Jesse Schule
Boston vs. LA Dodgers
Pick: LA Dodgers
So the Dodgers are 45-10 since June, and they are at home tonight taking on the Red Sox who have lost six of their last 10 on the road. Surely the Dodgers will be a big favorite tonight?
But oh no ... in fact this game is close to a pickem. How could it be? Are the Red Sox sending a red hot pitcher to the mound? Well .. not really.
John Lackey will toe the rubber for the visitors tonight, and he is coming off an impressive win over the red hot Yankees in his last start. That was an afternoon game though, and Lackey has had success fooling hitters in day games this year.
It's been a different story under the lights, as he's 3-7 with a 3.47 ERA in 14 starts in night games. He's also been a Jeckyll and Hyde pitcher at home and on the road, with a record of 5-2 in Boston, but he's just 3-8 with a 4.12 ERA in 13 starts away from home.
Another serious concern for Boston, former Red Sox Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford have absolutely owned Lackey in their respective careers.
Crawford is hitting .467 with a pair of home runs in 45 career at bats, while Gonzalez is 6-for-14 with 4 RBIs versus the the 34 year old.
The Dodgers hand the ball to Ricky Nolasco, who is 3-0 since the All Star break. Nolasco has been solid since joining the Dodgers from Miami, he's 4-1 with a 2.39 ERA in eight starts so far.
All things considered, the Dodgers should be a much bigger favorite tonight.
Bryan Power
New York vs. Chicago
Pick: New York
The Chicago Sky have built themselves a nice 2.5 game lead in the Eastern Conference by virtue of a 5-1 SU/6-0 ATS run where the only straight up loss came by four points in Los Angeles. But this seems like an overlay tonight at home against the New York Liberty. I'm taking the points.
Granted, the four previous meetings between these teams this year have not gone well for the Liberty. Each time they have fallen by double digits. They come into Friday off B2B losses as well, including a humiliating 31 point setback in Minnesota on Sunday. But they are 8-2 ATS this season when coming off a double digit loss. That includes a 5-1 ATS mark when off a loss by 15+ points. Over the last three seasons, there have been three instances of the Liberty playing with revenge for four or more straight losses to an opponent. All three times they have covered. They have covered 3 of 5 this season as a double digit dog.
Also working against Chicago here is the fact they have an obvious lookahead to a road game w/ second place Atlanta on Saturday. A win here would give the Sky their first ever playoff berth, so the pressure is on as well.
Ray Monohan
Colorado Rockies -137
Fading the Florida Marlins is not bad strategy this season -the team is 30 games under .500 and has lost 3 games in a row. Marlins starter Tom Koehler has been hit hard most of the season but you are able to get better value on the Rox tonight because he mastered the Rockies in a rare gem of a performance by Koehler at Coord last month. Based on what we have seen repeating seems a little unlikely. For Colorado Jhoulys Chacin takes the hill. He is having a fine season and has not given up more than 3 ER in his last 8 starts. His numbers away from Coors are not great in terms of win loss but he does have a 2.14 road ERA and is backed by a strong lineup.
Doug Upstone
Chicago Bears vs. Oakland Raiders
Play: Oakland Raiders +3½
Play the Raiders +3½ here tonight at home vs the Bears. I think to lay over a field goal on the road, especially in preseason, you better have a darn good reason and I just can't find it right now for Chicago. Should be a competitive game. Take the points.
JR O'Donnell
Philadelphia -120
Cole Hamels is back in true form and he will get our nod tonight!!!! Zona is slowly fading boys. Hamels checks in @ 5-13, 3.61 ERA & the last 4 ball games he is 1-0 with a 1.45 ERA. This Zona ball club comes off a tough luck loss last night 2-1 to the Reds. We will back the Phillies and new skipper R Sanberg.
Bob Balfe
Seattle Seahawks -2.5
Did you have the Packers last year when these teams played on Monday Night? I know I did. We will never witness another loss like that in the history of the NFL. This is just preseason so the bad blood is not there as much as you would think. To be honest Seattle out played Green Bay in that game and I have real concern with this Packers Offensive Line this year. Aaron Rodgers is a bad offensive line away from looking like Blaine Gabbert. The difference between the best and worst QB's in this league is not as much as you would think. Winning the battle up front is huge in this sport. Seattle is coached to win and play hard no matter it be a preseason game or playoff game. This is a deeper more talented team and I think they win with pure speed tonight. Take Seattle.
