Sports Picks & Predictions

At 5:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers 'over' the total.  The Astros got their bats out in Game 4 on Thursday night and they plated 10 runs to even this series which plays its final game in Arlington tonight (Game 5).  Game 1 in Houston featured the same two starters as tonight (RH Justin Verlander vs. LH Jordan Montgomery) and that was a 2-0 Rangers victory, but that's not the way these games normally go.  In fact in seven of the last 11 meetings between these two, one or both of the clubs have scored double-digit runs.  So don't expect a repeat of Game 1 as both of these teams know the importance of jumping out to an early lead and whoever wins this game will be just one victory away from the World Series.  Yes, LH Jordan Montgomery has been very good in this post-season but it's unlikely he would go more than six innings tonight and the Rangers used a ton of pitchers in Game 4 so their bullpen is stretched very thin right now.  The over is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings of these two.  Take the 'over.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:20 pm, our selection is on the UNDER in the Atlanta Braves/St Louis Cardinals game.  The Cardinals exploded for 11 runs against Spencer Strider and the Braves last night, and handed Atlanta its second straight blowout loss, as the Cards also won, 10-6, on Tuesday.  Unfortunately for St Louis, it will be facing southpaw Max Fried this evening.  And all Fried has done in his career vs. the Redbirds is go 4-0 with a 0.35 ERA and 0.85 WHIP, as he's given up just 1 run in 25 2/3 innings.  Adam Wainwright will get the start for St Louis, and has been stellar in his career vs the Braves, with a 3.36 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.  Admittedly, the 42-year-old hurler is on the decline, but he had the best start of his season in his last outing when he allowed 1 run over 6 innings vs. the Padres.  The Cards are 58-45 UNDER vs. lefties.  And the Braves have gone UNDER 69% after allowing 10 runs in back to back games.  Take the Under.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:40 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks UNDER the total.  This is a great pitching matchup tonight in the desert.  The Diamondbacks will hand the ball to rookie Ryne Nelson -- their Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2021 -- who will be making his second career start.  His debut was a sparkling one, as he shut out the Padres over 7 innings last Monday, in a 5-0 Arizona win.  Nelson struck out seven, and allowed just four hits, while walking none.  His mound opponent this evening will be southpaw All-Star, Tyler Anderson, who is 13-3 this season with a 2.76 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.  In his two prior starts vs. Arizona this season, Anderson gave up just two runs and 13 baserunners over 13 innings, with 13 strikeouts.  The Dodgers are 11-6-1 UNDER the total in Anderson's last 18 starts.  And six of the previous seven games between these teams at Arizona have gone UNDER the total.  Take the UNDER.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Atlanta Braves/Washington Nationals game.  The Braves will hand the ball to their southpaw ace, Max Fried, who has pitched quality starts in eight of his last nine outings, including 5 in a row.  Indeed, he's given up just 15 earned runs over those nine games, for an ERA of 2.10.  And his ERA over his last 3 starts is 0.90.  It doesn't get any better than that!  For the season, Fried's ERA is 2.64, but it drops to 1.67 on the road (with a 0.66 WHIP).  And Fried has gone 'under' in 17 of his last 26 road starts.  His mound opponent this evening will be righty Jackson Tetreault, who will be making his first MLB start, after 12 starts at AAA Rochester this season.  Tetreault had a 52:24 K:BB ratio at Rochester this year, while it was 72:28 last season.  We'll take the Braves/Nationals 'under' on Tuesday.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays 'under' the total.  Game 4 was the most exciting contest (by far) in this World Series, and surely ranks as one of the best World Series games over the last 20 years.  After games dominated by pitching and defense on the winning side, the batting orders of these two teams took center stage on Saturday night with multiple lead changes and plenty of long balls.  At least part of that was due to the fact that the Rays threw a bullpen game and the Dodgers didn't have either of their top two starters available (although Urias pitched well enough).  But tonight, we're back to LHP Clayton Kershaw for L.A. and RHP Tyler Glasnow for Tampa, so look for much more of a pitchers' duel.  Kershaw was nothing short of spectacular in Game 1 of this series, allowing one run on two hits in six innings while throwing just 78 pitches before the bullpen took over.  