Thurs parlays

Terryray

Say Parlay
Forum Member
Dec 6, 2001
9,833
2,285
113
Kansas City area for who knows how long....
02:20 PM MLB [952] CHI CUBS -310 ( Z DAVIES -R / J ARRIETA -R )
01:10 PM MLB [964] TOTAL u9.5 -110 (BOS RED SOX vrs DET TIGERS) (BUCHHOLZ/BOYD)
12:30 PM SOC [26330] FC Krasnodar -550 - UEFA Europa League First playoff round
02:00 PM SOC [26338] Fenerbahce -245 - UEFA Europa League First playoff round
02:30 PM SOC [26358] Kaa Gent -345 - UEFA Europa League First playoff round

1 unit bet pays 4.42 ....betdsi line ... evening parlay posted later (missed yesterday's parlay by 1 leg again...)


MLB parlays: 12-135, -30.48 units (risk 1 unit each pick)... winner #1 posted here......winner #2 posted here....winner #3 and nice winner #4... and small reduced winner #5, winner #6 paid 5.07 units...winner #7...and here is winner #8...and then winner #9....after long dry spell, hit four teamer on July 4th.....and another long dry spell, hit five teamer on July 23rd....yet another long dry spell, hit four teamer on Aug 17...

Goood luck everyone!! :firing: :toast:
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ripped, cut and pasted, otherwise written by others, from across the internets:

Nick Cafardo@nickcafardo
Clay Buchholz was supposed to go ahead to Detroit for tomorrow's start but bad weather forced him back to park. Will now leave w/team.

Under is 14-4 in BOS last 18 road games.
Under is 6-2-2 in Buchholzs last 10 road starts.
Under is 14-6 in Red Sox last 20 overall.
Under is 4-1 in Boyd?s last 5 starts following a Quality Start in his last appearance.

It was noted earlier in the thread that David Ortiz would also not play tomorrow, so taking an early Detroit lead is not the worst thing (although there is better than -112 to be found if you have some shopping available). But one of the things I have wondered about, but have not been able to get clarification on, is whether Craig Kimbrel, who was declared out of tonight's game early this afternoon, may have already flown ahead to Detroit. That might matter a little because it would mean at least three key parts to the equation - Kimbrel, Hanley Ramirez and Clay Buchholz, will not be impacted by tonight's travel sequence at all.

The Tigers apparently ticked off the Red Sox for this game as Boston requested to push back the start time because of a game the Red Sox have to play in Baltimore the night before. A Boston writer surmised the Tigers were getting back at former Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, now in charge of the Red Sox. But here?s what Tigers GM Al Avila had to say: ?That 1:00 start time on Thursdays here is positive with our fans here in Detroit. We draw big crowds. It?s become a tradition. In fact, all six of our Thursday home games this season start at 1:00. We play them that way. We?ve been playing them that way for a long time.? Also, the Lions play a preseason game next door at Ford Field on Thursday night. MLB allows each team to set its own home game times.

Some perspective on the Tigers, which I should turn in to a main column piece - Jose Iglesias was playing shortstop at an overall 1.3 WAR, including rating #6 of all players defensively according to Fangraphs (not just shortstops), when he went on the DL. Erick Aybar started tonight, with an overall -1.2 WAR. How bad is that? Of 172 players that qualify, he checks in at #169. That is a substantial drop at a key position, though it may not be something the markets will factor properly.

Boston is enduring a brutal travel schedule that had them going from Boston on Sunday to Cleveland on Monday afternoon for a makeup game and then onto Baltimore for a quick two-game set before the key series in Detroit that will help determine postseason positioning. The Red Sox are showing no ill effects from the travel yet and are outscoring opponents 47-15 during a six-game winning streak that has pushed them into the top American League wild card spot and left them one game behind the Blue Jays for the AL East lead.

Zach Davies has been very good lately and that includes a win over the Cubs in the last month, where he pitched brilliantly. As good as Jake Arrieta has been, the Cubs lost five of his last seven starts at home.

