Thursday 9/3/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Pirates (79-52) at Brewers (57-75)

Game: 3
Venue: Miller Park
Date: September 03, 2015 7:20 PM EDT

Francisco Liriano carries his unbeaten streak into a place he and the Pittsburgh Pirates have been beaten badly in the last decade.

Liriano hopes his current roll offsets his team's struggles at Miller Park in the series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night.

The Pirates (79-52) have won each of Liriano's last 11 starts but have dropped three straight, including the first two of this series. Wednesday's 9-4 loss moved their record to 19-64 at Miller Park since the start of 2006, and it put them on the cusp of their 16th sweep there during that span - which includes an MLB-worst .229 winning percentage.

The most recent loss held Pittsburgh six games behind NL Central-leading St. Louis and kept its wild-card lead at 4 1/2 over Chicago.

The Pirates are 7-20 on the road against NL Central teams. They head to St. Louis and Cincinnati following this series and visit the Cubs from Sept 25-27.

"We're looking forward to it because it's the one area that we haven't done as well as we believe we should," manager Clint Hurdle told MLB's official website. "But the numbers are what they are."

Liriano (9-6, 3.28 ERA) has had about as much luck winning at Miller Park as the Pirates the last five years. He won his first two starts there in 2006 and 2009 before going 0-4 with a 7.61 ERA in his last five.

But Pittsburgh has won all 11 Liriano starts since June 26, the longest streak by a Pirate lefty since Emil Yde's 11-start run in 1925. The last Pittsburgh right-hander to reach double digits was A.J. Burnett with a streak of 12 in 2012.

Liriano is 5-0 with a 3.31 ERA during the stretch, benefiting from an NL-leading 6.89 run support average. Pittsburgh, though, has 18 hits and eight runs on its three-game skid.

Liriano is 6-5 with a 4.12 ERA in 13 starts against Milwaukee (57-75). He has lost three of his last four, the latest a 4-1 defeat June 9 in Pittsburgh in which he tossed a season high-tying eight innings and allowed three runs and five hits.

His Thursday counterpart won his major league debut in that game. Taylor Jungmann (8-5, 2.48) will try for Milwaukee's fourth straight victory and his third win in as many tries against the Pirates.

The right-hander tossed seven innings and allowed one run to beat Liriano on June 9, and he finished with the same numbers in a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh on July 19 at Miller Park. The Pirates have eight hits against him and have struck out 10 times.

Jungmann wrapped two scoreless performances around a rough outing in his last three starts. After going 6 1-3 innings and striking out a season-best nine during a 6-1 win over Philadelphia on Aug. 16, he coughed up a season-high five runs in four innings in a 6-1 loss at Washington six days later.

He regrouped, though, by allowing three hits in six innings during a 5-0 win over the Reds on Friday.

'I think a bounce-back start is always big,' Jungmann said. 'It's good for the psyche.'

Jungmann will face a red-hot Aramis Ramirez, who was traded from the Brewers to the Pirates on July 23. Ramirez homered in each of the series' first two games and added an RBI double Wednesday. Ramirez, hitting .310 in his last 24 games, started his career with Pittsburgh in 1998 and will retire at the end of the season.

Milwaukee catcher Jonathan Lucroy extended his hitting streak to a career high-tying 10 games with two hits and three RBIs on Wednesday.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Preview: Tigers (61-71) at Royals (81-51)

Game: 3
Venue: Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium
Date: September 03, 2015 8:10 PM EDT

Lorenzo Cain won't allow a sore calf to hinder the most productive season of his career.

The All-Star center fielder expects to be available for Thursday night's decisive series finale against the visiting Detroit Tigers.

Cain has set career highs with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs during his stellar season and is batting .385 during a 10-game hitting streak. He homered and went 2 for 3 in Wednesday's 12-1 rout of Detroit (61-71) but left after fouling a ball off of his calf.

Cain and the team said the exit was purely for precautionary reasons.

"Kind of hurts to walk but I'll be OK," he said after the AL-leading Royals won for the 18th time in 25 games. "It's a little sore but I'll be ready to go (Thursday)."

Running away with the Central Division, Kansas City (81-51) is in a good position to rest its regulars from time to time down the stretch.

If Cain does sit, Kendrys Morales could pick up the offensive slack after clubbing a three-run shot for his second homer in as many games. Batting .379 with four home runs and nine RBIs in his last eight, the 32-year-old Morales has never homered in three consecutive games.

He's never homered off Matt Boyd (1-5, 7.12 ERA) but is 4 for 6 with a double and triple against him this season.