The biggest potential issue for Glasnow tonight is the fact that the Rays offense hasn't been giving the 27-year-old much love in this post-season.  In Glasnow's last three starts (one ALDS, one ALCS, and one in this series) the Rays have plated two, three, and three runs.  Meanwhile Kershaw has a 2.88 ERA this post-season.  I expect both pitchers to be on top of their game.  Take the 'under.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays 'under' the total.  When looking at who has the upper hand in the starting pitching match-up tonight, we're probably splitting hairs.  The Dodgers' Walker Buehler has a 1.89 ERA in four playoff starts covering 19 innings while the Rays' Charlie Morton has an even more ridiculous 0.57 ERA in his three post-season starts so far (one against the Yankees and two vs. the Astros).  Now put these two together on the same night in a pitchers' park such as Globe Life Field and the runs could truly be scarce.  There have been a lot of interesting stats in this postseason, but perhaps none more mind-boggling than the fact that the Rays are in this World Series despite only batting .213 as a team in 16 playoff games.  But when you look at the number of their games that have gone under the total, those numbers start to make more sense.  In Tampa's last six games following a victory, the under is 5-1 and in its last seven vs. a RH starter, the under is 6-1.  Meanwhile, the Dodgers have gone 'under' in nine of Buehler's last 10 starts, while 15 of Morton's last 19 starts (including the last five in a row) have gone 'under.'  This will be a low-scoring contest.  Take the 'under.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers 'under' the total.  This series has featured strong pitching, for the most part, but that's not the entire story.  It's also been a showcase for great defense, as we saw again on Saturday in Game 6 when Mookie Betts made a leaping catch at the top of the wall against Marcell Ozuna.  That superb defensive play in the fifth inning preserve the Dodgers lead and helped force this seventh game.  The pitching should be on display again tonight when rookie Ian Anderson take the mound for Atlanta.  The 22-year-old has yet to allow a run in 15 2/3 post-season innings, so the Braves will try to ride those numbers to their first World Series since 1999.  Perhaps the best news for the Dodgers in Game 6 was the performance by veteran reliever Kenley Jansen, who pitched a perfect ninth inning to seal the deal for Los Angeles.  Dodgers relievers have now allowed just two runs in 10 innings in the last two games.  It will be an "all hands on deck" game for the Dodgers, who have yet to announce a starter (but we will take the 'under' regardless of which pitcher takes the mound in the 1st inning for L.A.)  Manager Dave Roberts has expressed that Tony Gonsolin will work several innings.  But he'll be joined by guys like Julio Urias, Brusdar Graterol, and perhaps even Clayton Kershaw.  The Dodgers have gone 'under' 74-55 when they've faced an NL starting pitcher with an ERA of 3.20 or better.  Take the 'under.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 6:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays 'over' the total.  After Thursday night's bullpen game, the question for tonight is, "who's going to be left to pitch after the starters are done?"  Everyone knows that the days of Bob Gibson are over.  And most starters today would be lucky to get six innings in.  So even if Blake Snell (3.24 ERA; 1.20 WHIP) and Framber Valdez (3.57 ERA; 1.11 WHIP) pitch well tonight, they likely will leave the game with at least three or four more innings to go.  That's when the managerial strategy will be more difficult.  These two teams used a total of 11 relievers on Thursday, so 24 hours later it will be very interesting to see how they handle things when the two starters come out.  One thing's for certain -- the offenses may have a field day tonight in light of the situation.  The over was 9-5 in Snell's 14 starts (regular season plus playoffs) this season, while Houston has gone 'over' the total 60-37 vs. a starting AL pitcher whose WHIP is 1.20 or better.  Take the 'over.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays 'under' the total.  The Wild Card round is over and now we move on to the Division Series which will be a best-of-five format.  They say timing is everything and certainly the Yankees are proving that.  In the regular season, the offense for New York's AL squad could barely hit the broad side of a barn, batting just .247.  But in their two games in the first round -- in which they made quick work of the Indians -- the Yanks batted .307 with a 1.06 OPS, the best such offensive numbers for any of the 16 MLB teams.  Now the question is -- can they keep that up?  