Jake Arrieta gets one of the day's most enticing matchups, a home start against Milwaukee. The Brewers have been one of baseball's worst teams against righty pitching this year (87 wRC+), but the real draw here is the Brew Crew's inability to make consistent contact. They strike more than a quarter of the time -- more than any team in baseball -- and that includes a 26 percent whiff rate against right-handers. Arrieta has fanned more than six in a game just once in his past nine times out, but he could very well threaten double-digit K's in this matchup.

- whether or not betting events are on "The Screen". The reference is to Don Best and Sports Options, which serve as clearing houses for the major sports, and make it easier for the Sports Books to have an awareness of the various idiosyncrasies of the betting world. Hence the existence of universal betting #'s for the teams/competitors in the event, time changes and injuries get shared. But for the Olympic events much of this is each sports book having to create and grade their own menus, and that is leading to the mistakes - some just do not have the manpower to do it properly.

We both feel like this time of the year has a similar feel to it as the last 2 weeks before the all star break. Dog days in a long grind. A lot of heat. Pens worn down creating a better likelihood of that "take one for the team" situation. Something that won't happen once September 1st arrives. Could a possible run on the salami over be in the mix?

Regarding the salami, I think it's a really interesting thought. The logic is sound on a big-picture basis. But today you've got Arrieta, Fernandez, madbum and degrom with only 11 games, so there aren't as many opportunities for games to blow up. And there's no game in Colorado which was a big help the last couple of days. I think today may not be the day to try it, but the pre AS break comparison is really interesting. I like it,

Mariners vs. Angels
Play: Over 8

Anaheim is a good offensive park and the Over is 19-7 when the Mariners face a team with a losing record. Hisashi Iwakuma is on the hill allowing more hits than innings pitched. He's better at home, too, with a 4.17 road ERA as opponents hit .285 off him. The Over is 7-3 in the Mariners last 10 road games. They face a struggling LA pitching staff with Matt Shoemaker (6-13, 4.22 ERA) going. He is off a loss at Cleveland allowing 12 hits and 5 runs in 6 innings. The Over is 15-5-1 when the Angels face the American League West and this shapes up as an offensive show.

Dodgers vs. Phillies
Play: Dodgers -143

Dave Roberts should be the leading candidate for NL Manager of the Year as he has the Dodgers in first place in the NL West even though his team has suffered numerous injuries, including Clayton Kershaw. Los Angeles has won seven of its last 10 games and coming off two wins in Philadelphia by a combined score of 22-7. Ross Stripling has pitched better on the road this season with a 3.04 ERA and .179 opponent batting average. The Phillies have never faced him, but they are 28th in the major leagues with a .696 OPS against right-handers and last with a .647 OPS at home. Jerad Eickhoff gave up five runs in six innings at San Diego on Aug. 7 and then allowed three runs and 10 hits in just 5 2/3 innings against Colorado on Saturday. The Phillies have lost 31 of their last 43 against teams with winning records.

Dodgers vs. Phillies
Play: Over 8?

The first-place LA Dodgers go for a three-game sweep of the Phillies when the teams meet tonight in Philadelphia.

The Dodgers (66-52, 28-28 road) have been on a tear offensively blasting seven homers in a pair of lopsided victories to start the series. Adrian Gonzalez smacked a pair of home runs and knocked in five runs in Wednesday?s 7-2 victory as the Dodgers moved 1.5 in front of the faltering San Francisco Giants atop the National League West. Gonzalez is tearing it up at the dish going 18 for 40 with 11 RBIs and 12 runs scored during a 10-game hitting streak.

The Phillies (56-64, 28-30 home) have lost two straight after putting together a modest four-game winning streak. Cesar Hernandez extended his on-base streak to 23 games and has hit safely in six straight for Philadelphia.

A pair of rookie hurlers will square with LA sending Ross Stripling (3-4, 4.07 ERA) vs. the Phillies Jerad Eickhoff (8-12, 3.82). Stripling will be making his third straight start following four relief appearances in a row.