Set to make his eighth career start, the left-hander gave up a run in seven innings to beat the visiting Royals 2-1 on Aug. 5 for his first major league victory. Five days later, Boyd yielded three runs and nine hits over 5 1-3 innings of a 4-0 loss at Kansas City.

Boyd also struggled Friday when he gave up three solo homers and two other runs while walking three in six innings of a 5-3 defeat at Toronto. Despite that outing and the fact he's allowed six home runs in his last three starts, manager Brad Ausmus has been pleased with Boyd since he came over in the deal that sent David Price to the Blue Jays on July 30.

'I think he's got a chance to be a good major league pitcher,' Ausmus said.

Kansas City has won the last three starts made by Edinson Volquez (12-7, 3.27), but he dropped to 0-2 and saw his ERA rise to 4.85 against Detroit this season after allowing six runs in seven-plus innings of a 7-4 defeat Aug. 12.

That effort began a four-start stretch where the right-hander has alternated poor and solid outings to go 1-1 with a 4.10 ERA. If that trend continues, Volquez might be in for a rough night even though he gave up an earned run in 6 2-3 innings of Friday's 3-2 victory at Tampa Bay.

Ian Kinsler and Anthony Gose are a combined 6 for 13 against Volquez this season. Kinsler drove home Gose on Wednesday as Detroit lost for the 10th time in 12 contests.

Tiger relievers have a 9.72 ERA while issuing 16 walks in the last eight games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Blue Jays not done making moves
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

TORONTO -- Dalton Pompey was the Opening Day center fielder for the Blue Jays.

He was back in the minors after 23 games.

The 22-year-old returned to Toronto as a September call-up on Tuesday as major-league rosters expanded.

He immediately showed his value. He was used as a pinch-runner in the seventh inning on Tuesday after first baseman Justin Smoak walked. He quickly stole second and third and scored on a sacrifice fly by center fielder Kevin Pillar to give the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead over the Cleveland Indians.

The Blue Jays went on to win the game 5-3 on a walkoff homer in the 10th by second baseman Ryan Goins.

"He has the green light," manager John Gibbons said. "If we want to hold him, we'll hold him. That's one of the reasons he's up here, he's very good on the bases, he's got good instincts. He's got a real good first step and for a young guy like that, it's kind of rare."

That likely will be the way Pompey is used, as a fourth or fifth outfielder who also can be used effectively as a pinch runner.

After going down to Triple-A Buffalo, then Double-A New Hampshire and then back up to Triple-A Buffalo, Pompey said he feels that he has matured and the enthusiasm of the surging Blue Jays already has impressed him.

"It's an awesome atmosphere, like all the guys are great here and they're all positive," Pompey said. "You feel good, like I felt good all day today. I felt into the game, the whole game."

The Blue Jays also recalled left-handed reliever Aaron Loup, right-handed reliever Ryan Tepera, infielder Munenori Kawasaki and purchased the contract of left-hander Jeff Francis, who figures to be used in long relief. Left-hander Colt Hynes was designated for assignment to make room for Francis on the 40-man roster.

"Kawasaki gives us an extra infielder, Pompey an extra outfielder and pitching-wise, now we have a long guy, Francis can do that," Gibbons said. "Tepera is a multiple-inning guy and Loupy, we brought Loupy back, a left-hander. You don't want to overload everything, but those guys fit a role that we can use."

The Blue Jays are not done. Catcher Josh Thole, who was sent on option to Rookie Bluefield on Friday, will be recalled Wednesday to resume catching right-handed knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey.

Right-hander Marcus Stroman also likely will be recalled after completing a minor-league rehabilitation assignment as he returns from knee surgery.

First baseman Matt Hague also could be recalled after Buffalo ends its season next Monday.

The 30-year-old was named International League Most Valuable Player on Tuesday. He has hit .345/.422/479 with 32 doubles, 11 homers, 88 RBIs in 130 games.

He has one at-bat with Toronto this season in a brief stint, Aug. 18-23.

"There's a good shot that he'll come back, he's earned that," Gibbons said. "He was up here for just a few days, but he has earned that."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

D-backs' Corbin flashes 2013 form
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

DENVER -- Patrick Corbin is making progress in his return from Tommy John surgery.

In the first game of Tuesday's split doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies, the left-hander made his 11th start for the Arizona Diamondbacks since undergoing the operation on March 25, 2014, and the results again were encouraging.

Corbin allowed two solo homers, the only runs he gave up in 6 1/3 innings. He yielded seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts in Arizona's 6-4 victory.

The Diamondbacks swept the doubleheader with a 5-3 victory in the second game.

Corbin is 4-3 with a 3.67 ERA. He has 13 walks and 56 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings.