They likely don't need to bat .307 tonight with their RH ace Gerrit Cole going to the mound.   Cole pitched the first game in the Cleveland series, and with a 3-of-5 format the Yanks might get to use him twice in this one and that could be huge for them.  He is a post-season machine, going 7-4 with a 2.60 ERA in 11 career playoff starts.  And he's be pitching with an extra day of rest tonight.  Likewise, Rays southpaw Blake Snell will be pitching with extra rest following his 5 2-3 scoreless innings in last week's 3-1 win over Toronto.  In Snell's last three starts, he's given up just 4 runs in 16 2-3 innings (2.16 ERA; 0.90 WHIP), and all three of those games went 'under' the total.  Even better:  27 of the last 46 meetings between the Yankees + Rays have gone 'under,' and I look for a relatively-low scoring game tonight.  Take the 'under.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros 'under' the total.  In their worst nightmare the Nationals probably wouldn't have imagined the first three home World Series games played in DC in almost a century in which they would score a total of three runs on only 17 hits.  But that's what happened in Games 3-5 over the weekend and now the Nats must figure out a way to get some runs across the plate on the road.  Sure, they were able to do that in Game 2, but they were also held to two runs on six hits through the first six innings of that one thanks to some solid pitching by starter Justin Verlander.  Verlander gets the call again tonight opposite Nats' ace Stephen Strasburg, so this is the same match-up as that Game 2.  The Houston bullpen imploded in that one, but it has really settled down of late.  In the three games in DC, Astros' relievers allowed a total of just one run on four hits in 10 1/3 combined innings.  The under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings of these two teams in Houston and 16-6 in Verlander's last 22 starts vs. teams with winning records.  Take the 'under.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals 'under' the total.  At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals 'under' the total.  The Nats won their first NLDS in dramatic fashion, taking two of three victories on the road.  So they shouldn't mind starting this series in St. Louis, especially knowing that they finished the season with a better record than the Cards.  Having used all of their "Big 3" pitchers (Strasburg, Scherzer, Corbin) in some capacity over the last two games, the Nats will turn to veteran RH Anibal Sanchez.  The 35-year-old very quietly had a solid season for DC (11-8; 3.85 ERA in 30 starts) as well as a great performance in his Game 2 start of the NLDS (5 IP; 1 ER; 4 H; 9K; 2 BB).  And although the sample size is small, Sanchez seems to like pitching at Busch Stadium.  In three starts here, Sanchez is 1-0 with a very nice 2.60 ERA.  The Cards will go with RH Miles Mikolas and the under is 5-0-1 in Mikolas' last six home starts vs. teams with a winning record, and 9-1-2 in his last 12 overall vs. winning teams.  Take the 'under.'  MLB High Roller Total. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox 'under' the total.  Stephen Gonsalves is rated as the #4 prospect in the Minnesota Twins system.  The southpaw pitcher has been in professional ball since 2013, but he is just 23-years-old which gives you some idea of how talented Gonsalves was even as a high-schooler in San DIego.  With the injury to Ervin Santana, Gonsalves will make his MLB debut tonight at his new home ballpark against the Chicago White Sox.  Although the lefty isn't a particularly hard-thrower, he's had a very solid Minor League career, posting a 2.46 ERA in 113 games (108 starts) covering 599 innings throughout all the various levels from rookie ball to AAA.  So clearly Gonsalves deserves this opportunity.  RHP Lucas Giolito came into the season with high expectations after a successful sophomore campaign in Chicago.  But 2018 has been a huge disappointment with Giolito going 8-9 with a 6.15 ERA in 24 starts.  However, he's been much better on the road (4.54 ERA) this season than at home (8.17 ERA).  Not surprisingly, eight of his 12 home starts this season have gone 'over' the total, while just one of his 14 road starts the past two seasons have gone 'over' (10 'unders'; 1 'over'; and 3 'pushes').  Take the 'under.'

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Toronto/Boston game.  Both starting pitchers come into this game in fine form.  Rick Porcello has a 2.18 ERA and 0.67 WHIP over his last three starts.  Not to be outdone, Ryan Borucki's ERA in his last three starts is 0.90, while his WHIP is 0.85.  Boston is 114-90 'under' the total as a favorite, while Toronto is 14-5 'under' as a home underdog this season (and 28-13 'under' as a home underdog the past three seasons).  Take the 'under.'