Eickhoff has won his last two starts, although he hasn't been particularly sharp in either one. He was reached for three runs on 10 hits, including a pair of homers, in 5 1/3 innings against Colorado last time out and also surrendered two homers at San Diego in his previous turn. Eickhoff is 5-5 with a 3.05 ERA in 12 starts at Citizens Bank Park.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Play: Philadelphia Phillies +1.5

The Dodgers have out-scored the Phillies 22-7 in the first two games of this series in Philly, but I don't think we'll see LA complete the sweep here in the finale. Philly had won five of six at home prior to this series, and they should have a pitching mismatch in their favor tonight. Jerad Eickoff will toe the slab for the Phillies, and he's having a solid season despite playing for one of the worst teams in the majors. Eickoff (8-12, 3.82 ERA) allowed three runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 6-3 home win over the Rockies his last time out. The Phillies have won three of his last four home starts, and he's 5-5 with a 3.05 ERA in a dozen starts at Citizen's Bank Park this season. The Dodgers will hand the ball to Ross Stripling, who has worked mostly out of the bullpen. The 26 year old was torched for five runs on six hits, including a pair of home runs in a home loss to the Pirates his last time out. He has pretty dramatic splits, with an ERA of 1.32 in 20.2 innings during the day, and an ERA of 5.32 in 45.2 innings at night. The Phillies rank second in the National League in runs scored during the month of August, only Colorado has scored more.

Chicago (+4) over New England

No NFL head coach or team wants to be embarrassed during the preseason, but that was the case with the Chicago Bears last week in their home loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos by a 22-0 score. The stats in the game were as ugly as the final score as Chicago only managed to put up 130 yards of offense during the game. The Bears offense couldn't move the football, going three-and-out on 7 of their first 10 drives of the game as they never really threatened to score during the contest. Many of the Bears top players, along with their head coach John Fox, spoke about how poorly they played and how they all needed to be a lot better going forward. That's the exact kind of effort that were looking for during these preseason games, and especially if their facing a team that's coming off a nice winning effort like New England had as the Patriots put up a Week 1 NFL high by scoring 34 points in their game. The Pats were also able to get the much-needed work in for their opening week starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the game as well. With a big Week 3 dress rehearsal game coming up next week at Carolina, I'm looking for more of a take-it-easy type attitude from the Patriots here in this contest, which should much different than the sense of urgency that I'm expecting to see out of the Bears.

BEARS AT PATRIOTS
PLAY: BEARS +3.5

There was basically nothing positive to come out of last week?s exhibition opener for the Bears. They were pretty much bad at everything. For a team looking to put 2015 in the rear view mirror, that was a discouraging start, to put it mildly. The games might not count but for teams like the Bears, I think it?s more important for them to build a little positive momentum and instead Game One got them just the opposite result. The first-team offense was almost unbelievably incompetent, gaining 13 yards on 10 plays. Simply stated, they have to show more here. I think the Bears should have an opportunity to do better in this game. They were at least what was described as ?assertive? in the joint sessions this week.

There are a couple of possible negatives on the New England side, particularly at the QB spot. Garappolo did not have a good week of practice, and Brissett didn?t get many reps. The Patriots running game was also described as sluggish. There?s never any valuable info from Belichick, and he?s been typical Belichick at this camp. But it at least appears as though the Patriots are more focused from a gameplay standpoint on next week?s game at Carolina.

I?m not high on trends, but there are some pretty good pre-season angles that it the Bears this week, mostly having to do with teams that played very poorly at home the prior week, as was the case here. It could be that this Chicago team is so terrible that even in what really does look like a good pre-season spot, they can screw it up. But pre-season handicapping theory points their way, and the info gathered from those covering these two teams would seem to support that side as well. I?ll take the Bears and the points tonight.


Vikings vs. Seahawks
Play: Vikings +3

The Vikings are taking 3 points here and were solid in a road win at Cincinnati last week in a game where they were solid on defense. The game appeared close as the Vikings allowed an 80 yard punt return. They have Playoff revenge for a 10-9 loss and also for a blowout regular season loss, so they will be motivated here. Seattle came from behind with a big 4th Quarter to win in Kansas City. With Minnesota having covered 8 of the last 10 in week 2 we will look their way here tonight.
 