"I thought today my changeup was really good," he said, "probably the first game since I've been back where I got to throw it and use it effectively. So I was happy about that."

Corbin went 14-8 with a 3.41 ERA in 2013 before missing the entire 2014 season. He made his first minor league rehab start this year on June 15 for high Class A Visalia and made his fourth and final rehab start for Double-A Mobile on June 26 before making his 2015 Diamondbacks debut on July 4.

On Tuesday, Corbin threw 56 of his 78 pitches for strikes against the Rockies and threw first-pitch strikes to 18 of the 24 batters he faced.

Corbin threw a 97-pitch complete game at Coors Field on May 20, 2013, allowing three hits and one run with one walk and 10 strikeouts while winning 5-1. That outing came during a stretch when Corbin won his first nine decisions to start that 2013 season.

Asked whether he felt he was close to where he was then, Corbin said, "For sure. There's been games where I've been locked in and had everything working, had the really good slider, so it's definitely there. There's just some ups and downs in this process now, which is hard to take, but today felt good."

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

A's RHP Scribner out for season
The Sports Xchange

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Oakland A's right-hander Evan Scribner will miss the rest of the season with a torn right lat muscle, manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday.

Scribner suffered the injury Monday night in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels.

The reliever is not expected to have surgery.

"Prognosis for him in spring training is good," Melvin said.

Scribner, 30, tore the same muscle in July 2011 while with the San Diego Padres.

In 54 games (60 innings) this season, Scribner tallied a 4.35 ERA and allowed 14 home runs, the most among major-league relievers.

Also on Wednesday, the A's optioned right-hander Cody Martin to Triple-A Nashville.

In his first major-league start Tuesday, Martin gave up five runs on six hits in three innings in a 6-2 loss to the Angels.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mariners option INF Montero to Triple-A
The Sports Xchange

The Seattle Mariners optioned infielder Jesus Montero to Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday.

Montero, 25, was in his second stint with the Mariners. He is hitting .200 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 25 games this season.

In 93 games with Tacoma, Montero has hit .346 with 16 home runs and 75 RBIs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Cards option LHP Gonzales, call up 3 pitchers
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

The St. Louis Cardinals optioned left-handed starter Marco Gonzales to Triple-A Memphis on Wednesday and called up three pitchers.

The team recalled left-handers Tyler Lyons and Nick Greenwood, and right-hander Miguel Socolovich, all from Memphis.

Gonzales started Tuesday night's game against the Washington Nationals, allowing four runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings.

Lyons, 27, was scheduled to start Wednesday night's game against the Washington Nationals. He will be making his seventh start for St. Louis this season and appearing in his 10th game. This is Lyons' fifth stint with the big-league club, splitting his time with Memphis. Lyons is 2-1 with a 3.96 ERA with St. Louis.

Socolovich went 4-1 with a 1.54 ERA with St. Louis earlier this season, picking up wins in his first two relief outings. In 21 relief appearances at Memphis, Socolovich had a 2-2 record with a 2.48 ERA in 32 2/3 innings.

Greenwood spent the majority of the season at Triple-A where he made 21 starts and appeared in 31 games, posting a 12-6 record and 5.68 ERA.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB roundup: Kershaw fans 15; L.A. sweeps S.F.
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

LOS ANGELES -- Chase Utley homered, and Clayton Kershaw threw a complete game and tied his career high with 15 strikeouts, guiding the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

The National League West-leading Dodgers earned their eighth win in nine games and completed a home sweep of the Giants for the first time since 2013. They increased their margin over second-place San Francisco in the division to 6 1/2 games.

The Giants dropped their fifth game in a row.

Kershaw, who hasn't lost since June 27, allowed one run on six hits and a walk. Kershaw (12-6) gave up back-to-back singles to Matt Duffy and Buster Posey with two outs in the ninth before striking out Marlon Byrd to seal the win. He also tied a career high with 132 pitches (95 strikes).

Mets 9, Phillies 4

NEW YORK -- Ruben Tejada collected two hits, including an inside-the-park home run, and four RBIs as New York beat Philadelphia.

Tejada hit a two-run homer to cap a three-run second inning, had an RBI grounder in the fifth and laced a run-scoring single in the seventh to complete the Mets' scoring.

Kelly Johnson opened the Mets' scoring with an RBI single in the second and finished with two hits and two runs. An inning later, Daniel Murphy had an RBI double and Michael Conforto hit a two-run homer. Murphy left after the third inning with discomfort in his left quad.

Nationals 4, Cardinals 3

ST. LOUIS -- Ryan Zimmerman made sure the Washington Nationals held on to this lead. After cracking two solo homers, Zimmerman snapped an eighth-inning tie with an RBI double as Washington picked up a rare win in St. Louis.

