Jim Feist
Jim Feist's Comp Pick, Thursday, October 6, 2016 8:00 PM EST
(307) WESTERN KENTUCKY VS (308) LOUISIANA TECH
Take: Over the total
Reason: Your Bonus Play for Thursday, October 6, 2016 is in the College Football scheduled contest between Western Kentucky and La Tech. A pair of high octane offenses meet here with Western Kentucky averaging 33.4 points, while LA Tech is #14 in the nation in total yards while averaging 36 ppg. Western Kentucky is 15-5-1 over the total following a straight up win. Nicholas Norris scored three touchdowns, Western Kentucky scored on its first eight possessions and the Hilltoppers went on to rout Houston Baptist 50-3 in a nonconference game. Their offensive numbers would be even higher is they hadn't faced No. 1 Alabama, a 38-10 loss. Louisiana Tech is 4-1 over the total at home and 20-8 over against a team with a winning record. And the Over is 15-7-1 in Bulldogs last 23 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game. Play Western Kentucky/La Tech Over the total.
Jim Feist's Comp Pick, Thursday, October 6, 2016 8:00 PM EST
(307) WESTERN KENTUCKY VS (308) LOUISIANA TECH
Take: Over the total
Reason: Your Bonus Play for Thursday, October 6, 2016 is in the College Football scheduled contest between Western Kentucky and La Tech. A pair of high octane offenses meet here with Western Kentucky averaging 33.4 points, while LA Tech is #14 in the nation in total yards while averaging 36 ppg. Western Kentucky is 15-5-1 over the total following a straight up win. Nicholas Norris scored three touchdowns, Western Kentucky scored on its first eight possessions and the Hilltoppers went on to rout Houston Baptist 50-3 in a nonconference game. Their offensive numbers would be even higher is they hadn't faced No. 1 Alabama, a 38-10 loss. Louisiana Tech is 4-1 over the total at home and 20-8 over against a team with a winning record. And the Over is 15-7-1 in Bulldogs last 23 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game. Play Western Kentucky/La Tech Over the total.
Ray Monohan
Toronto vs. Texas
5* Free MLB O/U Play Over 9
The Blue Jays and Rangers renew their rivalry on Friday and Game 1 has value within the Over. LH Cole Hamels goes for the Rangers and he almost limps into postseason play. Hamels allowed 5 runs or more in 4 of his last 6 starts.
Last year against the Jays in the postseason he appeared twice and allowed 9 runs in just 13.1 innings of work. For Toronto, Marco Estrada will get the ball. Here, he loses value because of the home ballpark for Texas. The Rangers offense is one of the best in baseball and they average over 5 runs per game at home. Look for them to get on Estrada early here in this one.
Some trends to note. Over is 20-7-2 in Hamels' last 29 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance. Over is 5-2 in Estradas last 7 starts after allowing 2 runs or less in their previous game.
Look for both offenses to get to the starters here, turning this into a long game that will feature a lot of run scoring chances. Back the Over.
Good Luck, Razor Ray
Toronto vs. Texas
5* Free MLB O/U Play Over 9
The Blue Jays and Rangers renew their rivalry on Friday and Game 1 has value within the Over. LH Cole Hamels goes for the Rangers and he almost limps into postseason play. Hamels allowed 5 runs or more in 4 of his last 6 starts.
Last year against the Jays in the postseason he appeared twice and allowed 9 runs in just 13.1 innings of work. For Toronto, Marco Estrada will get the ball. Here, he loses value because of the home ballpark for Texas. The Rangers offense is one of the best in baseball and they average over 5 runs per game at home. Look for them to get on Estrada early here in this one.
Some trends to note. Over is 20-7-2 in Hamels' last 29 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance. Over is 5-2 in Estradas last 7 starts after allowing 2 runs or less in their previous game.
Look for both offenses to get to the starters here, turning this into a long game that will feature a lot of run scoring chances. Back the Over.
Good Luck, Razor Ray
Sean Murphy
BOS vs CLE
My Free 8* selection is on the 'under' between Boston and Cleveland at 8:05 pm et on Thursday.
Bettors have underestimated Red Sox starter Rick Porcello all season long and while I'm not eager to back he and the Red Sox as a sizable favorite in Game 1 of their ALDS against Cleveland, I do believe the 'under' is worth a shot.
All Porcello has done this season is go 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. He hasn't missed a beat on the road, where his WHIP actually drops to 0.99. Also note that his two regular season starts against the Indians as a member of the Red Sox have totaled only four and seven runs.
While I have a lot of respect for the Boston bats, I don't believe we'll see the Red Sox come roaring out of the gates in Cleveland.
Trevor Bauer will take the ball for the Indians and while he did finish the regular season in rocky fashion, I expect him to rise to the occasion against one of the best offenses in baseball. Bauer has been ripped in two previous starts against the Red Sox, but has never faced them at home. There's obviously a big difference between pitching at Fenway Park and pitching at Progressive Field.
This total is a shade high as far as I'm concerned. It's playoff baseball and as good as these two offenses can be, I'm not anticipating a slugfest in the series-opener on Thursday. Take the under (8*).
BOS vs CLE
My Free 8* selection is on the 'under' between Boston and Cleveland at 8:05 pm et on Thursday.