MLB Predictions
Washington Nationals -101
The Washington Nationals will move onto the Kansas City Royals after winning 3 of 4 vs the Cubs this week (and 3 straight). The Royals were swept by the White Sox at home and have now lost 5 straight games. This will be an all lefty match up with Gio Gonzalez vs Bruce Chen on the mound. Gonzalez is 7-6 on the year with a 3.38 ERA, .227 OBA and 1.25 WHIP. Those are very solid numbers all around, but Gio has struggled at times. Lately though he has been solid - over his last three starts he has posted a 2.00 ERA, .238 OBA and 1.22 WHIP. For the Royals Chen is 5-1 with a 2.20 ERA, .220 OBA and 1.08 WHIP over 26 appearances and 7 starts. As a starter he has been great going 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA over 7 starts. Take note though that his last start lasted just 5.1 innings where he gave up 8 hits and 6 earned runs with just 1 strikeout and a walk. Tonight he will be facing one of the hotter hitting teams in the Majors. The Nationals are 6th in August with a .766 team OPS and 4th with a .345 team OBP. In comparison the Royals are 23rd in OPS in August and 17th in OBP. Take note that the Nats have gone 9-4 in their last 13 overall, and 20-8 in Gonzalez's last 28 road starts. The Royals have lost 5 straight, and are just 2-8 in their last 10 interleague home games. With Gonzalez pitching well and Chen off a rough outing I'll take the hotter team tonight at an underdog price.
Pittsburgh Pirates +134
These two teams met last night for the first game of this four game set. The Pirates took that game 10-5 as underdogs as they out hit the Giants 13-8. The Pirates are now 75-52 (33-30 on the road), while the Giants are just 56-71 (31-34 at home). Pittsburgh has taken 3 of these two teams 4 meetings this season. Charlie Morton will take the mound for Pittsburgh and he is 4-3 on the season with a 3.67 ERA over his 12 starts. His road record is better than at home (3-1 on the road) despite a slightly higher ERA at 3.89. He did face the Giants earlier this year going 5 innings allowing 7 hits and 2 earned runs (4 total runs) with 5 strikeouts and 1 walk. The Giants will counter with lefty Madison Bumgarner who is 11-7 on the year with a 2.82 ERA, .199 OBA and 1.02 WHIP. His numbers are stellar at home where he is 4-3 with a 2.40 ERA, but over his last three he is 0-1 with a 3.94 ERA. Those past three starts haven't been bad, but they haven't been great either and he will be facing a Pittsburgh team that has been hitting the ball well and finding ways to win. The Pirates are 13th in the Majors with a .726 OPS in August, while the Giants are 27th at .665. I also like the fact that the Pirates are 8th in the Majors in team batting avg vs lefties at .260 and 5th in OPS at .740. Pittsburgh is 8-3 in their last 11 games as an underdog, and 11-4 in their last 15 games as a road underdog. The Giants are just 7-20 in their last 27 home games, 1-4 in their last 5 games overall, and 1-5 in Bumgarner's last 6 starts. These teams are going in opposite directions and getting the Pirates at this underdog price is generous in my opinion. I'll take Pittsburgh as a very live dog.
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Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay PackersFREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Prediction: Green Bay PackersFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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We love backing Seattle in the preseason, and not only did we back them in each of the first two weeks we released them as our highest-rated 25* Preseason Game of the Year in their 30-point win against Denver. That being said, we have a feeling the Packers have been waiting for this matchup after the ending of last year's meeting in Seattle. That would be the game Seattle "won" thanks to a highly controversial call at the end of the game in the endzone. Packers starters will see heavy minutes in this third week of preseason action and the home crowd will certainly be looking for revenge from last year's fiasco. Seattle's good ATS preseason history prevents us from releasing this as a premium selection, but there is still a big motivational edge to the home side tonight.