Zimmerman's liner down the right field line scored Anthony Rendon, who worked an eight-pitch walk from Jonathan Broxton to start the eighth and reached second on a sacrifice bunt by Matt den Dekker.

Blue Jays 5, Indians 1

TORONTO -- R.A. Dickey pitched a complete game, Josh Donaldson had three RBIs and Toronto defeated Cleveland.

Dickey allowed four hits, no walks and one run to win his seventh straight decision in the rubber match of a three-game series. He struck out six in his second complete game of the season.

Donaldson had three hits, including an RBI single in the first inning and a two-run double in the second. He also scored a run after tagging up on a popout to second base in the second.

Orioles 7, Rays 6 (11 innings)

BALTIMORE -- Chris Davis hit two home runs, including the winner in the 11th inning, and Baltimore snapped a six-game losing streak.

Davis led off the 11th with a towering shot to center off Matt Andriese for his 38th homer of the season. Jonathan Schoop hit a two-run homer off Brad Boxberger in the ninth to force extra innings.

Logan Forsythe had three hits and went 9-for-10 in the series. Evan Longoria homered twice and J.P. Arencibia also added solo shot for the Rays.

With the scored 4-4 in the sixth, Grady Sizemore hit a two-out, RBI double off Mychal Givens. Longoria gave Tampa Bay a two-run cushion with a homer in the ninth.

Reds 7, Cubs 4

CHICAGO -- Joey Votto went 2-for-5 with a three-run, ninth-inning homer and Cincinnati beat Chicago.

Votto's 27th home run of the season drove in Jason Bourgeois and Jay Bruce as the Reds took the series from the Cubs. Hector Rondon gave up the two-out shot and suffered the loss, the Cubs' sixth in their last eight games.

Kris Bryant had tied the score at 4 in the bottom of the eighth with a two-out, two-run homer against J.J. Hoover. Aroldis Chapman allowed two runners in the ninth but no runs to collect his 27th save of the year.

Royals 12, Tigers 1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Yordano Ventura won his fourth straight decision and Cheslor Cuthbert hit his first big league home run and drove in four runs as Kansas City crushed Detroit.

Ventura struck out 11, matching his career high set in his previous start, and allowed one run and five hits in seven innings. He is 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his past five starts.

The Royals pounded four home runs. Kendrys Morales hit a three-run homer, hiking his RBI total to 94. Lorenzo Cain and Ben Zobrist each hit solo homers.

Angels 9, A's 4

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Albert Pujols hit his 35th home run of the year and Andrew Heaney allowed three runs in seven innings to lead Los Angeles over Oakland.

Pujols lined a two-run homer in the second inning off Sonny Gray. Pujols has hit at least 35 homers 10 times in his first 15 major-league seasons, one of just four players in major league history to accomplish the feat.

Pujols reached 35 home runs for the first time since hitting 37 in 2011, his final season with St. Louis. He went 2-for-5, drove in three runs and scored twice.

Yankees 13, Red Sox 8

BOSTON -- New York hammered five home runs in the first five innings and built a 12-1 lead before holding off Boston.

The win, which moved the Yankees within a game of first-place Toronto in the American League East, was the 800th of manager Joe Girardi's career.

Greg Bird and John Ryan Murphy hit back-to-back homers and Carlos Beltran connected during an eight-run second inning for the Yankees. Stephen Drew and shortstop Didi Gregorius also homered in support of Masahiro Tanaka.

Marlins 7, Braves 3

ATLANTA -- Christian Yelich had four hits, including two doubles, and Marcell Ozuna homered as Miami handed Atlanta its eighth straight loss.

The Braves, who were 42-42 on July 8, have lost 15 of 16 games and 30 of the past 49. It is the first time they have been 25 games below .500 since 1990.

Martin Prado and Ichiro Suzuki each had two hits for Miami, with Prado driving in two runs. Cuban Hector Olivera drove in two runs for Atlanta with his first major league hit.

Twins 3, White Sox 0

MINNEAPOLIS -- Tommy Milone pitched seven strong innings and Miguel Sano continued his torrid pace at the plate as Minnesota defeated Chicago.

Milone's seven shutout innings were his best since he threw 7 2/3 scoreless innings against the White Sox in his first start of the season on April 10. This time around, Milone (7-3) walked none and allowed just three harmless singles while striking out seven

Sano's homer in the second inning provided Milone with all the support he needed until the seventh when the Twins scratched out two more runs. Trevor May pitched a spotless eighth and Kevin Jepsen a perfect ninth. For Jepsen, pitching in place of injured Glen Perkins, the save was his fifth with the Twins and 10th this season overall.

