SPORTS WAGERS
DETROIT -1 +109 over Boston
How the Red Sox snatched victory from the hands of defeat in Game 2 was rather miraculous but it sure isn’t going to deter us from backing the Tigers in Detroit with Justin Verlander on the hill. Verlander didn’t exactly have a great year but he’s saved his best for the postseason and Verlander at his best is as good or better than any pitcher in baseball. In two postseason starts, Verlander has been as dominating as they come. His base skills are off the charts with six hits allowed in 15 innings (.118 BAA), a 0.53 WHIP and 21 K’s, not to mention zero earned runs allowed. Furthermore, these Red Sox can’t hit Verlander, as current Boston hitters have just 28 hits in 144 career AB’s against him for a BA of .194. Verlander is so dialed in right now and that figures to continue in this pivotal Game 3.
John Lackey has appeared in one post-season game so far this season and pretty it was not. Lackey allowed seven hits and four earned runs in 5.1 frames and also walked three batters. Lackey kept his ERA south of 4.00 for 5 years until he arrived at Fenway in 2011 and it’s been all downhill since. He had somewhat of a bounce back this season but his past six starts have been shaky with an ERA of 5.44. Additionally, Lackey has not had nearly the same success against Detroit as Verlander has had against Boston. In 196 career AB’s against Lackey, current Tigers have 60 hits for a BA of .304 and an OPS of .793. Pitching matchup strongly favors the Tigers and in the postseason, pitching is everything.
Joe Gavazzi
Cardinals +105
Cardinals / Dodgers Over 7
After three games, a total of 9 runs have been scored between these two teams. Look for bats to break out tonight in this pitching matchup, unless history prevails. In a pair of starts against St. Louis this year, Nolasco went 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. The lone outing for Lynn vs. LAD saw him allow just 2hits in 6 IP of 7-0 win against the Dodgers. But the other numbers for these starters do not promote nearly as much confidence. In 12 starts after being acquired from Florida, Nolasco went 8-1 with a 2.07 ERA. But Nolasco crashed down the stretch with a 12.75 ERA in those three outings. In 27 starts, Lynn had a 4.07 ERA. But that declined to 5.15 on the road where St. Louis won just 7/17 of his starts. Lynn has struggled in post-season play going 0-2 with a 6.94 ERA in three starts. Nonetheless, must offer a small opinion on a resilient St. Louis team that has gone 46-21/loss. The Cards also play far better ball down the stretch, as they enter today on runs of 33-16 and 21-8. When LAD was not in their 42-8 zone, they were going 55-65 including 24-23 and 5-7 as they enter todays play. Still, the best play in this game might be the OVER.
Jimmy Boyd
St Louis Cardinals +125
There is no reason for the Cardinals to be an underdog in this game when you compare these starting pitchers. Lance Lynn has played extremely well in his last three starts, posting a 3.24 ERA while his opponent, Ricky Nolasco, has a 12.75 ERA in his last three starts. Nolasco has averaged just four innings per start in those games. In Lynn's three career starts against the Dodgers he has a 2.50 ERA and a 2-0 record, while Nolasco is 3-4 against the Cardinals with a 3.99 ERA.
The Cardinal's lineup is built to face right handed starters. They have a .273 batting average and have scored 5.1 runs per game against righties. The Dodgers have struggled to score runs at home this season, averaging just 3.6 per game and they will struggle to match that number against Lynn and this Cardinals bullpen. Expect the Cardinals to jump out to an early lead against Nolasco, and their bullpen should have no problem closing out the game since they have a 71.9% save percentage this season.
Red Dog Sports
UL Lafayette vs. Western Kentucky
Play: Under 63
Take under 63 as this is the only game going in college football on Tuesday night and I like to bet unders in these stand alone games. I have seen close to 60% of these stay under the total. All we need is a 31-27 type of game to stay under the total.
Doug Upstone
Ottawa vs. Phoenix
Play: Under 5
For Tuesday, Play UNDER the total team on teams like the Phoenix Coyotes, who are off three or more consecutive road wins, with a winning record on the season, playing against a losing team like Ottawa (1-4 SU). In the past five years, this hockey system is 31-9, 77.5 percent.