Bettors have underestimated Red Sox starter Rick Porcello all season long and while I'm not eager to back he and the Red Sox as a sizable favorite in Game 1 of their ALDS against Cleveland, I do believe the 'under' is worth a shot.
All Porcello has done this season is go 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. He hasn't missed a beat on the road, where his WHIP actually drops to 0.99. Also note that his two regular season starts against the Indians as a member of the Red Sox have totaled only four and seven runs.
While I have a lot of respect for the Boston bats, I don't believe we'll see the Red Sox come roaring out of the gates in Cleveland.
Trevor Bauer will take the ball for the Indians and while he did finish the regular season in rocky fashion, I expect him to rise to the occasion against one of the best offenses in baseball. Bauer has been ripped in two previous starts against the Red Sox, but has never faced them at home. There's obviously a big difference between pitching at Fenway Park and pitching at Progressive Field.
This total is a shade high as far as I'm concerned. It's playoff baseball and as good as these two offenses can be, I'm not anticipating a slugfest in the series-opener on Thursday. Take the under (8*).
Matt Mohr
Cardinals vs 49ers
Bonus Play Arizona Cardinals
Injuries on both teams will play into this one with the Cards captain of the offense Carson Palmer going down last week with a concussion while the 49ners lost their hear and soul of their defense with NaVorro Bowman to an Achilles injury. The advantage on the injury front goes to AZ with Drew Stanton being in the system the past few years and getting valuable reps in the game last week but more importantly getting quality reps in practice this week. The 49ers defense will struggle to find a serviceable replacement for Bowman which will add the an already struggling defense. SF is giving up 390 on the defensive side of the ball and have struggled to stop the run giving up just under 200 to the Cowboys last week. I expect the Cards to follow the blueprint the Cowboys laid out and pound the ball which will help Stanton go over the top with some deep balls. The Cards are better than their 1-3 record and will build upon the already solid offensive stat of outgaining their opponent by 68 yards per game. Even without Palmer the Cards offense finds its groove against the porous niners D. Take the Cardinals to cover and cash in a winner.
Cardinals vs 49ers
Bonus Play Arizona Cardinals
Injuries on both teams will play into this one with the Cards captain of the offense Carson Palmer going down last week with a concussion while the 49ners lost their hear and soul of their defense with NaVorro Bowman to an Achilles injury. The advantage on the injury front goes to AZ with Drew Stanton being in the system the past few years and getting valuable reps in the game last week but more importantly getting quality reps in practice this week. The 49ers defense will struggle to find a serviceable replacement for Bowman which will add the an already struggling defense. SF is giving up 390 on the defensive side of the ball and have struggled to stop the run giving up just under 200 to the Cowboys last week. I expect the Cards to follow the blueprint the Cowboys laid out and pound the ball which will help Stanton go over the top with some deep balls. The Cards are better than their 1-3 record and will build upon the already solid offensive stat of outgaining their opponent by 68 yards per game. Even without Palmer the Cards offense finds its groove against the porous niners D. Take the Cardinals to cover and cash in a winner.
Matt Josephs
BOS vs CLE
Bonus Play OVER 8.5
It's game one in Cleveland as the Indians take on the Red Sox. Trevor Bauer is 10-8 with a 4.35 ERA and a WHIP of 1.301 in 28 starts this season for the Tribe. He has allowed 13 runs and 23 hits in his last three starts with 10 of those runs coming at home against Chicago and Detroit. Bauer has a tough history against Boston with a 12.14 ERA and a WHIP of 2.549 in two outings against them. Earlier this year he lost 9-1 in Boston giving up four runs and eight hits in five innings. Boston is hitting .282 this season scoring 5.4 runs per contest. We think they are going to win this game so you are getting an extra set of at-bats. Rick Porcello is 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA in 33 starts with 18 of them going over the total. He's shown some cracks in his last two starts allowing three runs and eight hits in each contest. Porcello is 10-4 with a 3.35 ERA in 22 career starts against Cleveland. The Indians hit .287 at home scoring 5.6 runs per game there. They went over in 47 of their 81 contests in Cleveland. Boston's bullpen is good, but they also have 27 losses and 18 blown saves. These two had two overs in their three meetings in Cleveland this season.
BOS vs CLE
Bonus Play OVER 8.5
It's game one in Cleveland as the Indians take on the Red Sox. Trevor Bauer is 10-8 with a 4.35 ERA and a WHIP of 1.301 in 28 starts this season for the Tribe. He has allowed 13 runs and 23 hits in his last three starts with 10 of those runs coming at home against Chicago and Detroit. Bauer has a tough history against Boston with a 12.14 ERA and a WHIP of 2.549 in two outings against them. Earlier this year he lost 9-1 in Boston giving up four runs and eight hits in five innings. Boston is hitting .282 this season scoring 5.4 runs per contest. We think they are going to win this game so you are getting an extra set of at-bats. Rick Porcello is 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA in 33 starts with 18 of them going over the total. He's shown some cracks in his last two starts allowing three runs and eight hits in each contest. Porcello is 10-4 with a 3.35 ERA in 22 career starts against Cleveland. The Indians hit .287 at home scoring 5.6 runs per game there. They went over in 47 of their 81 contests in Cleveland. Boston's bullpen is good, but they also have 27 losses and 18 blown saves. These two had two overs in their three meetings in Cleveland this season.