Brewers 9, Pirates 4

MILWAUKEE -- Jonathan Lucroy drove in three runs and Adam Lind hit his 18th home run of the season as Milwaukee downed Pittsburgh

Starling Marte and Aramis Ramirez had two hits each, including Ramirez's second home run in as many days, but Pittsburgh managed just two hits off Milwaukee's bullpen.

With Milwaukee up one in the fifth, Lind homered off Joe Blanton. Scooter Gennett expanded the lead with a two-run pinch-single in the seventh. Ryan Braun capped a three-hit game with an RBI single in the eighth.

Mariners 8, Astros 3

HOUSTON -- Logan Morrison sparked a late-inning rally for a second consecutive game and Seattle beat Houston.

Morrison hit a three-run homer, his 15th home run this season, off Josh Fields to end the drama in the top of the ninth. Carson Smith struck out Altuve to end the seventh with two runners in scoring position.

Rockies 9, Diamondbacks 4

DENVER -- Carlos Gonzalez hit two homers, including a go-ahead grand slam, and drove in a career-high seven runs as Colorado beat Arizona.

The victory gave the Rockies a split of the four-game series and sent the Diamondbacks to their eighth loss in the past 11 games.

Gonzalez's grand slam came with no outs in the seventh inning on a 1-1 slider from Keith Hessler, a left-hander who was recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A and was brought in to face Gonzalez. It was Gonzalez's fourth career grand slam and second this season.

Rangers 4, Padres 3 (10 innings)

SAN DIEGO -- Mitch Moreland's 10th-inning double lifted Texas over San Diego.

Elvis Andrus hit a one-out single, and Moreland followed with the winning hit to right off Bud Norris (1-1).

Sam Dyson (2-1) pitched the final two innings for the win. Chris Gimenez hit his fifth homer of the season for Texas.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

MLB notebook: A's RHP Scribner out for season
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

Oakland A's right-hander Evan Scribner will miss the rest of the season with a torn right lat muscle, manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday.

Scribner suffered the injury Monday night in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels. He is not expected to have surgery.

Scribner, 30, tore the same muscle in July 2011 while with the San Diego Padres.

In 54 games (60 innings) this season, Scribner tallied a 4.35 ERA and allowed 14 home runs, the most among major-league relievers.

Also on Wednesday, the A's optioned right-hander Cody Martin to Triple-A Nashville.

---The St. Louis Cardinals optioned left-handed starter Marco Gonzales to Triple-A Memphis and called up three pitchers.

The team recalled left-handers Tyler Lyons and Nick Greenwood, and right-hander Miguel Socolovich, all from Memphis.

Gonzales started Tuesday night's game against the Washington Nationals, allowing four runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings.

---The Los Angeles Angels recalled outfielder Efren Navarro from Triple-A Salt Lake.

It's the fifth call-up for the 29-year-old this season. In 37 games over his first four stints, he hit .260 with five RBIs.

At Salt Lake, he was hitting .329 with 24 doubles and 29 RBIs.

---The Seattle Mariners optioned infielder Jesus Montero to Triple-A Tacoma.

Montero, 25, was in his second stint with the Mariners. He is hitting .200 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 25 games this season.

In 93 games with Tacoma, Montero has hit .346 with 16 home runs and 75 RBIs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Thursday's six-pack

Some of the more intriguing baseball free agents this winter.....

-- Yoenis Cespedes-- Has been on four teams in 13 months; who is going to pay him?

-- Edwin Encarnacion-- Putting up tremendous numbers this season.

-- Ben Zobrist-- Versatile player has done well with Kansas City.

-- Jason Heyward-- At age 26, much younger than most on this list.

-- Johnny Cueto-- If I'm him, I dash back to the NL where there is no DH.

-- Zach Greinke-- $$$$$$$$....the noise you hear is a slot machine emptying.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Dave Cokin

Bonus Play Thursday

147 UTSA at 148 ARIZONA 10:00 PM

Take: ARIZONA -31.5

I’m always interested in trying to gauge the approach of coaches in these early season mismatches. Based on what I’ve been able to garner, Rich Rodriguez is not taking anything for granted tonight as his Arizona Wildcats plays host to UT-San Antonio.

UTSA hits the road with a very inexperienced entry. The Roadrunners were a bit of a sensation early in 2014, as a very senior laden squad beat up Houston and then narrowly missed getting the upset against Arizona. It was all downhill for UTSA after that, and I think it’s fair to say they ended up being a big disappointment for an under the radar team that had some lofty expectations.