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers 'under' the total.  J.A. Happ will get the start tonight after missing his last start due to contracting hand, foot and mouth disease.  Happ has been brilliant over his last three starts (1.23 ERA, 0.95 WHIP), and his teams have gone 'under' in 70 of his 111 starts as a favorite, and in 66 of his 105 starts vs. losing foes.  Meanwhile, Texas is 50-28 'under' when priced from +150 to +200 on the road, and 31-20 'under' in its road games this season (regardless of the price).  Take the 'under.'  Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers 'under' the total.  With the non-waiver trade deadline having passed, the Padres put Tyson Ross and Jordan Lyles on Waivers and they were both claimed (Ross by the Cards and Lyles by the Brewers) and San Diego did not rescind the moves.  So the Padres have some openings in the rotation -- which was not that deep to begin with.  It hasn't taken long for a deserving youngster to get his shot as 24-year-old RHP Brett Kennedy is being called up from AAA to start tonight for the Pads.  You'd be hard-pressed to find a kid in the minors more deserving than Kennedy based purely on the numbers.  In 16 starts at AAA El Paso, Kennedy is 10-0 with a 2.72 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 80 strikeouts with 77 hits allowed in 89 1/3 innings.  The Brewers have a dangerous line-up, but they've obviously never seen Kennedy before and they may find his ground ball-inducing pitches tough to handle the first few times through the order.  RHP Jhoulys Chacin goes for Milwaukee and the under is 17-8-1 in the Padres last 26 road games vs. RH starters, and 22-11 in the Padres' last 33 road games vs. winning teams.  Take the 'under.'  MLB Total of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:05 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Yankees/Orioles game.  Yefrey Ramirez and Masahiro Tanaka will battle tonight in the Bronx.  The Orioles have gone 'under' the total in 45 of 75 games as an underdog this season, while the Yankees have gone 'under' in 13 of 19 games as a favorite priced -200 or higher.  Moreover, Tanaka has gone 'under' in 36 of 61 home games, and has a 2.29 ERA and 0.96 WHIP over his last three starts.  This will be a low-scoring game.  Take the 'under.'

At 10:05 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Anaheim/Seattle game.  This match-up of AL West rivals features two southpaw starters:  Wade LeBlanc and Andrew Heaney.  LeBlanc has been super this season, with a 6-1 record, and a 3.25 ERA.  He has a solid 1.08 WHIP, and has gone 9-5-1 'under' in his 15 starts this season.  Meanwhile, Heaney is also strongly 'under' the total this season (11-6-1), and has a 2.31 ERA at home this year (6-3 'under').  Finally, the Mariners have gone 'under' 55-31 vs. pitchers with a 1.20 (or better) WHIP, while Anaheim is 110-79 'under' vs. winning teams.  Take the 'under.'  Good luck, as always....Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Philadelphia/Cincinnati game.  This match-up will pit Philadelphia's southpaw rookie Ranger Suarez vs. Reds RHP Tyler Mahle.  Interestingly, this will be the first time in 667 days that a lefty has started a game for Philly.  And Suarez has been pitching very well this season, albeit for AA-Reading and AAA-Lehigh Valley.  At Reading, Suarez went 4-3 with a 2.76 ERA in 12 starts.  And, then, at Lehigh Valley, he's posted a 0.57 ERA over three starts.  Tonight, he will face a Reds team which has scored two runs or less in six of its last seven games.  And the Reds have gone 'under' the total in 14 of Mahle's 22 starts in his career.  Take the 'under.'  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds 'under' the total.  It's safe to say that Daniel Poncedeleon's path to the Majors has been different than anyone else's in recent history.  Fourteen months ago, he took a liner to the head when pitching for AAA Memphis and was rushed to the hospital for live-saving brain surgery.  The 26-year-old not only made a full recovery, but was back pitching for Memphis this season.  And he's been performing at a very high level, posting a 2.15 ERA in 18 games, including 17 starts, covering 92 innings.  The Reds will send RHP Luis Castillo to the mound for his 21st start of the season.  Castillo's overall numbers are nothing to write home about, but he has pitched much better lately and the Reds have won four of Castillo's last five starts.  In fact, his last start was against this Cardinals team and Castillo allowed two runs in five innings with five hits and no walks in an 8-2 victory.  This will be a low-scoring game.  Take the 'under.'  MLB Total of the Week.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets 'under' the total.  With each of these teams having played five games in the last four days, including a double-header here yesterday, they need to dig deep into their reserves to come up with starting pitchers for tonight.  For the Phillies, it will be 22 YO RH Enyel De Los Santos and for the Mets 28 YO RH Drew Gagnon.  De Los Santos is the Phillies #11 prospect, so putting him out there today makes some tactical sense since they are trying to swing a deal before the trade deadline.  A strong outing could raise his value in the eyes of some of the potential trading partners.  And I have no doubt that De Los Santos will pitch well, as he led the International League with a 1.89 ERA this season, and was slated to start in the Triple A's All Star Game tomorrow (before his call-up).  Gagnon has a lot of minor league experience having pitched in the Milwaukee and Anaheim systems before coming to the Mets.  He owns a 2.45 ERA in his last five starts at AAA Vegas.  It's safe to say the hitters on both teams won't know what's coming at them tonight (other than what they've seen in scouting reports and films).  The under is 7-1 in the Phils last eight overall and 12-3 in the Mets last 15 at home vs. teams with a losing road record.  And each of the previous six meetings this season between these two rivals has gone 'under' the total.  Take the 'under.'