Chris Jordan
My free play for Tuesday night is in the NHL, where I like the Pittsburgh Penguins to roll over the Edmonton Oilers, which is why we're playing this one on the puck line.
After seeing the Oilers in a rather high-scoring game last night - 6 goals in a game these days is considered high - I think they're going to struggle a bit after their 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. From the nation's capital, they arrive in Pittsburgh in what will now be a true test for their defense and goaltending.
Over Edmonton's first six games, it has allowed 29 goals - the most in the NHL. That won't bode well against the Penguins, who are averaging four goals per game and are much more capable on offense. Sidney Crosby has reeled off five goals and four assists during a five-game point streak for the Penguins and is tied for the League lead in scoring, with Washington's Alex Ovechkin, who had a goal and assist in last night's game against the Oilers.
Pittsburgh, at 4-1 on the year and with a much superior team, should have no trouble winning this game.
2♦ PITTSBURGH -1.5
Craig Davis
Tonight's free play is on the Cardinals and Dodgers to go UNDER the posted total.
And why not? The Cards are hitting a paltry .131 in this series, yet they find themselves up 2 games to 1 heading into this pivotal Game 4 in Los Angeles.
It baffles me that they are finding ways to win those first two games, but their lack of hitting finally caught up to them in Game 3... a game in which they were shutout by the most unlikely of heroes... Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Ryu was tattered all over the ballpark in Game 4 of the Braves series, but somehow the Dodgers bats were able to save the day and they would go on to win the game and the series.
That should tell you how poorly the Cardinals are hitting right now... just the fact that Ryu went seven innings tells me they aren't hitting like they're used to.
So if Ryu can get the job done like he did, there's no doubt that whoever pitches for the Dodgers today, they should have no problem keeping these Cardinal bats in check.
Free play of the day is on St. Louis/Los Angeles to stay under the posted total.
2♦ ST. LOUIS-L.A. DODGERS UNDER
Scott Delaney
My free winner for tonight is on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The hard part is out of the way.
Now it's a matter of keeping the offensive flow going, while depending on the pitching staff. And even though Ricky Nolasco will be making his first postseason start this year, and has struggled a bit with consistency, the Cardinals are in such a funk at this point, you could throw Tommy Lasorda out there and the Cardinals might struggle to hit the ball.
And let's face it, for a second-straight night it's a must-win situation for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Beating Adam Wainwright last night provided plenty of momentum. That's three straight ace pitchers losing (yes, I consider Greinke an ace too, even though Kershaw is L.A.'s). I have to take the value price with the home team in this game, knowing if it loses today this game the Cardinals take a huge step toward the World Series. The Dodgers have to win this game.
There's not much more to say about Yasiel Puig's bat and antics sparking the Dodgers, and how about the mettle of Hanley Ramirez, who has a fractured rib?
I'm not even going to list the pitchers because no matter who throws, the Dodgers still have to win. St. Louis has a team batting average of .134 in the NLCS, the lowest in major-league history for any team that won the first two games of a postseason series, while it's hitting a paltry .180 in the entire postseason. Quite frankly, there's not much more the Dodgers' can do from the mound.
Take the Dodgers, in another must-win game.
5♦ LOS ANGELES
Brad Wilton
Tuesday's free play will be to side with the Under in the Cardinals-Dodgers game tonight at Chavez Ravine.
Have to face facts and realize that these teams just are not hitting the baseball.
Last night the Dodgers were ecstatic to plate a "whopping" 3 runs in their 3-0 victory, but the fact of the matter is a grand total of 9 runs have been scored between the teams through the first 3 games of this N.L.C.S. and that happens to have set a record for the fewest runs scored through 3 games of a league championship series in the history of MLB.
That puts the Under at 4 in a row, and 6 of the last 7 between the clubs this season dating back to the regular season.
I know we are dealing with each team's 4th starter, but when the bats are as silent as they are right now, I think even Lance Lynn and Ricky Nolasco can keep them that way.
It has been a rough stretch for the offenses, and I will stick with the old adage that good pitching beats good hitting, especially in October.
Cards-Dodgers Under once again.
1♦ ST. LOUIS-L.A. DODGERS UNDER