Terryray

Say Parlay
Forum Member
Dec 6, 2001
9,833
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Kansas City area for who knows how long....
evening parlay

evening parlay

07:05 PM MLB [953] LA DODGERS -170 ( R STRIPLING -R / J EICKHOFF -R )
07:10 PM MLB [956] CIN REDS +163 ( J FERNANDEZ -R / D STRAILY -R )
10:10 PM MLB [959] TOTAL o8.5 -115 (ARI DBACKS vrs SDG PADRES) (BRADLEY/CLEMENS)
10:15 PM MLB [962] TOTAL u6-110 (NY METS vrs SFO GIANTS) (DEGROM/BUMGARNER)
07:05 PM MLB [966] BAL ORIOLES -122 ( ACTION )
07:10 PM MLB [967] CHI WHITE SOX +165 ( C RODON -L / D SALAZAR -R )
10:05 PM MLB [971] SEA MARINERS -113 ( H IWAKUMA -R / M SHOEMAKER -R )
07:00 PM NFL [402] TOTAL u38-111 (PHI EAGLES vrs PIT STEELERS)
07:30 PM NFL [404] DET LIONS -130

1 unit bet pays 454....betdsi line...just need the Cubbies to hang on and win for the day parlay to come in!


ripped, cut and pasted, otherwise written by others, from across the internets:

One of the things that usually make a Salami Over more favorable is the prospect of a break-out game in the mix (Coors, Wrigley, Texas, etc.), but Thursday is not friendly in that particular regard. Not only are there some top tier starters, but the Reds, White Sox and Mariners were the only teams that used their closers last night. This could be a day in which the runs accumulate a little at a time, instead of getting an explosion somewhere.

any possible value with joseph musgrove @ o's today? currently +116, but possibly rising before game time...he is a young gun with limited starts but i'm impressed he's faced texas and tor (2x) and only given up 3er in 18ip with 21k/2bb.....even after facing toronto a second time. known as having excellent control. and birds lineup is in a major slump (hitting .229 in second half) and don't typically do well facing new starters (they haven't seen). houston swept 3 from o's last meeting with all games tightly pitched and no total going over 7. i would consider the under but just dont trust gausman......

here's an article on musgrove from 1 year ago: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2015/8/8/9121179/dont-overlook-houston-astros-prospect-joe-musgrove

and this from may of 2016: "The 6?5?, 265 lb. flamethrower has accumulated some gaudy numbers that almost make you double-take. Through 296.1 IP, Joe has a 25-8 record that?s supported by these polished numbers: 2.50 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, and most impressive of all, a BB/9 of 1.0. His command has gotten him to where he is today, one step away from the show. So far in 2016, Musgrove sports a 1.02 ERA and has struck out 49 batters to only 5 walks between AA and AAA. When you boast a career 282K:36BB ratio, not only are you absolutely wearing away your opponents, you are also grabbing the attention of your organization?s front office."

I like what I see from Musgrove, but I don't like the body language of the team around him. The Astros had a major opportunity against the Cardinals, who went into that series without Holliday/Diaz/Adams, and in losing those two games by nine runs it drops them 10 full games out in the A.L. West, and with the Wild Card becoming a long-shot (5.5 out, with four teams ahead of them). I don't trust Houston as an entire package here, and the Baltimore end-game bullpen is set up well.

Joe Musgrove - 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks. There are some really good things here and some questionable things. First, he was using his Slider much more as an out pitch as the Jays were either whiffing at it out of the zone or taking it for called strikes it almost all of Musgrove's Ks. The bad part is that his Fastball command was a little worrisome and while he did allow just 6 hits and 2 ER, there is a sense that his floor is a little lower than we think it is. Anyway, still love Musgrove a ton and after looking this good against the Jays, you should feel comfortable


Houston Astros at Baltimore Orioles
Pick: Baltimore Orioles

The 66-53 Baltimore Orioles are in the midst of a three-team battle in the AL East and the team?s status was not helped by getting swept at home Tuesday and Wednesday by Boston. The Red Sox moved into second place in the American League East, one game behind Toronto and one game ahead of the Orioles, with a rain-shortened 8-1 victory over Baltimore on Wednesday. The Astros swept the Orioles in a three-game series in Houston back in May, holding the potent Baltimore lineup to just seven runs and scoring two one-run victories and a two-run decision. The Orioles need to solve Houston, as they are just 3-7 vs the Astros over the past two years.