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Oakland Athletics vs. Baltimore OriolesFREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Take: Baltimore Orioles -130FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Baltimore Orioles will look to close the gap between them and the Athletics when the two teams start a huge three game series at Camden Yards this weekend. The Orioles currently trail the A’s by 3 games for the final Wild Card Spot in the AL and Oakland may feel like this is their best shot at the playoffs as they have fallen 2.5 games behind Texas in the AL West after leading the division for much of the season. Baltimore will send Bud Norris to the hill, who was acquired in a deadline deal with the Houston Astros last month. He will be making his fifth start for Baltimore and has posted a 3-1 record with a 3.91 ERA since the trade. Oakland will counter with Dan Straily, who has struggled after a strong start, losing five straight decisions. He is just 6-7 with a 4.22 ERA in 20 starts this year. Oakland will be a bit shorthanded after losing C Derrick Norris and OF Josh Reddick to injuries while dropping two of three games to the Mariners to start the week. The Orioles have been very good in the spot they are in here tonight as they have won 8 of their last 11 games against teams from the AL West and have gone 14-5 in their last 19 home games against teams with a right-handed starter. Oakland, on the other hand, has really been struggling. They are just 1-7 in their last 8 games when listed as a road underdog and they have lost four of their last five games following a day off. Look for the Orioles, who are 28-11 in their last 39 games following a day off to get the win at home and pull within 2 games of the A’s in the AL Wild Card race.
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Seattle Storm at Phoenix MercuryFREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Play: Over 150.5FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Seattle is currently 3-0 against Phoenix this season, with the third win costing the job of Corey Gaines as the Mercury's Head Coach. So, we can consider tonight's game as a big revenge game for Phoenix. The Mercury's offense has been more dynamic lately with an intention to play inside out with Brittney Griner and Candice Dupree on the frontcourt, while Diana Taurasi leads the backcourt. Thanks to this, Phoenix scored 42, 44 and 46 points in the paint on their last three games! On the other side, on their last game against Seattle, Taurasi had a terrible game with 2-11 FG and 6 turnovers. She'll be fired up tonight and so, I expect Phoenix to have a good offensive game in here.
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On the other side, Phoenix's defense started their new era with a new coach in good form by allowing just 67, 56 and 58 points, but they have already allowed 88 and 86 points on their last two games, including allowing 88 points to the terrible offense of the Silver Stars! The current totals line of 150.5 seems too low for the fired up Mercury that will try to push up the pace against the slow footed Storm. Therefore, I'll be taking the Over in here.
Sean Higgs
Seahawks vs. Packers
Play: Under 43
I know that Seattle has really been clicking but something tells me not so fast tonight. I think the Seattle defense is pretty deep. I can't see crazy offense in the first half even with the offensive starters getting all the reps. I think GB HC will want to get his defense in order. That has been the Packers short-coming the last couple years.
Teddy Covers
Chicago vs. Oakland
Pick: Oakland
My very first thought process for any preseason football game involves the favorite, particularly favorites of more than a field goal like Chicago is tonight. Why is the team favored? Do they deserve to be favored by more than a field goal?
In this instance, my question to myself was ‘Are the Bears legitimate favorites this evening’? My answer? No way!
The Bears offense scored ten points in their preseason opener and struggled throughout trying to move the football in their first game running Marc Trestman/Aaron Kromer’s brand new offense. Chicago had 16 first downs, 291 total yards on 14 drives, averaging a well-below-average 4.9 yards per play.
Last week, the Bears hung 33 points on the Chargers. But don’t be fooled by that final score! The Bears offense was downright lousy again: 185 total yards, only 13 first downs and a lowly 3.4 yards per play average. Their 33 points largely came off Charger miscues in their own territory. Jay Cutler was sacked twice, fumbled once and threw an interception; gaining only 38 yards through the air. An offensive line featuring four new starters, including a pair of rookies, was not particularly effective.
Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer: “We’re going in the right direction, [but] we still have a long way to go.” Quarterback Jay Cutler: “We’re just trying to get plays in. We’re just trying to rep plays and see what they look like. We’re not really worried about the defense that we’re going against or trying to pair up a certain play with the defense. There are some plays that we’re running that normally you wouldn’t want to run against that coverage, or that defense, or that front. There’s ups and downs. Some of the plays look good. Some of the plays not so good.”