No such problem for the Roadrunners this season, as they have just six returning starters and what appears to be holes almost everywhere. It figures to be a very long season for UTSA and it looks to me like they’re likely to get slaughtered tonight.

Arizona has had some early injury issues, but most of the aches and pains are with guys mostly not expected to be major contributors. Of course, there are always concerns in games such as this that the coaching staff will want to keep things under wraps and will look to get some game reps for second and third team personnel once the margin is safe.

But RichRod was pretty clear in his early week press conference that he will not be treating this like an NFLx game where he does lots of substituting and evaluating. In fact, Rodriguez was quick to mention that last year’s meeting with UTSA went right to the wire.

On paper, this is a wipeout. Arizona has way too much team speed for UTSA and a substantial experience edge as well. I’m one who believes we’re going to see QB Anu Solomon break out in a big way following a strong first go round as the Wildcats signal caller. Solomon is a real weapon in that backfield and all indications are that he has progressed significantly and is poised for a very big year.

The Arizona offensive line could be a question mark early on. But with UTSA fielding an entirely new defensive front, I don’t see any problems here. I’ll be surprised if Arizona gets held to less than 45 tonight. I also won’t be shocked if UTSA never reaches the end zone. Monster wood to be sure, but I’m spotting all those points with Arizona to obliterate UTSA this evening.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jim Feist

Jim Feist's Bonus Play for Thursday, Sept. 3 10:10 PM EST

(907) LOS ANGELES DODGERS VS (908) SAN DIEGO PADRES

Take: Over the total

Reason: Your Bonus Play Thursday, September 3rd, 2015 is in the MLB contest between the LA Dodgers and the Padres from Petco Park in San Diego. LA heads to San Diego with an offense ranked third in baseball in on base percentage. LA is 40-18-4 over the total during game 1 of a series. Starter Mat Latos was shifted to the bullpen last week, enabling the Dodgers to employ a four-man rotation for a few turns. Latos struggled prior to the move, allowing 10 earned runs on 14 hits over his last 8.2 innings. He holds a 4.81 ERA and 1.27 WHIP on the year. Padres starter Colin Rea (5.95 ERA) has struggled, allowing 29 base runners in 19+ innings. His last two starts the team is 0-2 allowing 9 runs in 9 innings. San Diego is on a 23-7-2 run over the total, including 21-6-2 over at home against a team with a winning record. San Diego is also 20-4-2 over the total against a right-handed starter, so look for an offensive show. Play the LA Dodgers/Padres over the total.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Brandon Shively

Texas-San Antonio vs Arizona

Bonus Play #148 Arizona Wildcats

This is a huge mismatch for Texas- San Antonio in their first game of the season. UTSA only returns 6 starters this season. I will also note that this offense only threw for 5 TD's last season. They lose ALL of their starting wide receivers and now the leading receivers on the team are their tight end and running back. The new quarterback will not have much time in the pocket in this game as the Arizona pass rush will be fierce (Scooby Wright for Arizona was PAC 12 DPOY last season with 14 sacks and 15 TFL). The UTSA offensive line lost 179 career starts after last year and now they have only have 2 offensive linemen that have started more than one game. Arizona has a HUGE advantage at the line of scrimmage in this game. On defense, UTSA returns ZERO defensive linemen and also lose 110 starts in the secondary. Arizona returns 85% of their offense from last season and have 2 transfers ready to step in on the offensive line.

UTSA played @ Arizona in 2013 and were listed as a 24.5 road dog and Arizona won 38-13, barely covering the spread. The spread for this game is about 7 points more but the difference is that UTSA had 18 returning starters in 2013 and now have only 6. The other difference is this is Rich-Rod's 4th year as the Arizona head coach and now his recruits are fitting into the spread offense and they are even more high-powered.

Arizona is led by QB Anu Solomon who shined last season as a freshmen. Arizona scored 42 or more points in 5 games so obviously they have the offensive firepower. I will also note they opened the season last year with a big 58-13 win vs. UNLV as a 23.5 point home favorite. They then traveled on the road to play UTSA where they only won 26-23. Playing on the road, they still outgained UTSA by 105 yards in Solomons 1st career start on the road. Solomon is back at home for this game and in his 2nd year with the offense, look for a lot of points to be put on the board from the Wildcats.

