 with a 1.22 GAA and a .949 save percentage in his three Game Threes this postseason. Frankly, while Rinne has been off so far in these Finals, he needs more help from his defense. Expect the outstanding Nashville blue-line to take offense to all this Rinse-benching talk and come out on fire to defend their goalkeeper. P.K. Subban has guaranteed a victory on Saturday night — and while the guarantee means little to me, I love the confidence and message it sends. The Predators have won 6 of their last 8 games after failing to score more than two goals in their last game. 25* National Hockey League Game of the Year with the money-line on the Nashville Predators (6) versus the Pittsburgh Penguins (5). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:15 PM EST on Friday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Cleveland Indians (973) and the Kansas City Royals (974) listing both starting pitchers Josh Tomlin and Jason Vargas. Cleveland (28-24) has won four of their last five games with their 8-0 victory over the A’s yesterday. The Under is then 26-10-2 in the Indians’ lat 38 games after a victory. The Under is also 17-6-3 in Cleveland’s last 26 games after scoring at least five runs in their last game. And in their last 10 road games against teams with a losing record, the Under is 7-2-1. They send out Tomlin who is 3-6 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics project better times for the right-hander with both his SIERA and xFIP projecting an ERA of 4.04 and 3.75 respectively moving forward. Tomlin has been more effective on the road where he owns a strong 1.13 WHIP as compared to his 1.44 WHIP along with a 6.19 ERA and an opponent’s batting average of .321 when pitching at home. These disparate home/road splits are consistent with last season where Tomlin had a 4.31 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and .257 opponent’s batting average on the road as compared to his 4.50 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and .283 opponent’s batting average when at home. The Under is 6-1-2 in the Indians’ last 9 games on the road. He should fare well against this Royals’ team that has played 8 of their last 10 home games Under the Total against right-handed starting pitchers. Tomlin also loves to pitch against Kansas City — he is 10-4 with a 3.94 ERA in 23 career appearances which includes 19 starts against the Royals.

Kansas City (22-30) has lost three of their last four games with their 6-5 loss to the Tigers on Wednesday. The Royals have then played 5 of their last 7 games Under the Total after scoring at least five runs in their last game. The Under is also 15-5-1 in KC’s last 221 home games against teams with a winning record. They counter with Jason Vargas who is 6-3 with a 2.39 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in ten starts this season. The left-hander has been even better at home where he owns a 2.05 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and .212 opponent’s batting average in five starts as compared to his 2.73 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and .257 opponent’s batting average on the road. Kansas City has played 8 of their last 9 home games Under the Total with Vargas on the mound — and that includes playing five of their last six games Under the Total against teams with a winning record in those circumstances. He should fare well against this Indians team that has played 7 of their last 10 games Under the Total against teams using a starting pitcher with a WHIP no higher than 1.10. The Under is also 19-7-1 in Cleveland’s last 28 games against left-handed starting pitchers. Together, these team trends produce our specific 120-39-10 combined angle for this situation. 25* MLB Pre-All Star Break American League Central Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Cleveland Indians (973) and the Kansas City Royals (974) listing both starting pitchers Josh Tomlin and Jason Vargas. Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 7:10 PM EST on Tuesday, we will be playing the money-line on the Colorado Rockies (928) versus the Seattle Mariners (927) listing both starting pitchers Tyler Anderson and Ariel Miranda. Colorado (33-20) looks to bounce-back from their 6-5 loss to the Mariners in the opening game of this series last night. The Rockies have rebounded to win 5 straight games after a loss. And while the Colorado bullpen did not allow an earned run in that game, they have then won 16 of their last 22 games after a game where their bullpen did not allow an earned run. Furthermore, the Rockies have won 10 of their last 14 games against teams with a losing record. They send out Anderson who is 3-4 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP this season. The deeper sabermetrics are bullish on the left-hander as his both his SIERA and xFIP project an ERA of 3.82 and 3.58 moving forward. The expected improvement for Anderson seems to already be taking place. Over his last four starts, Anderson is 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 24 2/3 innings while punching out 32 batters, issuing only 7 walks and giving up just 21 hits. Anderson has been more effective at home this season where he owns a 1.34 WHIP and .262 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 1.41 WHIP and .279 opponent’s batting average when on the road. Last season, Anderson owned  a strong 3.00 ERA along with a 1.26 WHIP at home. The Rockies have won 4 of their last 5 home games with Anderson facing a team with a losing record. He should fare well against this Mariners team that has lost 4 of their last 5 games against left-handed starting pitchers.