At 4:10 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Mets/Marlins game.  deGrom has gone 'under' the total in nine of his last 12 starts, which isn't surprising, given that he leads the league with a 1.69 ERA.  The Mets have also gone 'under' in 17 of 27 games off back to back losses, and 14 of 23 daytime games.  Take the Mets and Marlins to go 'under' in this afternoon game.

At 7:15 pm, our selection is on the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners 'under' the total.  When the Red Sox traded reliever Andrew Miller to the Orioles at the deadline in 2014 for Eduardo Rodriguez, hardly anyone outside of the two cities really noticed.  And if they did, it was because Miller was considered one of the top set-up men and potential closers in the Majors.  But almost nobody gave a second thought to the 21-year-old southpaw dealt to Boston who had yet to appear in an MLB game.  Miller turned out to be nothing more than a two-month rental for Baltimore, while Rodriguez made his big league debut the next season.  But now it looks like the O's traded yet another star pitcher in the making and got virtually nothing in return.  Now 25, Rodriguez is breaking out in a big way this season.  After winning 10 games combined the last two seasons, the Venezuelan southpaw is 9-1 with a 3.59 ERA and 10.4 strikeout rate through his first 14 starts of 2018. He's also gone 'under' the total in 37 of 57 starts. Take the Under.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie

At 8:10 pm, in Game 2 of the Double-Header, our selection is on the Under in the White Sox/Twins game with Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell starting.  Giolito has pitched better on the road (six starts) than at home (five starts) this season, as his ERA is more than 8 runs per game better away from home.  Not surprisingly, a majority of his home starts have gone 'over' the total this season, while none of his six road starts have gone 'over' (4 'unders'; 2 'pushes').  And, in the last two seasons, none of his eight road starts have gone 'over' (6 'unders'; 2 'pushes').  Giolito will face Zack Littell tonight, and Littell has been tearing it up in AAA-Rochester this season, with a 2.57 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 28 innings pitched.  Take the 'under.'