Arizona will remember the close game from last season and will be highly motivated to step on the gas early and often in this one. This game has 'Blowout' written all over it. I know this spread is big, but I think we will see a final score in the 52-13 range. I will say that Arizona will have this spread covered by at least a touchdown and even a late score by UTSA will not make a difference. Arizona -31.5 is definitely worth a closer look on Thursday Night.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Alex Smart

Western Kentucky vs Vanderbilt

Bonus Play Vanderbilt to cover 1/2 unit comp selection

Western Kentucky has nine starters back on defense– a defense that ranked 111th against the run, 121st against the pass and 120th in total yards per game allowed (128 teams ). So having those 9 starters back, from that type of unit may not necessarily be a good thing. HC Derek Mason has placed the Commodores dead last in the conference according to alot of pundits. But Im not sold on the fact that the Commodores are that bad of a team. I know their opponents in game 1 of their non conference schedule Western Kentucky is one one of the most explosive College Football teams in the nation behind Brandon Doughty, but Im betting the Commodores 2nd year 3-4 defense will improve enough under Masons tutelage to slow down this monster attack. Remember Vandy has a defensive front seven that returns five starters and they all play tenacious smash mouth football that is contagious to the rest of D . Yes, I know Vandy has alot of question marks on offense, but even the most pedestrian attack has been able to slice and dice the Toppers D in the past, and until they show improvement Im betting against them.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Brad Diamond

Oklahoma State vs Central Michigan

Bonus Play Oklahoma State (137) -22 over Central Michigan

CLASS DIFFERENTIAL

With issues at quarterback last season no one in Stillwater thought frosh QB Mason Rudolph would lead the Cowboys to two huge wins at the end of the season vs. hated OU and Washington in the Cactus Bowl, but he did. Oklahoma State shows with 16 starters, but they did lose Roland and Hill their top running tandem. The rest of the skill set is loaded, so once the newcomers carrying the pigskin become acclimated the offensive attack should once again become a dangerous product every week. On defense the Cowboys finished ranked #91 in total defense, and clearly need to improve that side of the ball to become a major player in conference. Six units on last year’s schedule scored 35 or more points. But, this time around they are more experienced, and don’t open with Florida State (31-37) as they did in 2014. Again, critical will be a defense that allowed 5.8 yards per play last season, and their projected improvement.

Central Michigan brings back just 10 starters from a 7-6 season, have QB Cooper Rush (3,157) returning with great experience under his belt. However, the Chips have a new HEAD COACH John Bonamego. He brings two decades of experience from the coaching ranks. In the NFL he was an assistant with the Jaguars, Packers and Saints. In CFB he tendered at Maine, Lehigh and Army, while playing for Central Michigan in college. Because of the coaching move there were changes in some of the assistants. As far as the schedule, the Chips have done very well inside their home openers, but as a sampling the last four were Chattanooga (20-16), New Hampshire (24-21), SE Missouri State (38-27) and South Carolina State (21-6). Obviously, Oklahoma State is a major step up in class. What will be tested is the CMU defense that finished #29 nationally allowing just 355.5 yards per game last season. In addition, they have lost 6 starters and a projected player is lingering with a leg injury. Pending weather conditions in Michigan the Cowboys should be able to strike often against the depleted opposition.

In the last seven games of 2014 the Cowboys were booked as an underdog at the Westgate Super Book on the Las Vegas Strip. OSU laid double-digits four times last season splitting 2-2 ATS. Central Michigan shows 1-5 ATS L6 at home and 3-13 ATS in September, while the Cowboys roll 3-0 ATS in game #1 of the season.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Freddy Wills

Duke vs Tulane

1* Complimentary Action Tulane +7.5

Duke is an interesting story. From 1995 to 2012 they went 18-126 in the ACC, but the last 2 years they went 11-6 despite a -40, and -70 yards per game defecit. They lose a ton of talent in 2015, but most notably are their QB Anthony Boone, WR Crowder, but the 95 career starts between their two key hogs up on the offensive line in Laken Tomlinson and Takoby Cofield. That could be a huge issue on Thursday night on the road against Tulane, whose strength is a defensive line that has been a top 40 group in adjusted line yards the last two years.

What I really like about this play is Tulane has 16 returning starters and can only get better. Their 34 point loss to Duke last year on the road was not as bad as the scoreboard indicated and Curtis Johnson has done a fine job of recruiting and building depth. The offense will still struggle, but their defense should keep them in games especially against a rebuilding team like Duke who themselves have a ton of question marks on offense. I expect a low scoring one possession score game.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Tony George

South Carolina vs North Carolina

Thursday NCAAF – Battle of the Carolina’s

FREE Pro Pick on North Carolina +2.5 to 3 points

The College Football Season opens up Thursday Night with an ACC / SEC Tilt in Charlotte, NC on a neutral field as North Carolina takes on the Gamecocks in what lines out to be a pretty even matchup. Now many will think an SEC team pitted up against an ACC team is a mismatch in 80% of the cases that might be true, but UNC returns 10 players on offense including dual threat QB Marquis Williams who threw for over 3000 yards last year and ran for 788, and he has a full complement of weapons returning as well. It was the North Carolina defense that was their demise last year, ranked near the bottom of the NCAA. They brought in Gene Chizik to overhaul one of the worst stop units in 2014 in the NCAA, and I think it will pay some dividends.

