Greg Smith
Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee
Play: Georgia Tech +3.5
Georgia Tech should be a team to be watching this season. They return nearly every starter (except their QB), but they should have just as good success in moving the football, particularly on the ground. Stud running back Dedrick Mills who had a team high rushing of 771 yards and 12 touchdowns should have another great year behind a very experienced offensive line.
On the flip side, Tennessee has a lot of replacements to fill this season, especially at the QB position where they lost record breaking Josh Dobbs.
My model calls for the Yellow Jackets as 4 point favorites, so being the underdogs in their home town I see great value potential in this game. I recommend a play on GT of a +1 or better.
Bruce Marshall
Giants at Rockies
Pick: Giants
We can apparently do much worse at the moment than buck Colorado, which appears in freefall in an 8-17 skid and 25-38 since June 21...the worst record in the AL. A loss on Monday and a win by Milwaukee will knock the Rocks out of a playoff position for the first time since April. After an encouraging return from the DL, Monday starter Chad Bettis has struggled. Edge on Labor Day looks to be with the Giants and Chris Stratton, off of three straight quality starts in which he has allowed just 2 runs in 18 2/3 IP.
Jack Jones
Rangers vs. Braves
Play:Rangers +104
The Texas Rangers are just 3 games back of the Minnesota Twins for the final wild card spot in the American League. The Atlanta Braves have nothing to play for at 60-75 on the season. I'll back the more motivated Rangers here in Game 1 of this series with Atlanta.
Andrew Cashner has been one of the most underrated starters in baseball this season. He has gone 8-9 with a 3.30 ERA and 1.287 WHIP in 22 starts, including 1-0 with a 3.20 ERA and 1.068 WHIP in his last three.
R.A. Dickey has held his own for the Braves at 9-8 with a 3.91 ERA and 1.373 WHIP in 26 starts. He has faltered down the stretch, going 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in his last three starts. He gave up 4 earned runs and 11 base runners in 6 innings of a 6-9 loss to the Mariners on August 23rd, a fellow AL West rival of the Rangers.
The Rangers are 6-1 in their last seven during game 1 of a series. Texas is 10-3 in its last 13 interleague games vs. a right-handed starter. Texas is 13-4 in its last 17 vs. NL East opponents. Atlanta is 13-27 in its last 40 games overall. The Braves are 7-20 in their last 27 interleague games. Texas is 6-1 in its last seven meetings with Atlanta.
John Martin
Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers
Play: Diamondbacks +138
The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best record in baseball. They basically have home-field advantage through the postseason locked up, and they're playing like it. They are just 1-8 in their last nine games overall and just lost three straight to the lowly San Diego Padres. These are teams heading in opposite directions. The Diamondbacks are 11-0 in their last 11 games overall. That includes a sweep of the Dodgers at home. Now Robby Ray takes his 6-1 record with a 1.49 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 11 road starts to Los Angeles tonight. Ray is 5-3 with a 2.97 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 12 previous starts against the Dodgers. He has held them to 2 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings in his last two starts against them in 2017. Rich Hill is 1-5 with a 5.28 ERA in nine previous starts against the Diamondbacks. He gave up 6 earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in his last start against them on August 29th.
Rob Vinciletti
Toronto vs. Hamilton
Play: Hamilton +4.5
Hamilton fits a solid 39-18 system that plays on win less dogs in the CFL. The Tiger Cats are 4-0 straight up and ats at home vs Montreal and have covered both times as a home dog from +3.5 to +7. Hamilton is 3-0 on Mondays. Montreal is 2-9 in games played from week 10-15 and 0-3 with 8 days rest, the Argos have lost 4 of 5 on the road.
Carmine Bianco
Romania at Montenegro
Play: Montenegro +155
Monday's Free Play is on Montenegro at home as what is a good price but a very tight group stage match. A draw here helps neither side as Romania come in holding on to a low percentage number to qualify for WC 2018 and anything short of 3 points will likely eliminate them so you could expect the visitors to deviate from their typical back heavy defensive formation here which also benefits a Montenegro side with a solid attack. They've won 2 of 3 at home in qualifying and scored 9 goals in those victories. Montenegro's next two are home matches where wins are needed (Romania/Denmark) before heading to Poland on the final match day 10 and a WC spot up for grabs.
Buster Sports
Angels at Athletics
Play: Angels -136
The LA Angels come to Oakland for three-game series and they will be looking to try to sweep the A’s as they are fighting for their playoff lives in the AL wild-card race. The starting pitchers for tonight’s game are for the Angels RH Parker Bridwell (7-2, 3.52 ERA) and he will be facing the Athletics RH Chris Smith (0-4, 6.27 ERA) Bridwell has been pitching great for the Angels this year and he has a score to settle from his last start with the A’s. He had his worst game of the year against the A’s allowing 7 runs in 3 innings. We look for him to bounce back in a big way today especially on the road where he is sporting a 2.00 ERA with a WHIP of 1.028 in 6 road starts. As for Smith, the 36-year-old has a great story getting to the major leagues but unfortunately for him that is where it has ended. He is sporting an ugly 8.70 ERA with a WHIP of 1.45 in his last three starts. Look for the Angels to get to Smith early and often today in Oakland. The Angels are 12-2 in games started by Bridwell this season, which just solidifies our selection.
Harry Bondi
GEORGIA TECH (+3) over Tennessee
Let’s grab the points with the Yellow Jackets tonight. Yes, the Vols had extra time to prepare for Georgia Tech’s tricky option offense, but they were historically bad last year against the run, allowing an average of 221 rushing yards per game and a mind-boggling five yards per carry, and they lost a key defensive cog last week when inside LB Darrin Kirkland went down with a knee injury. Tennessee has other problems on offense where it has replace five key starters — including two-year starter at QB, Joshua Dobbs — that accounted for most of its total yardage last year, while the Yellow Jackets return 14 starters from last season’s 9-win team. G.T. has covered six of its last eight in non-conference play, including a 3-1 ATS mark vs. the SEC and gets the money again here tonight.
Dave Price
Angels vs. Athletics
Play: Angels -141
The Los Angeles Angels are only 1.5 games in the wild card. They made some big moves to help out their lineup, and now they are ready to make their run. They play the hapless Oakland A's, who are 0-6 in their last 6 games overall. They are starting Parker Bridwell, who is 7-2 with a 3.67 ERA in 14 starts, and 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA in 6 road starts. The Angels are 12-2 in his starts in 2017, including 6-0 in his 6 road starts. Chris Smith has yet to win for the A's, going 0-4 with a 6.02 ERA in 8 starts, and 0-2 with an 8.78 ERA in his last 3 outings. The Angels are 13-6 in the last 19 meetings.
Chris Jordan
My free pick is on the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Chicago Cubs, and in this game I want you listing both starting pitchers: Chad Kuhl over Jake Arrieta. Taking a shot with a real big underdog today, as I think this pitching rematch will result in a revenge win for Kuhl and the Bucs.
These two pitchers just met last Tuesday, when Kuhl matched a season high with seven strikeouts in a loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The right-hander allowed just three runs on seven hits over 5.1 innings, falling just 2/3 innings short of a quality start. Kuhl, who has a 3.44 ERA in 12 starts since July 1, will pitch well here.
On the other hand, I know Arrieta is 6-1 with a 1.59 ERA since the All-Star break, and 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA in his past four starts, but his second straight start against the Pirates, will be a disappointing one.
Take the Pirates tonight for your free winner.
5* PIRATES