At 8:10 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins 'under' the total.  If you want to see some unbelievable minor league pitching stats, look up Cleveland RH prospect Shane Bieber.  At every level of the minors, Bieber has averaged about a strikeout per inning and walked around 0.5 per nine.  Bieber will make his MLB debut tonight in Minnesota.  The rub against him is that he is a command and control pitcher with a fastball that sits in the low-90s and we've seen guys like this with crazy Minor League numbers come up and get hit hard.  But the fact that Bieber gets his first start against the light-hitting Twins should help.  And while he may suffer later on if he sticks with the Tribe, look for him to excel in his debut tonight.  Despite Cleveland's 9-1 victory on Wednesday, the runs have been hard to come by in this series, as the under is 20-8 in the last 28 between the Tribe and Twins.  The under is also 8-2 in Minnesota's last 10 overall.  Take the 'under.'  MLB Total of the Month.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 2:15 pm, our selection is on the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals 'under' the total.  This weekend's scheduled four-game series between the White Sox and Royals turned into a five-game series as the make-up for the April 1 game will be played this afternoon as the first of a double-header.  The Royals are promoting RHP Trevor Oaks from AAA today to make his MLB debut in this game one.  Oaks was acquired from the Dodgers in January, and he had thrown three straight quality starts for his Triple-A club already in 2018.  The Sox will go with RHP Carson Fulmer who had a quality start last time out on Monday against the Mariners.  Fulmer has never pitched at Kauffman Stadium or faced the Royals before in his career.  The Sox hitters came out for 10 runs in Fulmer's last start, but that was at home and they haven't always been showing up for his road outings.  They plated 11 runs in Fulmer's last road start (in Oakland) but only 11 total in his previous four away from Chicago (and all four of those games went under the total.  The under is also 5-2-1 in the Royals last eight home games.  Take the 'under.'  MLB Total of the Week.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers 'under' the total.  They're calling it basically the wildest World Series game ever.  And with leads being lost on five different occasions before the Astros finally walked it off in the bottom of the 10th, it's hard to argue with that assessment.  But even with 25 men crossing the plate, one thing that Sunday's game wasn't was the highest scoring in the Fall Classic.  Back in 1993, the Phillies and Blue Jays played a 15-14 donnybrook in game four that was won by the eventual Series Champs - Toronto.  So how did game five turn out in that series?  After firing every bullet they had in that fourth game, the Phils and Jays fought to a 2-0 final the following day.  And while this game may not turn out quite that way with a day of rest in between, two of the best starters of this post-season will lead their teams as RH Justin Verlander and LH Rich Hill take the mound in a must-win for the home team.   The key in this pitching match-up is the fact that if both of these starters are on their game, they can potentially go nine innings, and that's important given what's happened with both of these bullpens in this series.   The under is 19-8-3 in Astros last 30 when their opponent scores five or more runs in their previous game, while the Dodgers have gone 'under' in 12 of 14 following a game which produced 17+ runs.  And, with respect to the two starters, Rich Hill has gone 'under' in 75 of 115 (65%), while Verlander has gone 'under' in 28 of his last 43 nighttime starts; 7 of his last 10 road games; and 13 of his last 20, overall.  Take the 'under.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros 'over' the total.  Once again a Manager decided to use his closer in a non-save situation in a critical game and once again it backfired horribly.  This time, it was AJ Hinch bringing in Ken Giles with the score tied 1-1 in the ninth and Giles proceeded to give up three runs without recording an out.  And, just like that, the Dodgers tied up this series.  Now L.A. has to be considered the favorite going forward with Kershaw going tonight, and the subsequent game(s) being played back in L.A.  But starting pitching hasn't been the problem -- for either team really -- in this series.  With its melt-down last night, Houston's bullpen now sports a playoff ERA over five runs while the Dodgers pen -- though better -- hasn't been immune either.  L.A.'s normally perfect closer, Kenley Jansen, gave up another run last night (a HR) and now has allowed two runs on four hits in his last three innings.  LHP Dallas Keuchel gets the start tonight and, although he was very good this season, he allowed three runs in six innings (4.50) in his Game 1 start in pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium.  The over is 4-1-1 in the Astros last six inter-league home games and 3-0-1 in their last four home games vs. teams with a winning road record.  Take the 'over.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros 'under' the total.  The fans who don't have a rooting interest, and the TV Networks that aired game two, no doubt loved what they saw on Wednesday night.  The Astros won a see-saw affair by a 7-6 final score in 11 innings.  But the managers likely didn't enjoy it much, as both bullpens imploded badly before the final out of a 4+ hour marathon.  After a total of four runs were scored through the first seven innings, nine more crossed the plate in the last four.  So, as tempting as it would be to assume that's going to happen again, it's not likely.  RHP Yu Darvish goes to the hill for the visitors, and Minute Maid Park is a place with which he is very familiar.  In six career starts here, Darvish is 4-1 with a 2.16 ERA and 0.74 WHIP.  If Darvish pitches like that tonight -- and keeps his pitch count down -- then don't expect to see closer Kenley Jansen in the 8th inning, which was Dave Roberts' ill-fated decision in game two.  That's a mistake that the LA manager is not likely to make again.  The 'Stros will go with RHP Lance McCullers Jr., who, like Darvish, has a nasty arsenal of pitches at his disposal  The under is 8-1 in the Astros last nine home games vs. teams with a RH starter, and 6-1-1 in the Dodgers last eight road games.  Take the 'under.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees and Houston Astros 'over' the total.  While the Astros offense may have gone to sleep in the three games in the Bronx, the Yankee hitters certainly woke up -- in a big way.  New York scored a total of 19 runs in the three games which is the main reason the Yanks are one win away from yet another trip to the Fall Classic.  Perhaps a trip back to Minute Maid Park will light a much needed fire under the Houston lineup.  The 'Stros led all teams in scoring in the regular season (896 runs) so maybe the hometown fans will remind them of this fact and the likes of Altuve, Springer, Bregman, and Correa will respond in kind at the plate.  The pitching match-up of RHs Justin Verlander vs. Luis Severino certainly favors the 'Stros tonight, but the big question is which version of Severino will show up?  Look for the Astros line-up to try to jump on the 23-year-old early and often, as the Twins did in the Wild Card game.  The over is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings of these two clubs and 12-3 in Severino's last 15 starts.  Take the 'over.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie. 