Seattle (23-29) has lost 7 of their last 10 games after allowing at least five runs in their last game. The Mariners have also lost 8 of their last 11 games on the road. And in their last 25 games as an underdog priced in the +100 to +150 price range, Seattle has lost 19 of these games. They counter with Ariel Miranda who has a 4-2 record along with a 4.22 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in ten starts this season. The left-hander has been quite good in his four starts at home where he has a 2.36 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and .220 opponent’s batting average — but those numbers rise to a rough 6.08 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and .252 opponent’s batting average in six starts on the road. These disparate home/road split stats are consistent with last season where he had a 3.16 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and .218 opponent’s batting average as opposed to his 5.14 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and .288 opponent’s batting average when on the road. Miranda takes the mound tonight after last pitching on Thursday — and the Mariners have lost 4 of their last 5 games with Miranda on the mound. Lastly, the Rockies have won 10 of their last 13 home games against left-handed starting pitchers. Together, these team trends produce our specific 87-28 combined angle for this situation. 25* MLB Interleague Game of the Month with the money-line on the Colorado Rockies (928) versus the Seattle Mariners (927) listing both starting pitchers Tyler Anderson and Ariel Miranda.  Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing Under the Total in the game between the Nashville Predators (1) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (2). Pittsburgh (63-27-6) earned the opportunity to defend their Stanley Cup Championship in this year’s Stanley Cup with their 3-2 victory over Ottawa in the climactic seventh game of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday. The Penguins host this opening game as they retain the home ice advantage in this series — and the Under is 8-3-2 in their last 13 games at home. While Pittsburgh has two of the best forwards in the world in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, head coach Mike Sullivan has had his team play a bit more conservatively to help compensate for some of the injuries on their blue line. Furthermore, expect both teams to be cautious in this opening game as they feel each other out after their tough respective Conference Finals. The Penguins have played 22 of their last 32 opening games of a new series in the playoffs. Additionally, the Predators will be taking the ice for the first time in a week for this game — and that helps place the Under into an empirical angle that has been 69% effective over the last five seasons. In games between non-conference opponents with the Total set at 5.5, when the road team is playing with at least three days of rest, these games then finished Under the Total in 36 of the last 52 situations where these conditions applied.

Nashville (53-33-12) closed out their series with Anaheim in six games with their 6-3 victory last Monday. The Under is then 4-0-1 in their last 5 games after scoring at least five goals in their last game. Despite that scoring explosion, this real strength of this team is their blue line where they have the luxury of four players in Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, P.K. Subban and Mattias Ekholm could all be the number one defenseman on most other teams. These four players form two elite defensive pairings that will give the Penguins trouble — particularly early on in this series. Moving forward, the Under is 11-2-4 in the Predators’ last 17 games against an opponent that allowed two goals or less in their last game. Lastly, the Under is 4-1-2 in Nashville’s last 7 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% on their home ice. 25* National Hockey League Total of the Year with Under the Total in the game between the Nashville Predators (1) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (2). Best of luck for us — Frank.

At 8:05 PM EST on Monday, we will be playing the money-line on the Texas Rangers (970) versus the Tampa Bay Rays (969) listing both starting pitchers Martin Perez and Erasmo Ramirez. Texas (25-26) snapped a five-game losing streak yesterday afternoon in their 3-1 win in Toronto. The Rangers have then won 4 of their last 5 games after allowing two runs or less in their last game — and they have won 21 of their last 28 games after a game where no more than four combined runs were scored. Now after being on the road since May 18th, Texas returns home where they are 16-8 — and they have won 16 of their last 21 games at home. The Rangers have also won 5 straight home games after being on the road for at least seven days. And in their last 15 home games when a money-line favorite priced at least at -110, Texas has won 13 of these games. They send out Perez who is 2-5 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP in 10 starts this season. The left-hander has been more effective in his six starts at home where he has a 3.47 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and .273 opponent’s batting average as compared to his 4.29 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and an opponent’s batting average of .321. These disparate home/road splits are consistent with last season where he had a 3.24 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and .265 opponent’s batting average at home as compared to his 5.78 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and .277 opponent’s batting average when on the road. The Rangers have won 14 of their last 20 home games with Perez on the hill. Perez looks to finish off a strong month of May where he has posted a 3.16 ERA in his four starts. He should fare well against this Rays team that has lost 6 of their last 8 games against left-handed starting pitchers.

Tampa Bay (27-26) has won four of their last five games with their 8-6 win over Minnesota in a game that took 15 innings to conclude yesterday. The Rays have lost 19 of their last 26 games after winning four of their last five games. Tampa Bay has also lost 23 of their last 34 opening games to a new series. Furthermore, the Rays have lost 10 of their last 14 road games against teams with a losing record. They have also lost a decisive 40 of their last 55 road games against teams with a winning percentage over 60% at home. They give the ball right back to Erasmo Ramirez who will be the fifth pitcher since 1974 to make the start the day after picking up a save the night before. Ramirez is 3-3 this season with an ERA of 3.00 and a WHIP of 0.89 after making 12 pitches yesterday to close out that game. The right-hander has a 2.86 ERA along with a 0.80 WHIP and .195 opponent’s batting average at home which includes three spot starts but this will be his first start this season on the road where he carries a less impressive 3.21 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and .216 opponent’s batting average. Last season, Ramirez had a 4.98 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and .292 opponent’s batting average on the road as compared to his nice 2.66 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and .240 opponent’s batting average at home. The Rays have lost 7 of their last 10 games with Ramirez facing a team with a winning record. Despite the Rangers losing road trip, they are hitting a strong .275 over their last eleven games. Texas has also won 7 straight home games against right-handed starting pitchers. 25* MLB Game of the Month with the money-line on the Texas Rangers (970) versus the Tampa Bay Rays (969) listing both starting pitchers Martin Perez and Erasmo Ramirez. Best of luck for us — Frank.