Houston won its wild card playoff game with the Yankees last year, after an 86-win regular season but lost 4-1 in the ALDS to Kansas City. However, the team?s ?encore season? has not gone smoothly, as after losing a fourth straight game last night, the 61-59 Astros find themselves in third-place in the Al West (10 games back), as well as tied with the Yankees 5 1/2 games back of the final wild card spot (Detroit and Seattle are both ahead of them, as well). Houston sends rookie Joe Musgrove (1-0, 1.47 ERA) to the mound, while Baltimore counters with Kevin Gausman (3-10, 4.04 ERA).

Musgrove made his major league debut on August 2 vs the Jays, pitching 4.1 scoreless innings, while allowing just one hit with eight Ks. He?s made two seven-inning starts since and not only owns a 1.47 ERA but an 0.76 WHIP with opponents batting only .185 against him. Gausman?s had a rough season for Baltimore but the Orioles are one tough ?nut to crack? here at Camden Yards. Baltimore?s 39-19 home record is bettered by only the 44-19 Cubs but while Chicago owns a modest plus-$472 home moneyline mark, Baltimore leads all of MLB with a plus-$1635 home moneyline mark.

This is a dangerous setting for the Nationals, losing a couple of hours in the time zone transition after playing at the Coors altitude this week, and with the bullpen in bad shape - I would consider Perez, Petit and Belisle out, and Glover with a fatigue * next to his name. It is also one in which there could be a lineup issue as well - with a big lead in the N.L. East, and the chances of catching the Cubs for the home field diminishing, Dusty Baker may give a key cog or two the night off following that trip.
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Chicago Bears at New England Patriots
Pick: New England Patriots

This isn't so much of a play "on" New England as it is "against" Chicago, who dropped a goose egg last week in a 22-0 shutout loss against the Denver Broncos. It wasn't so much about the score as the play on the field, as the Bears failed to reach 50 yards rushing on the ground and 100 yards through the air. We don't expect the Bears to be held scoreless again or put up such embarrassing offensive numbers this week, but we also don't expect Chicago to suddenly fix all of their offensive problems. On defense, the Bears are extremely young and susceptible in their secondary, and we do expect to see a Brady-less Pats offense see what their quarterbacks can do through the air. Bears inept offense combined with a bad defensive matchup leads to an easy Pats win and cover!

The Steelers saw their 2015 season come to an earlier end than the Super Bowl because of injuries in those skill positions, Fitz Toussaint forced to be the ball carrier on a fourth quarter drive in Denver when the Bronco Super Bowl run could have been quashed in the playoffs opening round. As such the big focus for Tomlin is to avoid any injuries to those positions in the pre-season, and it creates even more than the high degree of disdain he has had for recent August scoreboards ? over the last 3+ season it has been a 2-12 run for Pittsburgh in these games, with eight of the losses coming in double figures. Tomlin has already declared all of his key cogs in the offensive skill positions out tonight, which sets up #401 Philadelphia (7:00 Eastern), with some low-vig +3 still out there in the morning trading.

Tomlin, as always, is blunt - ?I know what Ben is capable of. I've worked with him for a decade now. He showed up in tremendous condition, and he's performed well. He's obviously a veteran. What's required for him to be ready to play might be different than others. My job is to give everybody what they need to be ready to go. I just believe that the reps are better served to be given to guys like Landry Jones and Dustin Vaughan. It won't hurt Ben by not getting them.?