At 5 pm, our selection is on the 'over' in Game 5 between New York and Houston.  The Astros have destroyed Masahiro Tanaka the past three seasons.  He's made six starts vs. Houston, and New York has lost five of the six games, while his ERA in those six starts was 7.62.  And his worst start came right here, in the Bronx, earlier this season when he allowed 8 runs (4 home runs) in a 10-7 defeat.  The Yankees have gone 'over' in 29 of 45 games vs. foes with a .620 (or better) win percentage, while Houston has gone 'over' a whopping 49 of 77 on the road this season, including 25 of 37 when priced between +125 and -125.  Take the 'over.'  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

At 9:05 pm our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs 'under' the total.  After two games in balmy L.A., the NLCS will shift to Chicago where the temperatures are forecast to be in the forties tonight.  The winds could also be blowing in from Wrigley's outfield, making it that much harder for the hitters in a series that's been dominated by pitching so far.  RHP Kyle Hendricks was very good in the NLDS, going 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts against the Nats.  Even more impressive, both of his starts were in DC with 40,000 screaming Nats fans trying to get him off of his game.  Hendricks will have the full support of the crowd tonight as he tries to get his team back into this series.  But the biggest problem for him might be run support as RH Yu Darvish goes to the mound for L.A.  Ignore the fact that Darvish only has one previous start against the Cubs.  His wide assortment of pitches could wreak havoc on the Cubs in the cold and windy conditions.  After all, it's not like Chicago's hitters have been lighting it up in this series.  Finally, the 'under' is 7-1-1 the last nine meetings between these two teams, while Hendricks (17-9 'under') and Darvish (20-11 'under') have been going 'under' all season.  Take the 'under.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Houston Astros and New York Yankees 'over' the total.  By now, it must be painfully obvious to the New York Yankees that if they're to have a chance in the ALCS against the Astros, they're going to have to play some high-scoring games.  Both of Houston's victories in games one and two have been 2-1 affairs, leading to a 2-0 lead as the series now shifts to the Bronx.  And the good news in that regard for the Yanks is the fact that nobody scored more runs at home this season.  In their 81 games here, the Bombers plated 451 runs and blasted 140 homers, with both of those numbers being tops in the American League.  The other bit of good news for them is that veteran Charlie Morton takes the mound for the 'Stros.  Both of the RHP's career starts against the Yankees have come here in the Bronx where he has posted a 5.68 ERA in just under 13 innings.  The over is 47-28 for the Astros on the road, including 10-2 when the Astros gave up 1 run or less in their previous game.  The over is also 9-0 for the Yankees at home, if they allowed less than 4 runs in each of their three previous games.  Take the 'over.'  ALCS Total of the Year.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers 'over' the total.  After a pair of lefthanders led the way on the mound in game one in Clayton Kershaw and Jose Quintana, tonight's game two will feature more of the same.  The Dodgers won Saturday even though Kershaw wasn't at his best and tonight it will be veteran LH Rich Hill's turn.  You may remember Hill from his failed attempt at a no-hitter after nine hit-less innings against the Pirates on August 23.  For the Cubs, veteran southpaw Jon Lester will go to the mound.  Lester started game two of the NLDS against the Nats and then came in in relief in game four.  Both of these lefties are very talented, that's for sure, but in the Cubs and Dodgers you have two of the best hitting teams in the league vs. southpaws this season.  The Dodgers hit more home runs off of left-handed pitching -- 65 -- than any other team in the NL, while the Cubs logged a .264 batting average against them (fourth-best) and a league-best .349 OBP.  The over is 6-0-1 in the Dodgers last seven home games vs. teams with a winning record.  Take the 'over.' As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the New York Yankees and Houston Astros 'under' the total.  