Steve Spurrier’s team in 2014 just flat out found ways to lose ballgames and they start an unproven QB whose offense returns just 4 starters overall from last year’s disappointing team, and the Gamecocks will be lucky to get to 7 wins again this year based on speculation of a weak offense, turnover issues with a new QB, and their schedule, and this opener is no cakewalk.

At days end playing in the state of North Carolina is a small advantage, and the offense should be in favor of the Tarheels here with a veteran unit. North Carolina is a 2.5 to 3 point underdog and I feel they have the better chance in this game to put up points versus a South Carolina team trying to get a new offense up to speed. This line is based on public perception in my opinion and Larry Feldora, North Carolina’s head coach is no slouch in big games, as evidenced by his success at Southern Miss previously.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jimmy Boyd

Western Kentucky vs Vanderbilt

Free Pick on Vanderbilt +

This may seem like an easy play on Western Kentucky for some, but I think there's tremendous value here with the Commodores as a home dog. I know their not an elite SEC team, but no SEC team should be a dog on their home field against a C-USA opponent.

The Hilltoppers are getting a lot of hype, largely do their high-powered offense that put up 44.4 ppg and 535 ypg. WKU will get back senior quarterback Brandon Doughty, but I'm not sold on this team being as good as people think. Sure they ended the year strong and had that big win over an undefeated Marshall team on the road, but they also lost by Illinois in non-conference play.

Vanderbilt went just 3-9 a year ago, but that was largely due to the transition under first year head coach Derek Mason. The Commodores played 31 freshman, most of any FBS team. Mason is a good coach (was defensive coordinator at Stanford prior to coming here) and has had more than enough time to get his stop unit prepared for this matchup.

The big key here is that Western Kentucky is awful on the defensive side of the ball. They gave up 39.9 ppg, 510 ypg and 6.7 yard/play. Vanderbilt's offense may struggle in the majority of their games, but not this one. I actually think the Commodores will have the easier time moving the ball and will focus on running the ball behind an experienced offensive line to keep WKU's offense out of sync and off the field. Take Vanderbilt!

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Scott Spreitzer

Pittsburgh Pirates vs Milwaukee Brewers

Bonus Play Pittsburgh Pirates

I'm recommending a play on the Pirates on Thursday. Rough sledding for the Bucs of late and their deficit in the NL Central has grown to six games to the St. Louis Cardinals. A loss here and the Pirates will end on the wrong side of a 4-game sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. That's not the way to head to St. Louis for a weekend series and I believe they will bounce back tonight with Francisco Liriano on the mound. The left-hander has allowed just 34 earned runs and 126 base runners in his last 17 starts, spanning 106 innings of work. That's a 2.89 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. He's allowed more than three earned runs in just three of those outings and the Pirates have won each of his last 11 starts. Liriano has been at his best on the road this season and owns a strong start in his lone outing against the Brewers. Taylor Jungmann will counter for Milwaukee and the 25-year old owns nice overall numbers, but he will walk a few batters. Jungmann has awarded 11 free passes in his last 19 innings of work, covering four starts. As you can see, he's averaged less than five innings per start in those outings and he'll face a Pirates' lineup that will be seeing Jungmann for the third time this season. Pittsburgh enters on a 40-15 run as road chalk in a line range that includes tonight's number (at the time of this post). The Brewers, meanwhile, have won just five of their last 21 as an underdog. I'm recommending a play on the Pirates on Thursday. Thanks & GL! Scott Spreitzer.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Sam Martin

Michigan vs Utah

5* Bonus Play on Michigan (+5)

Love the hire of Jim Harbaugh to revive the Michigan program that has been dormant since 2011. We are keeping our expectations reasonable for this season, noting Harbaugh's hire came late and he didn't even have a full recruitment period. And while UM is coming off a 5-7 season, this team has better talent than that record indicates.

Utah came into the Big House and upset the Wolverines by 16 points (as a 3.5-point dog) - sending the Utes confidence sky high en route to a nine-win season. And while we think Utah remains underrated in a very deep Pac 12 conference, we're not sure they are good enough to cover this number here. Utah only put up 286 yards of total offense that win win last season (compared to 308 for Michigan) and the only reason the score was so lopsided was thanks to four UM turnovers. We can honestly see either team winning this game late and we'll grab the points as this one comes down to the wire! 5* Bonus Play on Michigan.