It isn?t just a case of the players missing for the Steelers being so good, it is also how limited the back-ups are. Landry Jones is a #3 QB that gets the #2 role for the franchise, and with Bruce Gradkowski injured that leaves a lot of playing time for non-prospect Dustin Vaughan, in his first year with the team after being released by Dallas. That matters, because in the transition to a new scheme under Jim Schwarz the Eagles are not just going through the motions on defense, but using the pre-season to get players fully up to speed. They held Tampa Bay to nine points last week, while coming up with five turnovers and four sacks, and that included multiple possessions from Jameis Winston, and a Buccaneer back-up QB rotation of Mike Glennon/Ryan Griffin that is better than Jones/Vaughan.

Meanwhile there will also be more work from the Philadelphia first team offense tonight. Doug Pederson only gave Sam Bradford and the starters a single series last week, but they will play into the second quarter, and possibly the entire first half here. I also like Chase Daniel better than Jones, and while the hope is that McLeod Bethel-Thompson would not see much time, he is still better than Vaughan.

And it will not just be football on the ticket?

In the Sights?

The markets have gotten a little silly in Cincinnati today, over-rating the Marlins; under-rating the Reds; over-rating Jose Fernandez; and under-rating Dan Straily. It takes all of that for Pinny?s opener of -153 to reach -180, and -190 is already showing in a key precinct (CGT in Nevada). I will take a combination approach, splitting a position between one-third Straight/two-thirds Run Line on #956 Cincinnati (7:10 Eastern). Make +155 and -1.5 -120 the limits on the value meter.

The Marlins post an average lineup, perhaps even a tick below, without Giancarlo Stanton. Fernandez is carrying a reputation despite an 8-13/3.83 career tally on the road, and now pitches for the first time in 10 days, which can impact his rhythm, especially having only worked 30.1 innings since July 8. Even if he brings his best stuff there is a ?Utility? aspect being missed by the marketplace. Don Mattingly?s plan for his ace is a smart one, with no intention of Fernandez seeing the 8th inning in a game this season, and in half of his starts he did not work the 7th. That lessens his game impact, which is significant, especially with a pedestrian bullpen for those latter stages. It is not nearly the dominating package being priced, and note that with a -1.5 attached the Marlins would only be 3-6 in the Fernandez road starts this season.

Meanwhile there isn?t anything special about Dan Straily?s stuff, which helps us from a market sex appeal standpoint, but he keeps throwing strikes and competing ? the Reds have won his last six starts, and that does boost a team?s confidence level. Straily in particular helps to fit the Run Line equation ? he has only walked four batters over his last four starts, and if you throw strikes and force the Marlins to score via contact, it helps to prevent a game from breaking open.

Yet there is still the matter of the Cincinnati bullpen to deal with, which makes the Run Line a bigger part of the equation than the outright ticket. Closer Tony Cingrani has thrown 32 pitches over back-to-back games, and also threw 22 at Milwaukee on Sunday, and that is why I would like to be in a position to have made a profit if the Reds lose by a single run (they are 17-23 in one-run games this season).

Whalen allowed six run on six hits, including two homers, across five innings vs. the Nationals on Saturday. Despite his struggles, he threw 63 of his 84 pitches for strikes and tossed first-pitch strikes to 15 of 22 hitters.


under is 6-1 in deGrom?s last 7 starts.
under is 4-1 in deGroms last 5 starts against the NL West.
under is 4-0 in Bumgarner?s last 4 starts with 4 days of rest.
under is 6-1 in the Giants last 7 Thursday games.

This is a great pitching matchup that has under written all over it as Bumgarner is dominant at home where he has an incredible 1.46 ERA this season. Also, he is 4-0 with an ERA just over one in his career against the Mets and I think they will have a hard time doing anything against him. Also, deGrom has a minuscule 0.84 ERA in his career against the Giants and he has only conceded a total of two earned runs in his last four starts, so runs will be at a premium in this one.


Chicago +179 over CLEVELAND

Maybe the Indians run over the White Sox here. That is a distinct possibility but we?re not in the business of predicting outcomes. We are merely looking for overpriced favorites/underpriced dogs (value), fading or playing them and letting the chips fall where they may. That brings us to Danny Salazar, who comes off the DL here for his first start since August 1. Spotting a price like this on Salazar coming off the DL is therefore too big a risk. Additionally, Salazar has been tagged for seven jacks over his last five starts. He?s also been tagged for 6, 4 and 6 runs respectively in three of his last four starts. Yeah, Salazar can be downright dominating but again, he?s coming off the DL and his mound opponent can be dominating too.