The first game of an LCS usually features an exceptional pitching match-up, and this one between the Astros and Yankees is no exception.  In his last two starts, LHP Dallas Keuchel has allowed just two earned runs on eight hits in 11 2/3 innings -- including his dominant performance against Boston in game two of the ALDS.  And those stats come in second place tonight when compared to his opponent.  RHP Masahiro Tanaka has been almost un-hittable in his last two starts, allowing no runs on six hits in 14 innings with an incredible 22 strikeouts and one walk.  Despite those strong numbers over his last two, Tanaka is looking for some redemption tonight as his only start vs. the 'Stros this season was a disaster (8 ER on 7 H in just 1 2/3 innings).  That was back in May, and the Japanese veteran has been pitching much better of late.  But Keuchel's career numbers against the Yanks are ridiculous and he's never had anything but quality starts against them (in seven career starts, including one in the 2015 post-season).  Finally, Keuchel's gone 'under' in 17 of 21 at home when priced between -125 and -175.  Take the 'under.'  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 8:05 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees to go 'under' the total.  There's no question Corey Kluber is an ace, but the Indians' RH pitched like anything but in game two of this series.  In that game last Friday, Kluber lasted just 2 2/3 innings while allowing six runs on seven hits.  The Tribe offense bailed out its ace and won that game in extra innings by a 9-8 final score.  The great thing about being the staff ace in the post-season is that, even in a three-out-of-five series, you will likely have a chance to redeem yourself if you had a bad outing in game one or two.  And so Kluber has that chance tonight in the final game of the ALDS.  And I think he will be stellar.  Indeed, prior to his poor outing last week, Kluber had not given up more than two earned runs in nine straight starts.  His previous four starts had gone 'under,' as had his previous six starts at home!  The Yanks will go with LH (and former Indian) CC Sabathia, who will appear in his 21st post-season game tonight.  Sabathia has gone 'under' in 19 of his last 24 starts.  Take the 'under.'  MLB Total of the Year.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:35 pm, our selection is on the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees 'under' the total.  It's probably a good thing that these two clubs had the day off after the 13-inning marathon they played on Friday.  The Yankees let a golden opportunity to tie this series at one game apiece slip through their fingers as they squandered a five-run lead as late as the sixth inning to lose, 9-8.  That type of loss has to be at least a little demoralizing, but Yankee Stadium will still be plenty loud tonight as RHP Masahiro Tanaka takes the hill for only his second career post-season start.  The Yankees probably set up this rotation on purpose so that Tanaka would get the first home game because he relished pitching at Yankee Stadium this season.  In 15 starts here, Tanaka went 9-5 with a 3.22 ERA while in the same number elsewhere, he logged a 4-7 record and had an ERA that was more than double at 6.48.  The Indians' RH Carlos Carrasco didn't pitch in the Bronx this season, but he has shown a strong affection for this place throughout his career.  In four starts at Yankee Stadium, Carrasco - who won 18 games this season -- has gone 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 0.89 WHIP.  The under is 12-4 in Cleveland's last 16 playoff games and 7-2 in NY's last nine playoff games at home.  Take the 'under.'  AL Total of the Week.  As always, good luck...Al McMordie.

At 7:10 pm, our selection is on the 'under' in the Boston/Houston game.  Charlie Morton gets the start for the Astros, and his ERA over his last three starts is 2.00.  He's also 6-3 with a 3.00 ERA over his last 11 starts.  He'll be opposed by Doug Fister tonight.  Fister has had an up-and-down season, but did pitch well in his last start (5 1-3 innings, 3 runs, 0 walks and 9 strikeouts).  Both pitchers also have good career numbers vs. their opponent:  Fister's lifetime ERA vs. Houston is 2.77, while Morton's career ERA vs. Boston is 0.00.  Take the 'under.'  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.