It’s surely worth noting that Mark Trestman and his staff have not done any significant gameplanning for the Raiders. That’s not the case for Oakland, looking to bounce back off last week’s miserable showing in New Orleans (five first half drives and five scores for the Saints). They’ve been game planning for the Bears all week. And while the Bears are expected to pull their starters after halftime, Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said that his starters could go for the entire third quarter, giving Oakland a legitimate second half advantage, when the majority of pointspreads are decided.
Larry Ness
Texas vs. Chicago
Pick: Chicago
Chris Sale deserves so much better than his 9-11 record, as he ranks last in the majors with a 2.94 run-support average...
The AL West-leading Rangers will be seeking a club record-tying ninth straight road win when they visit U.S. Cellular Field tonight in Chicago. However, awaiting them are the White Sox, who enter the game on a six-game winning streak, as well as featuring one of MLB’s best pitchers as tonight’s starter. The 74-53 Rangers lead Oakland by 2 1/2 games in the AL West and have surprised most by going 12-3 since losing Nelson Cruz to a suspension involving the Biogenesis mess. Texas is averaging 6.3 runs since Cruz's suspension (go figure?).
Martin Perez, who has won three straight starts and has a 2.12 ERA over his last four, gets the nod for Texas. He’s 6-3 with a 3.48 ERA in 12 starts this year (Texas is 8-4) but let’s NOT ignore that his road ERA (4.46 ) is double that of his home ERA (2.20). Perez has never faced the White Sox.
The last-place White Sox (52-74) just completed a three-game sweep of the Royals in Kansas City, giving them a season-high six-game win streak. Sale deserves so much better than his 9-11 record, with the team going 12-11 in his 23 starts in 2013. He owns a 2.78 ERA and has allowed just 141 hits over 165.1 innings with a 175-36 KW ratio but Sale ranks last in the majors with a 2.94 run-support average! That said, he’s won three straight starts (1.93 ERA), owns a 2.06 home ERA in 2013 and is 3-0 with a 3.48 ERA in three lifetime starts vs the Rangers. I’m backing Sale and the White Sox.
Ben Burns
Arizona vs. Philadelphia
Pick: Under
The Phillies are currently on an 8-1-2 "under" streak.
With both starters in excellent current form, this has the makings of another potentially low-scoring affair.
Hamels has been much better in recent weeks and his seen his overall numbers improve considerably. He's got a 1.96 ERA and 0.87 WHIP his last three starts.
Miley has always pitched well of late. He's got a 2.86 ERA and 1.091 WHIP his last three.
Miley's lone start vs. the Phillies came in the spring of 2012 and saw him toss six shutout innings. Hamels' lone 2013 start vs. Arizona had a final score of 2-1. I won't be surprised if this one also proves relatively low-scoring. Consider the Under.
Stephen Nover
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds
Play: Milwaukee Brewers
When it comes to consistency and trust, Homer Bailey is Homer Simpson.
Bailey has proven capable of not allowing a hit. He's also proven he can be lit up. He's way too untrustworthy to back at such a big price making the Brewers a value play.
Milwaukee starter Yovani Gallardo has a 2.49 ERA the past eight times he's faced the Reds. He hasn't yielded a run the past two times he's faced Cincinnati spanning 12 1/3 innings.
Gallardo returned from the DL, where he had been out with a strained hamstring, and gave up just three hits in 6 1/3 innings in a 2-0 victory against the Reds this past Saturday. Gallardo has had a highly disappointing season, but the time off may have done him some good.
The Brewers could be pumped as All-Star outfielder Carlos Gomez is expected back.
Bailey beat the Brewers, 9-1, this past Sunday. Prior to that game, however, Bailey was 1-7 with a 6.03 ERA in his career versus Milwaukee.
Editor's note: Stephen Nover was the No. 1 NFL handicapper last year cashing 69 percent of his plays. Stephen has his Preseason Game of the Year going this weekend. It's available for purchase now on his home page along with his various subscriptions, which have just now become available.