Carlos Rodon also spent some recent time on the DL but he returned on July 31 after a 15-day stint. He was whacked that day (6 IP 8H 5ER) but he?s been brilliant in two starts since. Rodon has 18 K?s over his past 18 innings. He has 108 K?s in 109 innings overall. In his last start, Rodon?s line-drive rate was 0%. He?s throwing 94 MPH heat with late life and his swing and miss rate over his last two starts is an elite 12?%. Rodon does bring some risk. This top 2014 draft pick held his own in his first MLB exposure. His K-rate and swinging strikes have always held firm. His groundball rate and HR avoidance are pluses. However, his control is a different story. Rodon?s first-pitch strike rate of 52% says he has work to do. His career dominant start/disaster start split says we have to take the good with the bad. The beautiful thing about wagering is that we can pick and choose when we do take him and as a pooch in this range, Rodon?s potential dominance is worth backing because when he?s on his game, he?s elite. He?s been on his game lately.

N.Y. Mets +142 over SAN FRAN

Madison Bumgarner is an elite pitcher that needs no introductions whatsoever. Hell, you have to be elite to be favored by this much over Jacob deGrom but Bumgarner is not the problem here. The problem is the team he pitches for that blew a 4-0 lead yesterday and subsequently had the bases loaded in the ninth with none out but could not tie it. San Fran has now lost its lead in the NL West. They have dropped four in a row and five of six and they?ll be operating with a brutal and overtaxed bullpen. Of course the Mets can hang around in this one and maybe even be winning when the pens take over.

Jacob deGrom appeared to have established himself as an upper tier starter in 2015 but this season didn't get off to such a great start. There was some concern about his velocity during spring training, and a back issue slowed him for the first couple weeks of the regular season. His lack of dominance was the main focus early on but he?s back to dominating again and looking like the ace he was expected to be. deGrom has a BB/K split of 29/129 in 133 innings. He has 31 K?s in his last 31 frames with an ERA/xERA split of 2.01/2.77. Not many starters in the game can match his combination of high strikeouts, low walks, and strong groundball tilt. deGrom is absolutely a good bet to put up elite numbers the rest of the way and that includes this game where he can easily shut down the struggling Giants. The equation here is a simple one that says Jacob deGrom should never be offered a price like this because he?s capable of throwing a shutout every time he takes the mound. The same can be said about Bumgarner but the difference is that Bumgarner is favored in the -150 range in a 50/50 game. That?s value.

Bengals vs. Lions
Play: Lions -1?

I like a young team finding an identity versus a veteran team looking to avoid the injury big and keeping a recuperating Andy Dalton and his throwing hand (thumb) limited with snaps. The main key in this game is the OL and DL for the Bengals which is well publicized in the preseason that they are having issues and it showed in their week 1 game against the Vikes. I like the Lions who should be more aggressive here, and the main focus in weeks 1 and 2 again for veteran teams and not youthful teams is to get in a series or two and then look at players the rest of the game who no doubt half of them won?t make the roster cuts. Advantage Lions here who racked up 30 points in Week 1 and are at home tonight.

Lions -2

The Bengals come into this game with a lot of injuries and not a lot of depth at the quarterback position. This game is in Detroit on turf and you just know opposing coaches cringe at playing in meaningless games in these conditions. The key tonight for the Bengals is to stay healthy. I think the Bengals are going to be just fine this year, but their main core group of starters are set in stone so there is no reason to go all in on the preseason. Cincinnati has a new Offensive Coordinator so it will take a few weeks for this offense to get clicking. Detroit is pretty deep team with their receivers. There are guys that are 5th or 6th options that could be a 2nd string receiver on a lot of teams that need them. This game is probably an audition for big trades to come. The Lions have a huge edge later in the game with some of the guys catching the ball against younger defensive backs. Look for Detroit to get the home win.
 
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